In February 2008, with only two candidates left in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama distributed a flier to Ohio voters denouncing Hillary Clinton’s support of NAFTA. The pamphlet was deceptive, not because the accusations he leveled against Clinton were untrue, but because it sent a message to workers that the young senator was a strong supporter of union labor and that he was a vigilant crusader against unfair trade practices.
And like so many populist ideals that Obama has championed in public, while repudiating them in private; the position he staked out in the flier was designed to mislead voters, as was evidenced by his tepid support of Wisconsin union members during the battle over Act 10, Scott Walker’s lead-in to the passage of right-to-work legislation. And Wisconsin workers are still suffering the sting of that defeat; one year after Act 10 was enacted, union membership in Wisconsin dropped from 50% to 37%. In fact, under Obama’s leadership, union membership has hit a 100-year low; just one of the many embarrassing records that will taint his legacy.