Obama is for America – and for working families
The last seven-plus years have been extremely tough for working people. Whatever your job, whatever industry you work in, whether you are still in the workforce or retired, the overwhelming majority of Americans are feeling the pain of an economy that has left too many working families facing job insecurity, stagnating wages and inadequate health care – or no health care at all.
We are also suffering from a failed foreign policy that has squandered our resources but not made us any safer.
Not surprisingly, a large majority of Americans now agree that our nation is headed in the wrong direction. To get back on the right track, we have to move forward together.
One candidate in this year's presidential election has the vision and capability to unite our country and build a powerful coalition for change. That's why the UAW International Executive Board voted unanimously to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president.
Our endorsement came after a primary campaign which featured several qualified candidates who supported our union and working families on key issues. Every American can be proud of a historic campaign which showed that any candidate can be considered for our nation's highest office, regardless of gender, race or ethnic background.
In choosing a president, it's important to focus on substance instead of spin, on issues instead of personalities. On the issues, this isn't even a close call. Barack Obama is a progressive leader who supports the UAW agenda: quality affordable health care for all, the right to join a union without employer interference and a renewal of American manufacturing.
As described in more detail in the cover story of this issue of Solidarity, Obama has shown his dedication to working families and communities during his distinguished career as a community organizer, state legislator and U.S. senator.
John McCain, meanwhile, served our country honorably as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam war. But right now he offers nothing more than a repeat of the failed policies of the Bush administration: a blank check for an endless war in Iraq, more unfair tax cuts which benefit the wealthiest Americans, and continued neglect of our cities, our schools and our nation's industrial base.
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, for example, recently concluded that "Sen. Obama offers much larger tax breaks to low- and middle-income taxpayers and would increase taxes on high-income taxpayers."
A study of the tax plan offered by both candidates found that Sen. Obama's "largest tax cuts, as a share of income, would go to those at the bottom of the income distribution." By contrast, the center reports, "Sen. McCain's tax cuts would primarily benefit those with very high incomes."
Those are the facts, not the spin. Obama will help people like us – and McCain won't.
Obama has the right approach to the issues, and he also has the right approach to getting things done. He's more than a gifted orator and an innovative legislator. At heart, he's an organizer. His first exposure to public issues was working with laid-off steelworkers on the South Side of Chicago.
"Politics didn't lead me to working people," he says. "Working people led me to politics."
Obama aims to change America by bringing together people from different backgrounds to solve our country's problems. That's exactly what members of the UAW have been doing for decades, in our workplaces and communities – and that's why our union is proud to support Barack Obama for president of the United States.
Ron Gettelfinger
This portion of this Web site is paid for by the UAW V-CAP (Voluntary Community Action Program), with voluntary contributions from union members and their families, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
