They’re not talking about this out in the open on liberal cable news networks but behind closed doors, Democrats are sweating over the fact that the Teamsters declined to endorse Kamala Harris.
Even though the union declined to endorse the candidate of either party, Trump has been taking a victory lap over the overwhelming support he is getting from members of the union.
Some Democrats are having 2016 flashbacks.
Politico reports:
Democrats privately worry the Teamsters non-endorsement is a warning signEight years after Donald Trump shattered the Blue Wall, some Democrats worry he could do it again.Most polls show Kamala Harris tied or leading Trump in the critical battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin after a commanding performance at the debate. Party leaders are projecting confidence publicly. But on the ground, jittery elected officials, strategists and allies are quietly pointing to warning signs for the vice president…Privately, Democrats say Harris still has work to do to win over older, white, working-class voters who make up a large portion of the electorate in the Rust Belt and have been hit by high prices.“Candidly, Trump has a solid, solid base of working-class people that have bought into his message,” said Jimmy Williams, president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, which has endorsed Harris. “It’s movable and it’s been moving. But it’s not like some tide that’s turned.”“Hard not to have HRC flashbacks right now, to be honest, that stuff might be wrong beneath the surface,” the official said. “I hope it’s not.”
The left in media is pretty angry about the non-endorsement, too.
This is from the New Republic:
According to O’Brien, about half the union’s members are Republican. That’s probably true. In general, about one-third of union members are Republican, so while Democrats typically win union households, they don’t win them by large margins.Still, O’Brien’s doing Trump an unreasonably large favor by withholding a Harris endorsement. “The real damage,” Rosenthal told me, “is that Trump—the way he lies about everything—will lie about this.” He’ll pretend to be a friend to labor, when he’s anything but. “That makes our job tougher in states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Nevada, which have strong union membership.” Thanks for nothing, Sean.
This is from Slate:
When Sean O’Brien ran to be president of the mighty Teamsters union, he promised to be a strong leader. But in the Teamsters’ messy handling of a presidential endorsement, O’Brien has appeared weak, short-sighted, and feckless. He has failed to provide strong leadership on one of his most important tests: to get his union’s rank-and-file and board to reject anti-union Trump and instead embrace Harris, who has year after year been a champion of America’s unions and workers.
It really doesn’t matter how pro-union Kamala Harris claims to be or is perceived as, the issues are still the same. Voters across the country, including many members of the Teamsters, think that the country is on the wrong track.
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