By Dennis Kucinich
The attacks on our unions in Ohio, Wisconsin, and elsewhere aren’t just labor struggles or budget battles. They’re an attack on the American middle-class – an attempt to, in a single blow, undo generations of progress for labor and working class Americans.
President Obama needs to lead the charge against this affront on public workers and unions. He needs to be on the front-lines of these protests, as he promised while on the campaign trail in 2007.
This is a defining moment for our country, and we need our President to lead. Will you join me in signing this petition to our President?
Let me be clear: President Obama stands with workers, unions, and the middle-class everywhere. I do not question that. But standing behind workers isn’t enough right now. We need him to stand in front of workers and our movement. We need him to lead the charge – let everyone know that America does not sit idly by while a few Republican governors, backed by their big business interests, try to destroy the foundation of our middle class.
This is simply too important to sit on the sidelines. Imagine the impact on this struggle if the President of the United States would join, in-person, with the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across this country. It could be a game-changer. Please join me in signing this important petition – and ask your friends, family, and neighbors to do the same:
I’ve spent the last few weeks joining with workers in Ohio and around the country, rallying against this attack on workers’ rights. It has been what I’ve done my whole life – from fighting unfair trade deals, to walking the picket lines at strikes everywhere, to expanding health coverage for displaced workers. This is my purpose: To stand up and to speak out on behalf of those who have built this country and who want to rebuild this country again.
The future of labor, as John L. Lewis said, is the future of America. And, right now, this is a turning point for both. We need our President to lead the charge.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on March 10, 2011