Jonathan P. Baird lives in Wilmot.
Although public opinion polls are ubiquitous in America, I admit to being deeply skeptical about their accuracy. I think Trump’s loss to Hillary Clinton and the failure of the red wave to materialize in 2022 are examples that justify that skepticism.
One of the poll results that stood out to me was the view that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is better for the economy than President Biden. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from April found Trump leading 41% to 34% on who has the better approach to the economy. Previous NBC polls have shown support for the Republican Party’s handling of the economy by a wide margin.
The results are puzzling. The main accomplishment of the Trump presidency was tax cuts that gave preferential treatment to large corporations and the ultra-wealthy. Although the 1% overwhelmingly reaped the lion’s share of the benefits, the tax cuts fit with the longstanding tradition of Republicans as the party of low taxes and low spending. Democrats, by contrast, are seen as tax and spendthrifts. They are considered weak and give alms.
I don’t think this story captures our current reality. On a wide range of economic issues, Democratic policies are far more favorable to workers than Republicans. The evidence is before our eyes.
We are witnessing a modern resurgence of the labor movement. In 2023, there was a hot summer for workers. Author Anat Schenker-Osorio says there were 380 labor actions in 2023. Joe Biden joined the picket line with members of the United Auto Workers (UAW), the first time a president has done so. Biden has also adopted union-friendly policies. The UAW scored a big win in the contract, with double-digit increases and cost-of-living increases from the three major automakers.
Republicans are generally aligned with the greed of corporate executives and Wall Street. They consistently oppose the labor movement. The UAW is currently trying to organize 150,000 workers in 36 nonunion factories across the South. This includes Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, Volvo, and Tesla factories. Southern Republican governors in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas announced their opposition to the UAW campaign in an April 16 letter.
Despite opposition, on April 19, workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted overwhelmingly to join the UAW. This is the first elected automobile factory in the South since the 1940s. Next up is the Mercedes factory in Alabama. They will hold an election on May 13 to see if workers decide to join the UAW.
Before this year, anti-union sentiment was strong in the South. Chattanooga’s victory is therefore historic and could set off a chain reaction of union victories. The UAW’s impressive victory over the Big Three in 2023 intensified their ground war and won over many workers who were previously reluctant to participate.
The Biden administration and Democrats also deserve praise for passing the Inflation Control Act. For workers, the benefits of this law are just beginning to be felt. His BlueOval City electric vehicle battery facility in Tennessee is a leader in creating clean energy jobs with high wages and full benefits. The factory is located in Hayward County, an impoverished area of Tennessee.
The Inflation Control Act has helped stimulate more than $92 billion in investment in electric vehicle (EV) production, batteries, and critical mineral industries. An estimated 84,000 jobs have been created so far. This is a huge boost for both the EV transition and U.S. manufacturing. Next year, Ford plans to start producing electric trucks in the Blue Oval City, a move made possible only thanks to the Anti-Inflation Act. It’s unclear whether workers value the Democratic Party’s role in making this effort a reality.
Despite the growing popularity of unions among Americans, only 10% of the workforce is unionized. Much of the decline in union membership has to do with the Republican Party’s hostility toward workers. Federal agency officials appointed by President Trump have often had a fox-in-a-chicken quality. They opposed the pro-worker mission of government agencies, whether it was the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The NLRB commissioners appointed by Mr. Trump were completely unable to carry out their duties. They did nothing to stop harassment of union organizers, interference in union elections, wage theft at the expense of workers, and misclassification of employees as independent contractors. Similarly, the Trump administration’s labor secretary and corporate lawyer specifically sought to repeal OSHA regulations. Republicans left more than 40% of OSHA leadership positions vacant during President Trump’s tenure.
One other area is also worth mentioning. I was focused on how President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts saved large corporations and the ultra-wealthy millions of dollars. It was his gift to the 1%. Biden overcame the 15% minimum tax rate on corporations. It was the first tax increase on corporations in more than 30 years, and he used the money to fund climate change efforts.
President Trump’s tax cuts are set to expire in 2025, but President Trump has told billionaires he will cut them again if he re-elects me. Companies like Amazon reported $11 billion in profits and paid zero taxes. Biden is saying the opposite of Trump. He will raise taxes on billionaires and big corporations. Biden gave money to the IRS to go after wealthy people for tax fraud. President Trump intentionally defunded the Internal Revenue Service so that less wealthy people could get audited.
When FDR campaigned for president in 1936, he took on the robber barons of the day. He said, “Never before in our history have the factions been so united against one candidate as they are today. We welcome you.”
The message from Democrats today is much more lukewarm. The way forward is to follow FDR’s example. Election results will be much better if we side with working people. Republicans have shown they only care about maximizing benefits for people who don’t need more money.