For 20 yrs, corporate Dem leadership sipped lattes while the GOP took over state governments
Obama's reelection? The Democrats holding onto the Senate for the next two years? A few more House seats picked up in a GOP-controlled chamber?
Savor those victories, because with Michigan's passage of a right-to-work law, they might be the last major Democratic victories for a long time.
That's because with the cascade of right-to-work laws that will likely be passed in the majority of states within the next couple of years (maybe earlier), the cornerstone of crucial union-raised campaign contributions and on-the-ground people support which the Democratic party has relied on for the past 80 years will begin to see its end.
And this is happening partially because the Democratic centrist, Third Way leadership largely ignored the relatively unromantic state and local legislative races and instead concentrated resources on winning or holding onto federal-level seats in select swing states and blue states. This allowed the GOP to take the opportunity and win total state legislative majorities in Wisconsin and Michigan -- at the exact same time that both states elected Republican governors who take orders from the Koch brothers and ALEC. Democrats even ceded state government control of Alabama, Arkansas, and North Carolina to the Republicans -- states which haven't been controlled by the GOP since Reconstruction.
It's true that for 2012, party leadership has finally realized that it had to compete for some state governments if it wanted the national Democratic party to actually have some sort of future; Maine has reverted back to Democratic control, and New York has a Democratic-run Senate for the first time in 50 years. California now has a Democratic super-majority.
But it may be too late. Missouri's state government now has a GOP super-majority, and with it, the Republicans have veto-proof power to pass a Missouri "right-to-work" law over Gov. Jay Nixon.
With the eventual crushing loss of union dollars and ground support, what do you think the Democrats' future will look like? The corporate Democratic brain-trust should have considered that long before they gave moral support to the GOP's war on organized labor.
= new reply since forum marked as read
The GOP is not going away when a bunch of old white men die. There are plenty of young people with these attitudes! And with what they are doing to public education, there will continue to be young people who don't know better. In another thread some DUer implied that the war on women will disappear in a few years when these old guys die off. 
[font color=firebrick][center]"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans.
I want a party that will STAND UP for Working Americans."
---Paul Wellstone [/font][/center]
[center]
[/font]
[font size=1]photo by bvar22
Shortly before Sen Wellstone was killed[/center][/font]
You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their rhetoric, promises, or excuses.
[font size=5 color=green]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
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SEE: Akansas Democratic Primary, 2010
The Democratic Party Grass Roots did EVERYTHING the Party leadership asked.
Organized LABOR joined with Pro-HealthCare advocates to replace Blue Dog, Anti-LABOR, Anti-Public Option, Wicked Witch of Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln with a popular Pro-LABOR, Pro-HealthCare DEMOCRAT, Democratic Lt Governor Bill Halter.
Democratic Lt Governor Halter was ahead of Lincoln in the early polls,
had the national backing and funds from LABOR, had an effective political machine with a proven record of winning elections, and had enthusiastic support from the Arkansas Grass Roots (YES! We DO exist!)
Guess what happened?
The woman who was running as the one who derailed "Big Government Takeover of HealthCare received an Oval Office Endorsement from President Obama.
He even sent Bill Clinton back to Arkansas to save Lincoln's failing campaign.
Adding insult to injury, "an anonymous White House Spokesman" ridiculed Organized LABOR for supporting a Pro-LABOR challenger in a Democratic Primary.
It will be a LONG time before LABOR and the Grass Roots in Arkansas forget this Beat Down from the Democratic Party leadership.
[font color=firebrick][center]"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans.
I want a party that will STAND UP for Working Americans."
---Paul Wellstone [/font][/center]
[center][/font]
[font size=1]photo by bvar22
Shortly before Sen Wellstone was killed[/center][/font]
You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their rhetoric, promises, or excuses.
[font size=5 color=green]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
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