Virginian Voters Condemn EFCA in Gubernatorial Race
The governor race in Virginia reassured Republicans that candidates who run on a conservative platform can still elections, phew. McDonnell did not propose radical changes, he simply highlighted the dramatic legislation Democrats were proposing, cap-and-trade, health care, stimulus spending, and, of course, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).
Although the battle for Virginia’s governorship was fought on a host of different issues, McDonnell’s opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act served as a lightening rod for his campaign. As one Washington Post headline indicates- McDonnell Can’t Wait to Talk about Card Check- McDonnell brought up EFCA as much as possible, using the bill to contrast himself with his Democratic opponent, Creigh Deeds.
After accepting significant amounts of money from labor unions, Deeds hands were tied. He couldn’t support the bill because a majority of Virginias opposed it and he couldn’t condemn it because he was pocketing money from big labor. Where Deeds seemed wishy-washy, never condemning EFCA, only “expressing concerns” over the bill, McDonnell’s clearly articulated his hostility to EFCA saying, “I’ll use every resource of my office to speak out strongly on behalf of the business community, and against card check.”
What was once a semi-obscure bill, EFCA, has been thrust into the spotlight in recent months. And Americans have responded resoundingly in opposition to EFCA- the more they hear about it, the less they like it. This is true, not only in Virginia, a right-to-work state, but is now a national sentiment. EFCA’s bias elections scare people who fear they will be coerced into joining a union. People want to be able to control their employment terms with the company they work for, EFCA appoints a government arbitrator to settle contract disputes. No one likes to be harassed at work; EFCA seeks to give union organizers unfettered access to worksites.
Other Gubernatorial, Representative, and Senatorial candidates would do well to learn from Governor McDonnell, who proved that not only is opposition to EFCA good policy but it is a position that translates into votes.
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