Great Moments in 'D'Oh!': And the Teamsters Union Presidential Research Poll Says?Beege Welborn 9:20 PM | September 18, 2024
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
If you remember, back in July, right before the Republican National Convention, word broke that Sean O'Brien, feisty, obnoxious, and victorious president of the Teamsters Union, had been invited by none other than Donald Trump to speak at the convention.
O'Brien accepted the offer.
The collective gasps of horror and shock reverberated through labor, liberal, and GOP living rooms.
VURT DA FURK WAS HAPPENING?
And there he was, at the podium in Milwaukee, proudly doing his labor schtick.
It was a remarkable moment Monday night at the Republican National Convention, surely creating some amount of confusion among longtime Republicans, when Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, delivered a stemwinder of a speech in prime time. He called former President Donald Trump a “tough S.O.B.”
O’Brien did not endorse Trump, but he leaned into the incongruity of speaking at the convention of a party that has long fought workers’ ability to organize. The union could vote to endorse a candidate later this year.
It was the only convention speech he would give, as the Democrats never did extend a similar invitation.
O'Brien was ruthlessly hounded by other labor leaders, labor-friendly media sites, and members of unions themselves, being called everything from a traitor to more unmentionable epithets. And he was constantly questioned about why he had bothered with the Republicans at all.
...It seems ridiculous to waste time speaking to such an audience, yet O’Brien gladly accepted the invitation. He has long insisted that he and the Teamsters he represents are not beholden to either party, and doubled down on that stance during his speech. Predictably, the union leader’s remarks did not seem to resonate with the heavily conservative audience, who found little in them to applaud.
The silence was deafening when the union leader decried weak labor laws and corporate greed, but the crowd perked up when he pivoted to gushing over Trump himself, whose “toughness” he praised. While his appearance was hailed by some pundits as a savvy move to cut through political polarization (or snuggle up to a potential Trump administration), the majority of the reactions from within the labor movement were overwhelmingly negative.
REACTIONS WITHIN THE LABOR MOVEMENT WERE OVERWHELMINGLY NEGATIVE
Yeah. About that. O'Brien weathered the storm and insisted that the Teamsters leadership wouldn't make an endorsement recommendation until their members had had a chance to weigh in as well.
In their earliest canvas of membership, while Biden was still a candidate, the president was a 44%-36% favorite over Trump.
But then the old switcheroo happened, the cackler was anointed, and the polls needed to be recalibrated, particularly in light of O'Brien's RNC appearance and, frankly, the DNC dissing him.
Two days ago, Harris finally met the union leader in D.C. to solicit his support. The NY Times described the meeting as "tense."
Oh, I'll bet it was.
But O'Brien was still keeping his cards close to his vest, waiting on the member online and phone survey tallies (1.5M members and 500K retirees) to finish.
They must be done tabulating results because they released the totals today, and, believe me - it's the shock heard around the world.
Electronic Member Poll: Trump: 59.6% Harris: 34.0%
Their research phone poll results were Trump: 58% Harris: 31%
GULP
Oh, "the reactions were overwhelmingly negative," alright, but to the idea of a Harris presidency.
In a blinding fit of chickenSchlitz cowardice, the Teamsters duly decided NOT to endorse anyone because while the standard for Harris was "majority" support, the standard for endorsing Trump had to reach "universal" support.
EXCUSE ME, WHAT
It's like only being mostly dead, I guess.
Or just that maybe O'Brien, considering the hot water he's in already, made the prudent choice a guy who's not a Giants fan would make...if you know your Teamsters history.
In any event, the fallout from this earth-shattering non-endorsement is already sweeping through some very shay quarters.
Media is in meltdown.
The French Lady is blithering, "I can't speak to..." even more than usual.
And the Washington Post is having a ZOMG! moment of epic proportions as the implications of this massive diss sink in.
What's not to love?
David Marcus, who grew up in a union family, says this is quite the snub and a clear statement that members believe Donald Trump is the friend of the working man.
...In this stunning move, and direct snub to Harris, the union decided not to endorse or put its significant resources behind either candidate, and the reason why is very obviously pressure from its membership.
..."I voted for Biden," a retired longtime Teamster told me in Washington, Pa., just outside Pittsburgh. "But you want facts? Let’s give grocery facts, let's give electricity facts, let’s give gas facts, let’s give every fact between when he was elected and now."
For him, the facts added up to a vote for Donald Trump.
And he is not alone.
...This is a massive shift, more dramatic than we have seen within any other substantial demographic. Cutting off Joe Biden’s ancient roots in the labor movement has left members a clearer choice between Harris and Trump, and it's bad news for the Veep.
...If this huge tidal wave of Teamster votes to Trump is reflected in other unions such as the United Auto Workers Union, or service sector unions, and from the working people I’ve spoken to, and I suspect it is, the electoral implications could be profound.
...But without Biden’s big labor patina and history, it seems most Teamsters have decided that it is time for them to move on from the Democratic Party and Kamala Harris, toward Trump’s promise to make America, and its wages, great again.
Trump handled the news brilliantly.
Oh, that was smooth as silk and completely sans bluster—sheer perfection.
And the thought of this has to have them panicking.
So I hope Trump's security is very, VERY frosty.
This could get so, SO ugly, so fast.
Teamsters and Trump?
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