I don't know where your coming up with your figures or if your personal definition of social entitlements include basic infrastructure services not to mention the previous administrations unaccounted for baby boomer facter inflateting that statement? But do you realize how much we could have cut into that already by investing 1/2 a trillon dollars to our baby boomers instead of IRAQ ? Between Reagon, Bush I, and Bush II budget deficits have uncontrollably skyrocketed and according to the US top accountant we are well on our way to bankruptcy. You can call basic social programs what you want with your "entitlement" spin but I'll be haul off in a paddy wagon on 1600 penn. ave if another Iraq supporting Republican gets elected in Nov. and spends another 1/2 a trillion of my tax dollars in that sandlot. Stop ignoring the fact that we are well on our way to bankruptcy, and your already looking for a scapegoat in Obama or Clinton.
OK, first before I address the issues Brett and D raise, let me address the point of the thread. I think Hoffa going democrat is more out of political need that actual belief. Remember, there was a time the IBT voted republican but if you look at the specific moment, the repubs. ran the show, especially the beraucratic branch which at the time had the IBT under it's thumb fro pass wrongs. Greasing those skids was believed to key the hounds of pedition at bay so to speak.
Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know the democrats will retain Congress and could even grow those numbers as many longtime repubs. are even heading for the doors knowingthe handwriting is on the wall. When you look at raw numbers of actual voter counts voting democrat verses republican in this primary season, it doesn't take much to do the math that more people are voting democrat than republican. This is one reason McCain IMO has gotten the party poo-bah's behind him because he is so much like the 2 leading ladies on the other sides. Independent voters in the general might lean McCain over Hill/Obama when the choice comes down it and that's the repub. party's only shot of keeping the top spot. Looks as it the IBT doesn't see the numbers working to that plan and the trends sure seem to show Obama to be the beauty picked for the finals.
This is nothing more than the IBT hedging it's bets IMO. Had the demographics and dynamics been in reverse, you can bet McCain would have gotten the nod. JMO.
As to what D said above in response to Brett. Brett, look at the record my friend as Bush as been the best friend of big gov't and big programs that this element could have. You want Universal single payer healthcare? Well what is the Federal Presription Drug plan that was barreled through by Bush and the Republican leadership? A universal single payer plan. The only reason is the "Compassionate Conservative" and his ilk as phasing in this type of health coverage on the piecemeal plan. We already had such for the senior segement of our society as medicare upon age 65 "BY FEDERAL LAW" becomes your primary coverage of medical insurance. Now we have drug coverage to go with it. What about the youngsters? SCHIPS and Bush continued that program as well. Just a matter of time before the frontend (youngsters) and the backend (oldsters) are completely covered by universal, single payer plans like the ones you guys scream about coming from the so-called communist, liberal democrat ranks! Only thing left is the working class in the middle and both parties have palns to get that started but they just differ in speed. One wants to boil the pot immediately so to speak and the other wants to bring it up by slow boil!
What about education? "No Child Left Behind" is to borrow words from your playbook, the biggest "liberal, Marxist. Communist" federal grab this side of the Bolshvek Revolution and it was all the product of Bush and the republican party. Fiscal responsibility? I think you even understand that one so I've just leave it a that. Funny, Bush just submitted a 2009' $3 plus trillion budget with a $407 bil deficit. Is that the makngs of a conservative? If Bush was the limited gov't, fiscal responsibility type you illusion yourself to think he and the republicans are, then in his final budget where no recourse can come his way, why not slash the size and scope of gov't to the bone, pay for the War on Teror upfront with money on hand and have a budget surplus for a change?
And let's consider a minute the Republican Congress who ran in 94' on a pleadge to gut gov't waste and excess power and abuse among other things. One could look in many areas but let's focus just on one and that is Congressman Jeff Flake, Republican from Arizona. You might think I'm about to show Flake as a poster boy for bad gov't but it's just the opposite. Flake has been a maneating tiger when it comes to killing earmarks and exposing them for waht they are. Here are just 2 pieces from the Wall Street Journal on Cong. Flake and his efforts and I highly recommend you read both. I honsetly believe you also will like Flake and what he is doing and will cheer his efforts.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110007828
http://online.wsj.com/public/articl...bh3G6d6VHg_20060728.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top
But now as Paul Harvey would say, "Here's the rest of the story!" Recently, Congressman Flake had risen in seniority to the point that he was up for a position on the Appropiations Committee caused by a Senate appointment of another repub. member. This could have been a great move for the republicans but what happened? Not only did he not get that slot but he got canned from other positions as well for speaking out.
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/117867.html
Good ole "REPUBLICAN" "CONSERVATIVE" Boehner in fact acted more like a "DEMOCRAT" LIBERAL" "COMMIE" in protecting turf. And you want me to believe these are the guys of limited gov't, less spending, etc. etc.? Sorry, saw that song and dance all but destroyed the first 4 years of Reagan when they pass the TEFRA Tax Act in 82' to go along with the fact that nothing on the side of hard backing of our money which by the way controls gov't overspending and inflation almost by itself got thrown to the 4 winds. Sure he appointed the Randian/Libertarian/Lil Austrian School Greenspan to the Fed. only to lull us back to sleep and it seems to have worked BTW but the outcome was the same. Gov't got bigger and we got screwed juat as it's happening again! The day Reagan announced Bush as VP I should have walked then but the rest is history as they say!
Brett, the republicans really aren't what you think they are. In fact, pull the War on Terror completely off the map and you'd be screaming for a rope to lynch the whole lot of them. It's only using the War on Terror as a linchpin that they have been able to retain power and if one looks not real hard at that, serious questions begin to arise. In fact, for me a year ago I would not have listened to any talk of impeachment but now having read so much I'm completely behind the idea and having in writting enouraged some democrat leaders to in fact persue the process. Bush is not the real evil demon here and I know that but I do think (and not just Cheney either) that the Bush Presidency was used bigtime. And guess what, the democrat leadership won't procede because they know the dirty laundry on them will come out too and that's another reason I want this to go forward. It's time to open the book completely on this entire dirty mess.
I'll leave you with this from an old issue of Look Magazine which was republished into booklet form by General Motors Corp. My how times have changed.
http://www.mises.org/books/TRTS/