@Thom_Hartmann #ThomHartmann blog: Another Romney Recording
by Thom Hartmann,posted Oct 18 2012 12:58PM
In the last few weeks – several corporate CEOs have been exposed for compelling their employees to vote for Mitt Romney – and warning them that should Barack Obama win re-election, then they might lose their jobs. Billionaire CEO of Westgate Resorts – David Siegel wrote a mass email to his employees saying that during a Obama second-term, he will, “have no choice but to reduce the size of his company.” Similar emails have been sent out within the Koch brothers Georgia Pacific Corporation – and Ohio’s Murray Energy company. Now, we know where all of this may have started.
As labor journalist Mike Elk with In These Times reports – during a June 2012 conference call with the National Federation of Independent Businesses – Mitt Romney told employers that they should make it clear to their employees who to vote for this election. As Romney said, “I hope you make it very clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their job and their future in the upcoming elections…Nothing illegal about you talking to your employees about what you believe is best for the business.” One of the consequences of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision is that employers now have a lot more freedom to compel workers to vote in a certain way.
So not only can corporate plutocrats spend as much money as they’d like to help Mitt Romney – but they can also enlist their employees to be Romney campaign foot soldiers. And Mitt Romney is in on the ploy. In the Citizens United world – the wealthy have seen their free speech rights expanded, while working people have seen their free speech rights restricted.
This radical ruling needs to be overturned to stop Mitt Romney and the plutocrats’ power grab. Go to MoveToAmend.org.
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