Rich Trumka Warns Sarah Palin: Tone Down The Rhetoric
I love Rich Trumka, because he never minces words. And it's great to see him go after the incendiary rhetoric of Sarah Palin because, unlike most of our Democratic leaders, he has a spine and won't back down:
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka charged Thursday that if Republican political star Sarah Palin is not more careful in her choice of words, the political movement she has helped to create will be linked with McCarthyism, the 1950s-era crusade by Sen. Joseph McCarthy to brand political enemies as communists.
Mr. Trumka’s comments about his strained relations with Ms. Palin came at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast for reporters, where he was asked how his previous critical words about the 2008 GOP vice-presidential nominee squared with his call for union members to save their anger for “corporate lapdogs” and Senate Republicans.
The comments were “totally consistent,” Trumka said. “She has taken on a position of leadership, and whether it is rightfully given to her or not, she is there. And so she can’t use loose language that foments … changing that anger to hatred or that action to violence.” He continued, “If she doesn’t change her ways, then Palinism will be equated with other forms of McCarthyism that fomented division among the populace and acts of hatred among the populace.”
The union leader’s comments Thursday are a sequel to a battle of words between the two figures last week. In a speech in Anchorage, Alaska. on Aug. 26, Trumka said Palin will “go down in history like McCarthy.” He criticized her for what he sees as incendiary rhetoric, including her use of the phrase “don’t retreat ... reload” and a reference she made to “union thugs.”
Palin, Alaska's former governor, responded to Trumka’s comments last week on her Facebook page. She noted that her husband is a proud former union member. Addressing his criticism of her language, Palin said, “It’s kind of ironic that a union boss has the gall to accuse anyone of threatening violence. After all, we remember the violent attempts by [the Service Employees International Union] to intimidate those who wanted to make their voices heard in last year’s town halls. And unlike Trumka, I never threatened that any effort to break a picket line would lead to violence.”
Palin added, “I never called union members 'thugs.' You lie. I called some union leaders 'thugs.' And I refuse to apologize for that because they have acted like thugs – at least in this day and age.”
Mr. Trumka began his Palin-related comments Thursday morning with a response to Palin calling him “a career union boss who’s spent most of his life in DC.” He quipped, “I spent more time in the mine than she did as governor…. I served a whole term there, as a matter of fact.” He later said he spent seven years working in coal mines before climbing the ladder to become president of the United Mine Workers of America. Palin resigned as governor of Alaska with 18 months remaining in her four-year term.
Trumka said his concern was “that there is a danger that the anger and the frustration that people are feeling will get turned into rage, hatred, and ultimately violence.”
If the Democratic strategy is to have Trumka engage in this "populist" battle with Palin, it is another miscalculation which will only further widen the schism between workers and the Democratic Party.
"Ironic, isn't it Smithers? This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you." --Mr. Burns
.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
In my view, you have alot of unionized laborers who are still wedded to the Palin's rhetoric and flag waving.
Palin is trying to goad Trumka into the "unions are corrupt" and the free market isn't argument. Politically, Trumka as labor leader can't start throwing rocks at corporations (see Political Donors) without pissing off the Democrats, AND he's put in the position of trying to prove a negative (ie unions are not corrupt). Any adult knows ALL corporations, politicians and organizations are inherently corrupt. The real issue is supporting politically, groups that serve an interest. That is the essence of politics.
I SUPPORT LABOR. I suport organizations and individuals that promote progressive agendas. Are there corrupt union leaders? Of course. Are there corrupt politicians? DUUHH. CEOs?
No one is pristine. The way politics is SUPPOSED to work is...you get caught...you get burned at the stake...you resign...so that the work and organization can move forward. The problem today is...no one pays any kind of price...which undermines the institutions themselves. That is why people no longer have faith in government.
"Ironic, isn't it Smithers? This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you." --Mr. Burns
Palin probably enjoys some support among union members and you're also right that there are and always will be tensions between representatives of labor and the more pro-business elements of the Democratic party. They've clashed before and Trumka, who I rather like, hasn't been bashful about making it clear that the Democratic party doesn't get blind support from labor. That's as it should be. I disagree that Trumka shouldn't take on Palin though. Any union members who feel inclined to support Palin need to have it pointed out, by their leadership, that she does not have their interests at heart. This doesn't necessarily imply that they should fall in line with the aims of the Democratic party unless a particular policy is in the interests of labor.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
Any union members who feel inclined to support Palin need to have it pointed out, by their leadership, that she does not have their interests at heart.
Agree, however...two words...cognitive dissonance.
"Ironic, isn't it Smithers? This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you." --Mr. Burns
I'm not sure how much support Palin has among union members. Over at Salon, Joan Walsh reports:
Palin did not help her ticket among white union members.
How do you handle Palin. The way the White House does. You ignore her. You stay above the bullshit.
AND...you put out statemens pointing out how she quit, how she is an attention whore and how she's simply in love with the sound of her voice.
You make HER respond.
Notice that she's always throwing bombs...but never responds when confronted. She uses surrogates.
Want to know why? Because if she speaks without a talking point...she's going to say something REALLY stupid and show her true colors.
What she learned from her handlers after the debacle of the campaign...stay on message and keep your big mouth shut unless we TELL you what to say.
"Ironic, isn't it Smithers? This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you." --Mr. Burns
..real solutions to the real problems we face in this country. I would think we would all hear some real "stupid" then if not the crickets in the weeds.
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
Huh?
Good on him for stating the facts and firing that verbal warning shot. If she were smart, which we know she isn't, she would listen to him.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
Ooh, that has got to leave a mark. The trouble with Palin is she is so myopic that she can't see anything except what she thinks she wants to see. She does not analyze anything.She can't. Ultimately she will be seen as bad for the country. In 50 years she will be hung out to dry by historians.
But the insane right doesn't mind being compared to McCarthy. Since the soviets aren't around anymore..."see it worked!!". I get this all the time when talking about all the religious bullshit the government inserted into government during the 50's.
Exactly. I think even C&L has noticed the attempts to whitewash McCarthy and McCarthyism. Palin would be proud to be compared to him.
Rhetoric is the art of effective and logical communications,
He certainly can't be accusing her of that, since she's all logical flaws.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
she's all logical flaws
That's why people love her.
"Ironic, isn't it Smithers? This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you." --Mr. Burns
Shrill is a tone?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Both Beck and Plank have that audible effect.
...why does Trumka think that Palin will take him seriously, or even cares what he thinks? Don't get me wrong -- I think she should -- but as I've said before, Palin's fatal flaw (and I suspect also the primary reason for her popularity) is that she's essentially Dubya-In-A-Dress. She's every bit as arrogantly narcissistic (which means that she's secretly just as profoundly insecure) as he is, and is equally determined to believe that she is utterly incapable of being wrong in even the smallest degree. Also, judging by the way in which many other neoconservatives speak of Joseph McCarthy (and the fact that Palin has apparently started palling around with the likes of Michelle Bachmann), I'm by no means convinced that Palin would worry about the prospect of being compared with him -- quite frankly, I think she'd consider that a compliment!
Never trust anyone who insists that patriotism requires you to blindfold yourself with the flag.
Sarah is very concerned what people say about her. She is the most thin skinned politician or ex-politician ever. Any time anyone says anything about her she attacks them, not what they say, but them. Sarah can't handle criticism of Sarah. She can talk all she wants about everyone else but don't you date say anything about her. Wasn't it a month ago someone, a citizen practicing their first amendment rights, posted a sign saying "worse governor ever" and her and her daughter came up to her and attacked her. She's a wuss. Can you imagine if she was president and Il or Ahmadinejad insulted her? She'd start a war.
is intended to be a factual statement
She is extremely thin skinned about what people say of her. She reacts immediately to every perceived slight.
That's why I think that everytime she goes off, we all paraphrase the Vanity Fair article with,
"There she goes again - that uncontrollable temper about which her friends spoke". Nothing else except that.
She'll continue to prove that point over and over.
...you've only proved my point. As I said in my earlier post...
She's every bit as arrogantly narcissistic (which means that she's secretly just as profoundly insecure) as he is, and is equally determined to believe that she is utterly incapable of being wrong in even the smallest degree.
The irony is that people as arrogant as Bush and Palin are often so insecure about their own shortcomings that they repress all conscious awareness of it and overcompensate by cultivating a facade of supreme self-confidence...even though it is precisely this overcompensation which so often leads to their own downfall. In my experience, it takes a higher degree of perception than many people possess to detect the yawning chasm of fear and insecurity which so often lies beneath arrogance of this magnitude. It's possible -- although I very much doubt it -- that Bush and/or Palin are capable of acknowledging the depths of their own self-doubt in the privacy of their own thoughts, but I think we all know that they'd almost certainly choose to have a tooth drilled without Novocaine than ever admit to it publicly. This is what makes both of them so thin-skinned -- and why, paradoxically, both of them cannot tolerate criticism and tend to be vindictive in their response to it while at the same time doggedly insisting that there's no truth or validity to any of the criticism. Criticism dredges up awareness of their own self-doubts, which they're too frightened to face -- and they can't have that, so they dismiss and denigrate anyone and anything that reminds them of it.
In any case, I still think that Palin would actually feel flattered rather than insulted by being compared to McCarthy, since there's no denying that McCarthy made a profound impact on this nation's history (even if it is since considered something of a dark chapter in our history). Palin strikes me as someone who, if she can't be famous, will gladly settle for being notorious as long as people remember her name.
Never trust anyone who insists that patriotism requires you to blindfold yourself with the flag.
Yes that is definitely true. At least a lot of others will see her for what she is (McCarthy-like). It is very important to keep saying this even if it seems painfully obvious to people like you and I. Over time more and more people will see the truth even if a lot of others will never understand. In time these jokers will be seen the same way as Father Coughlin and McCarthy etc. Also Palin might take Trumka seriously because she has responded to him via Twitter. Probably not but maybe.
They're rewriting mccarthy's record as we speak, based upon records from the KGB archives being declassified, about sympathizers in Congress.
And I'm all like, "So the KGB's word is reliable now?"
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Palin doesn't care. All she cares about it making as much money as possible and anyone else can fuck off. Conservatism in media is a much MUCH better money-making proposition and if the country goes to hell, it doesn't matter because THEY come out rich as pigs.
if we ever just TOOK that fucking money from her - money she made telling lies and misleading a significant amount of people - perhaps ultimately ending in the election of people who will only take out the plunger and make sure our turd of a country goes all the way down the shitter?
Just ignore the uneducated, ignorant fool. Palin will go away like the stench of shit after a while.
... that shit is still sitting in America's living room and being tracked all over the house.
Just look at her sophomoric attack on the writer at Vanity Fair who wrote a less than flattering piece on her. "they go on their anonymous sources that are anonymous." She really is a moron isn't she?
As Bob Cesca wrote on his blog yesterday
"And by the way, Sarah Palin is loaded with guts, isn't she? Refusing to talk to non-Fox reporters, refusing to take real questions, insisting upon pre-screening her audience questions and hiding her statements behind the one-way mirror of Twitter and Facebook. Brave!"
I couldn't agree more. She's basically throwing rocks from the safety of her window. She should just STFU! The more she speaks the more unhinged she sounds. One things clear. When she makes statements like the one she did on Hannity's radio show, it proves that she's not writing her facebook posts. Most people write the way they speak and her facebook rants, while still stupid, are clearly not written by her. Here's the full quote from Hannity's show.
""Those who are impotent and limp and gutless and they go on their anonymous -- sources that are anonymous -- and impotent, limp and gutless reporters take anonymous sources and cite them as being factual references," Palin continued. "It just slays me because it's so absolutely clear what the state of yellow journalism is today that they would take these anonymous sources as fact."
Wha?
"Most people write the way they speak and her facebook rants, while still stupid, are clearly not written by her. Here's the full quote from Hannity's show."
I don't
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
It's not scripted or rehearsed. It's just a natural flow. I think about what I want to say and type it. I don't have a ghostwriter. I'm not anti education like the wingnuts who brand those who are educated as elitists. It's their opposite logic of up is down and down is up. A weak defense mechanism to compensate for their lack of intellect.
Most people wonder why I don't speak much and reject overtures to small talk.
I don't do tête-à-tête or klatches.
When I do they don't seem to know what I'm talking about, because I free-float associations, talk what I know, and speak with a whispery voice.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
That quote is very interesting. She is definitely bothered by the Vanity Fair article. To call the guy impotent and limp shows she is very angry. Or maybe she was thinking about Todd last night.
Did she ever even attempt to correct her "cackle" gaffe? Hell no! When she tweeted about Feminist who had taken over the word, she described the culprits as a "cackle of women" when she clearly meant gaggle. It's usually her tweets that expose her for the moron she is. With just 140 characters, she clearly believes she can handle those posts on her own but, like everything else, she's wrong about that too.
It's like when she blurred refute with repudiate, and instead of laughing it off, tried to ascribe it to poetic license.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
The age of soundbites is going to be here for a long long time. "Union thugs" replaces "organized people working together for a better life for all."
I am a member of a union and I participate. Busting unions to lower standards of living thereby sapping wealth from the working class to the rich seems as sure as death and taxes with the Palins of the world. NEVER be fooled into believing that the poor are the enemy of the working class.
Ask about the "free market system" and its inclusion of global child and fixed low wage labor. Equality to Sarah in 1865 would have been to make everyone a slave rather than emacipation. Trumka has it right that the quitter is out in the ether and the sad fact of being corrective of her remains.
She made me crack up-I couldn't stop laughing for hours-when she thought that if she became Vice President she would be in charge of the Senate and tell them what to do. She didn't like it when she was told that she would only have a vote if the Senate has a tie vote on a blll. Right then and there everyone should have known how stupid this woman is. I don't see how she could have passed her civics test when she gratuated high school. At least I think all states have that requirement to graduate.
A friend and I were actually talking about this last night - what's the difference between Palin and McCarthy? About 60 years...
Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water.
Actually this sort of talk should be directed towards people like Bachman more often since she is an elected official. I would hope her opponent uses this against her.
An opportunity missed:
" Palin resigned as governor of Alaska with 18 months remaining in her four-year term."
It should be said that Palin resigned after a "year" as Gov. then let the right try and rebut it.
Whenever I see a clip of Trumpka, I take a moment to listen. He appears to be sane and have guts.
Unlike Palin.
FWIW, it's certainly nice to see this 'conversational' setting at the CSMonitor -- these aren't 'gotcha' questions; these are people having a conversation. The cool, friendly tone is a real breath of fresh air.
Richard Trumpka for President in 2016!!
*
Comments are closed on this entry