Recently the national leadership of SEIU announced its support for the Obama re-election campaign in 2012. Perhaps this was to reassure the Democrats that, in spite of the union’s continuing actions in the streets to defend their bargaining rights and in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement, they still bow down willingly to the party of the rich. The press announcement even implied that this was part of its support for the Occupy movement, calling Obama “our president”. It seems that the leadership of the labor movement has yet to absorb the fundamental thrust of what is happening in America, where trust in both parties of the 1% is at an all time low.

Obama and the rest of the Democrats will try to re-write history for the coming elections. They will attempt to distance themselves from the fact that the policies that led to the current crisis and the blame for the suffering of the 99% at the hands of the elite who run this country falls equally on both the Democrats and Republicans. They will raise the fear that electing one of the Republican conservatives would change all the progress made under the current administration. In fact the Obama team has continued nearly all the policies of the Bush administration and in critical areas has “ramped up” the attacks on working people here and around the world.

The promises made by Obama during his 2008 campaign have been abandoned one by one. In 2012 his silver tongue will be working overtime to soothe over these betrayals and convince the American people that his agenda will lead to meaningful change for the long-suffering majority in the US. The reason Wall Street, the banks and big business support Obama with their millions is because he speaks like he’s part of the 99% while supporting the greed of the 1%. The endorsement of SEIU shows that the organized labor movement has not learned the lessons of the last 30 years of bipartisan war and austerity.

What voters expected and what they got from this administration has yet to shake their illusions in the first black president.

• Instead of ending the wars—more US soldiers killed in Afghanistan than during the Bush years. A new war in Libya and the beginnings of US ground troops in Africa.
• Increased use of drone attacks all around the globe. Killing of US citizens including a 16 year old boy without being charged of any crimes.
• Bailed out the banks and corporations and left the rest of us to suffer evictions, layoffs and cuts in social programs.
• Failed to close Guantanamo and continues to hold detainees in inhuman conditions. Continued renditions for torture.
• No immigration reform—record numbers of undocumented workers deported. 40,000 orphaned children in 2011 alone.
• Backs the international Wall Street thieves by demanding austerity measures for the European Union.
• Refuses to lift the criminal sanctions against Cuba.
• Promised comprehensive healthcare reform but settled for weak reforms that keep Americans at the mercy of the drug companies and corporate healthcare providers.
• Agrees with the radical right that cutting Medicare, Social Security and other social services is the way to balance the federal budget. Wants to lock this into law for generations.
• Pushes free trade agreements designed to enrich corporate America at the expense of workers here and abroad.
• Has rolled back scheduled environmental regulations in spite of his administration’s studies showing significant health risks by allowing polluters to go unchecked.
• Refused to block the Tar Sands Pipeline and instead postponed the decision until after the elections.
• Promoted offshore oil drilling—leading to BP’s Gulf Coast disaster. Continues to promote oil exploration in ecologically sensitive areas.
• Failed to promote meaningful nuclear disarmament and increased funding for upgrading our nuclear arsenal.
• Continues the Bush tactic of the big lie to set the stage for an attack against Iran, very possibly the next Iraq.
• Supports the segregated, terrorist state of Israel and the repressive regime in Bahrain with military weaponry used against peoples aspiring to democracy in the region.

 The rich are not confused by his rhetoric—they have already given Obama more donations than all the Republicans combined as a thank you for his untiring support. It is time the labor movement and the rest of the 99% to recognize reality and not waste their time supporting the twin parties of the rich. 

  Stay in the streets!  Party 99!  Human Need not Corporate Greed!