Obama touts new jobs plan as California sees fastest decrease in union jobs in nation

President Obama kicked off the beginning of campaign season on Monday by giving a Labor Day speech in Wisconsin where he proposed $50 billion for new infrastructure jobs.

Union members rallied behind the president as he announced his long-term jobs program that would put Americans back to work rebuilding roads, railways and airport runways – although the White House admitted the plan would not create jobs until 2011. 

With two months left until the November elections, Obama’s speech was intended not only to assure the American people he was doing all he could to create jobs but also to rally support and get Democrats to the polls. His proposal also came after the August unemployment rate increased to 9.6 percent from 9.5 percent in July despite gaining 67,000 private sector jobs.

If Democrats have any chance of winning in November they need to get their base enthusiastic because right now the Republicans have turned out 3 million more voters than Democrats in the primary season and have a 50 percent to 25 percent enthusiasm gap advantage. With unions being one of the Democrats’ largest supporting groups it is important to get them fired up and encouraged by what the president is trying to do.

Getting union members excited also is important because according to a UCLA study published on Monday, in the 12 months ending in June, the union membership rate in California went from 18.3 percent to 17.6 percent. Union jobs in the state have disappeared at a faster rate than anywhere else in the country where according to the study membership went from 12.4 percent to 12.1 percent nationwide during that same time. The study also found the decline was most severe in the counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, Venture and San Bernardino, where the rates went from 17.5 percent to 16.5 percent.

Of course as soon as Obama released his infrastructure plan Republicans were quick to assail it. Both Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner spoke against the “tax increases,” “run away spending” and “lack of job creation.”

“[It] should be met with justifiable skepticism,” McConnell said of the plan. “[Americans] are still looking for the ‘shovel-ready’ jobs they were promised more than a year ago.”

“We don’t need more government ‘stimulus’ spending,” Boehner added. “We need to end Washington Democrats’ out-of-control spending spree, stop their tax hikes, and create jobs by eliminating the job-killing uncertainty that is hampering our small businesses.”

It would be easier to take Republicans more seriously though if they were not currently holding up a small business bill that would provide more credit so they could start hiring again. It also would be easier to take them more seriously if they would give their own, specific ideas on how to fix the economy and bring jobs back instead of only calling for tax cuts.

Democrats and Republicans both can agree on tax cuts for the middle and lower classes, but Republicans cannot seem to focus on anything else besides also providing tax cuts to the wealthy and big corporations.

Maybe that is why they do not like this plan – well, besides them not liking it because Obama suggested it that is. Maybe they do not like this plan because it would be fully paid for, thus negating any arguments Boehner has against “out-of-control spending.” They also probably do not like this plan because it would be paid for by closing tax breaks for oil and gas companies and multinational companies that have no problems shipping American jobs overseas.

Yep, sounds exactly like the type of things Republicans stand against – increasing taxes on the wealthy and the big corporations at the expense of helping Main Street.

Labor unions have said they would press Congress for the infrastructure spending and job creation programs. They also would push for legislation that would give aid to state and local governments as well as provide incentives for more business lending even if Democrats lost their majorities.

If Republicans gained control of Congress union leaders have said they hoped some bills such as legislation to help rebuild water sanitation infrastructure, a surface transportation reauthorization bill and a new Federal Aviation Administration bill would pass. These pieces of legislation normally would have bipartisan support but have stalled in Congress this year. They also said they hoped the party would be more encouraged to govern instead of continue to play political games that could cost them seats in the 2012 elections.

“Hopefully, that edge of partisanship will be taken off,” Rod Bennett, assistant to the general president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, said. “Those elected to the next Congress should have a higher sense of moving forward on what needs to get done.

“How about being more responsible for your constituents? It is a win to move forward on these investments to rebuild our country. If they are seen as playing partisan politics in the next Congress, whatever their numbers are, I think they will be held accountable.”

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