Jay Weber Show transcript 9-19-24 7:10am
My friends- it is pathetic-
Flat out pathetic- that the leaders of the Teamsters union decided not to endorse a candidate for president this year because they didn’t get the result, they wanted in their membership polls.
I’m not sure everyone in the audience has heard about this- so: months ago, the head of the teamsters, Sean O’Brien-
This is the guy who spoke at the republican convention because trump invited him to-and is so...so...angered his democrat masters that Kamala Harris and the dems refused to allow him to speak at the democrat convention-
Months ago, Sean O’Brien said he was going to do a poll of the union’s members...and essentially honor their wishes when it came to the union’s endorsement this year.
From the get-go- he was hedging on his promise-because he didn’t really commit to whoever most of the members want-we’ll endorse.
No... he said...he and union leaders would ‘factor in’ the membership’s wishes when they decided.
And so, yesterday, to his credit- Sean O’Brien publicly released the results of the few different ways they polled their members-
But then- to his disgrace- he didn’t follow the wishes of his members-and endorse Donald Trump.
Folks-
Donald trump won this membership poll by about 60 to 35 percent. The results weren’t even close. And the union leaders measured ‘several ways’ to get the result they wanted, clearly.
That sounds like teamster’s leadership vowing to honor the member’s preference, right?
But Trump beat Harris by a 23- or 24-point margin-and the union leaders didn’t endorse Trump?
Pah-thett-ic.
Here’s Sean O’Brien afterward...trying to filibuster around the fact that he wussed out.
Now consider that this decision comes just two days after union leaders and members met privately with Kamala Harris, who clearly didn’t impress them.
She was-as one report put it: apparently unsuccessful in winning some of them over.
Yeah.
Consider that this is the first time in about thirty years that the teamsters will not endorse a candidate. Oof.
And along that endorsement would have come money to underwrite Harris ads....and union organized efforts to get out the vote and or target new voters. This is more than a PR blow to the democrat party and Kammy’s campaign.
This is an insult and an embarrassment that causes some harm. Especially in the battleground states where the teamsters have a strong presence and robust political wings.
Still- I think it’s pathetic that they didn’t go ahead and endorse trump.
But-i just sort of explained why they likely stopped short: O’Brien and these other teamster’s leaders didn’t want to be committed to ‘organizing for trump’ ‘donating to trump’ or in any way helping a republican campaign.
Imagine what the next question from O’Brien’s pro-Trump members would have been if these union officials had officially endorsed Trump:
The next question from the rank and file is: what does that mean? What is the union going to do for him?
We always spend tens of millions of dollars on the democrat candidate and dem races. We always organize to get out the vote for the democrat candidates. And so, are we going to be doing that for trump? You socialist hypocrites who call yourself labor leaders?
No- these lefty union leaders will almost certainly-still! -find a way to donate to the Harris campaign and help the democrat’s effort any way they can- so long as they can do it more clandestinely.
I have no doubt that- in December-we are going to be hearing that the Teamster’s union leaders still went out of their way to donate to and help Kamala Harris and the democrats win their races.
But- a) How bad and unconvincing was Kamala Harris in her meeting with these teamster’s leaders earlier this week?
And b) How bad does it sting to have what amounts to a ‘public rebuke’ by one of the nation’s most powerful labor unions?
Still. This sting.
photo and story credit: Fox News
audio version of the segment here > A blow to the Harris campaign