I was listening to a recent It's Just Politics podcast, which included a conversation between co-host Zoe Clark and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. Clark noted that Dingell has been particularly adept at identifying political cross-currents and trends, mostly due to Dingell's habit of going to where her constituents are and, you know, actually listening to them.
Dingell has been frequenting union halls, and as it turns out, it's very unlikely that every rank and file worker is going to vote Democrat, despite official union endorsement. This should surprise no one — the days of political machines delivering votes are, blessedly, gone. Ideally, voting is a personal choice, not a group activity.
But as a personal choice, it's easy to overcomplicate. We go down rabbit holes trying to align politics, anticipate outcomes, strategize on issues. We are usually better off just keeping it simple. So putting myself in a union worker's shoes, I think I'd go for a presidential candidate who didn't have a well-documented history of stiffing workers (and customers and creditors and...).
Editor's note: John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Public, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
