Working For Us PAC

From SourceWatch
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Working For Us PAC (WFUPAC) is a political action committee established in January 2007 after the Democratic Party won both houses of Congress [1] in the 2006 elections by, "among others, veteran labor strategist Steve Rosenthal, and it's backed by unions, such as the Teamsters, Steelworkers and SEIU, that traditionally cultivate close relationships with Democratic politicians. But Working For Us is following the confrontational approach of top liberal bloggers, promising primaries to depose disloyal incumbents. Rosenthal says the group is a 'marriage of the grassroots and the netroots,' uniting door-to-door organizers, unions and bloggers in an effort to 'change the tenor of politics'," Ari Melber wrote May 2, 2007, in The Nation.

"The strategy is set by two boards made up of traditional labor leaders like SEIU secretary-treasurer Anna Burger and pioneers from the Internet left like MoveOn.org heads and Markos Moulitsas, founder of the top Democratic blog Daily Kos," Melber wrote.

"Working For Us is modeled explicitly on the Club for Growth, an independent organization that over the last several election cycles has transformed itself into an electoral force by endorsing fiscally conservative candidates in contested primaries and then pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into districts to help those candidates win," Chris Cillizza wrote January 23, 2007, in the Washington Post's The Fix Blog.

They Work For Us (TWFU)

"WFU also has a 501c4 nonprofit component called They Work For Us (TWFU), which functions as a 'grassroots and grasstops lobbying' project designed to: (a) pressure lawmakers to support leftist agendas; and (b) raise funds for opposition campaigns against Democratic legislators whose voting records are deemed too conservative. As of January 22, 2007, TWFU had already raised some $200,000 for this purpose." [2]

Candidate Criteria

Both They Work for Us and Working for Us Political Action Committee "will be on the hunt for Democrats who undermine progressive economic values and oppose the House Democratic Leadership's attempt to move America forward. These groups share a clear agenda that all REAL Democrats must support," Steve Rosenthal wrote January 23, 2007, in The Huffington Post.

  • Promoting a living wage for all workers
  • Improving access to health care
  • Fighting for more domestic jobs
  • Defending workers' rights to organize
  • Protecting retirement security, including social security, pensions, and personal savings accounts
  • Encouraging sound corporate governance

Leadership

Directors

The following are listed as current WFU PAC directors (and their regular positions):

Others

"Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn.org PAC; Michael Monroe, Administrator for Government Affairs, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades; Linda Lipsen, a [lobbyist and] Senior Vice President at the American Association for Justice (web); and the blogger/activist Markos Moulitsas Zuniga." [3]

Top Offenders List

"In its earliest days, WFU named Representatives Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Ellen Tauscher (D-California), and Al Wynn (D-Maryland) as the 'Top Offenders' most guilty of voting 'against the interests of their working-class constituents.'" [4]

The "Top Offenders List" can be viewed here.

Contact Information

888 16th Street NW, Suite 630
Washington DC, 20006
Website: http://workingforuspac.org/
Weblog: http://www.workingforuspac.org/blog/

Related SourceWatch Resources

External links

Profiles

Articles & Commentary