The Republican assaults on labor in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and a host of other states have reminded us cats of something: One of the reasons nobody is saying "Governor Meg Whitman" in California these days is that a big labor union hounded her nonstop.
Of course, as we fondly recall, Meg had many flaws — which meant, in the end, that she threw away $160 million of her own money on a fruitless quest to buy elective office. But like her fellow Republicans, Whitman also had it in for public-employee unions. And thanks to the California Nurses Association, voters eventually understood that with Whitman as Governor, they'd have targets on their backs, too.
The nurses picketed Whitman relentlessly — at her zillion-dollar home, her campaign events, everywhere they could. They staged media events and street theater. "We are not going to let Meg Whitman push us around," they said. And they didn't.
We cats hope that the public employees and labor unions under attack by the GOP in other states continue to take a page from the California Nurses and use their resources to — please pardon the expression — "dog" their elected representatives. Not just now, but all the time.
We hope they've launched campaigns of perpetual harassment — of their Republican Governors, their state legislators, and any representatives of the Koch brothers who turn out to support them. They should show up at the Republicans' offices, homes, country clubs and golf courses — and not let up for however long their GOP officials have left in their terms.
The RNs showed us the Rx for fighting union-busters. We cats PURR.
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