Labor

BRIDGE BRIEFING: Romney And Labor

Romney Vetoed Bill To Increase The Minimum Wage 2006: Romney Vetoed A Minimum Wage Bill Despite Campaign Pledge To Increase…

MEMO: Richard Mourdock’s Extreme Record

Let’s be clear about one thing regarding Richard Mourdock’s win over Dick Lugar tonight in the Indiana Republican Senate primary: Richard Mourdock did not win; Dick Lugar lost. Assuredly, Lugar’s precipitous drop in the final weeks was propelled by his stumbles over the residency issue. But Lugar’s vulnerability stemmed from being identified as one of the Tea Party’s top targets of the 2012 election cycle. Lugar will have been felled by the same extreme fringe of the Republican Party that took down several pragmatic Republican candidates in 2010. These extremists found a mouthpiece in State Treasurer Richard Mourdock and are nominating a candidate who is well outside the mainstream of Indiana voters.

The Republican primary has been a referendum on Lugar, not an endorsement of Richard Mourdock. As Hoosiers across the state learn more about Mourdock,  they will realize that his soft-spoken demeanor belies a fervent, extreme view of politics and governance that would hurt Indiana’s middle class families, students, veterans, women, seniors, and farmers.

BACKGROUND ON RICHARD MOURDOCK’S EXTREMISM

Mourdock Said Auto Bailout Was Illegal. According to a Mourdock Editorial in the South Bend Tribune, “By any traditional legal analysis, fundamental elements of the Obama administration’s Chrysler bankruptcy plan were illegal. It turned 200 years of U.S. bankruptcy law on its head by awarding more value to a select group of unsecured creditors than to secured creditors. Others are apparently willing to tolerate the violation of federal bankruptcy laws simply because they liked the result: It helped their friends. But most Americans, including the Hoosier retirees who had their property stolen away, see such picking and choosing by the federal government as fundamentally un-American.” [Mourdock Editorial, South Bend Tribune, 10/9/10]

Huffington Post: Mitt Romney's Women Surrogates Voted Against Pay Equity Enforcement, Blasted Feminism

On April 18, 2012, Huffington Post reported:

A March 29 Wisconsin Women for Romney call with reporters featured Wisconsin state Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and conservative activist Bay Buchanan. Darling was a cosponsor of legislation repealing her state's 2009 Equal Pay Enforcement Act, which was designed to deter employers from discriminating against certain groups by granting workers more avenues for pressing charges. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) quietly signed the bill into law last week.

ThinkProgress: Romney Campaign Enlists GOP Women Who Opposed Equal Pay Bills To Attack Obama

On April 11, 2012, ThinkProgress reported:

Romney’s campaign followed these two releases with a statement from his former Massachusetts Lt. Governor, Kerry Healey (R). Though she too takes the curious tact of blaming her party’s “war on women” on President Obama, American Bridge 21st Century notes that while in office, Healey “publicly condemned Romney for vetoing spending for women’s health, including breast and cervical cancer screenings and treatment, calling the move: ‘penny-wise, pound-foolish.’”

The Hill: Thompson's Work With Unions As Governor Could Hurt His Senate Campaign

On December 20, 2011, The Hill reported:

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson's (R) work with unions might come back to haunt him in his race for the Senate.

POLITICO's Arena: Gov. John Kasich chastened?

Tuesday’s vote in Ohio to strike down a law restricting collective bargaining for public workers is a clear repudiation of the Republicans’ economic message. Voters know that police officers, firefighters, and teachers aren’t responsible for our nation’s economic struggles. Each monthly jobs report shows that continued Republican attacks on public workers are negating the employment gains made in the private sector and holding back our recovery. Voting to treat the individuals who protect our communities and educate our children with respect is not a matter of being in denial about the fiscal situation, but an expression of priorities. The vote also shows that voters disagree with Republicans about the true meaning of shared sacrifice. Republicans want to punish teachers and first responders, or put the burden on the 99%, asking more from families already struggling just to make ends meet. Voters would rather see millionaires and billionaires pay a little bit more to give back to the communities that helped make their success possible. If Republicans continue to spout their extreme rhetoric, the message sent by Ohio voters on SB5 will be repeated loud and clear across the country in 2012.