Chalk one up for everyday people. By defeating Issue 2, we beat back Governor Kasich’s Koch-funded massive attack on social and labor relations. It’s a major win, worthy of celebrating, but only for a couple days. Then, we MUST go back to organizing.
That’s because of three facts of political life. One is, power can not be bottled for later use: Use it, or lose it. Another is, Koch’s inherited billions can be saved for later use: That’s what banks and accountants are for. Finally, as the late US Senator, Everett Dirkson memorably observed: “A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you’ve got BIG MONEY.”
When people say, as Governor Kasich did when I asked him a question at a press conference last Spring, “corporations and unions… and unions”, they are listing very different entities. Unions don’t have billions to buy banks, accountants and elections with, but corporations do. So, it’s our shoe leather, tenacity and enthusiasm against their billions.