Reply #39: Keeping Republicans out of office isn't the job of the unions.

[Xithras]

Unions exist for one purpose, and that's to support the employment interests of their members. They usually donate to Democrats, because Democrats have historically been more friendly to unions, but they DO sometimes donate to Republican candidates...when those candidates are more worker friendly (less common, but it does occasionally happen).

One of the problems today is that Democrats now view unions as a constituency...a sub-group within the Democratic Party. Unions have never been a Democratic constituency...they are politically independent groups that CHOOSE to support parties and candidates, and have a long political alliance with the Democratic Party. The thing with alliances, unlike constituencies, is that there is no expectation of permanence. Democrats must CONTINUALLY prove their dedication to workers causes in order to justify the continuance of that political alliance. If Democrats fail to support workers, the unions have a responsibility to cut off support to the Democratic Party. If the Democrats want that support back, they need to earn it.