There was a time when I respected and supported Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Unions. I joined groups that professed to be for Democrats only, supportive of Democrats, liberals, or progressives, as well as groups that marketed themselves as non-partisan groups that fight for liberal causes. For many years, I supported liberal groups because in doing so, I had an opportunity to address specific issues head-on, and to spend time and work with like-minded people. The idea of a Sanders/Warren or Warren/Sanders, or Sanders/anybody, or Warren/anybody ticket was attractive. I supported them because they agreed with and supported ideals that the Democratic Party and I had long fought for and supported.
I never worked a union job but appreciated the role that unions played in providing the salaries, benefits, and holidays that I enjoyed in my non-union jobs. I verbalized my appreciation to union leaders and members when I had the chance, stood with them and for them when the opportunity arose and even created that opportunity when it didn’t arise without my help, and I offered my full support when they were under attack.
The groups were first to disappoint me. As groups like MoveOn and CREDO became more about being biggest and best, and first to shoot out email and petitions before anyone else, I lost interest. It seemed they were more about themselves, building mailing lists, and getting media attention than they were about issues, which they were often ready to drop as soon as something else was the big news item.
