Republican Flop Sweat

[paft.livejournal.com]

Mike Huckabee: I don’t want to say that it (the Supreme Court Upholding ACA) secures his defeat. I think it makes it more likely. Here’s the thing. People are worried about jobs and the economy. But every employer in America is going to say to his employees, ‘Folks, I’m not sure, if Obama is reelected, that I’m going to get to keep you. ‘Cause I’m going to have to spend a lot on money on Obamacare that I wasn’t anticipating, and if I’m going to do that, some of you aren’t going to be with us, come January. ..You decide. You want to keep your job, or keep Obama? Cause one of you has got to go. Either Obama goes, you stay, or Obama stays and you go. You decide. How do American workers decide when it’s put to them like that? So if I’m running a company, that’s the message I give to my employees.

(Link here. Heavy sigh. And once again, I'm unable to embed a video. Someone mentioned to me there is a way of using the old method of embedding. Could anyone provide me with some step by step instructions about how to access that option?)

Right you are Mr. Huckabee! And your employees will come away from the meeting with the intent of voting for Romney of their own free will because they’ll be convinced that Romney is the better man.

It will have nothing to do with the veiled threat implicit in a boss announcing the intention of laying off employees if the election doesn’t go the way that boss wants it.

Last week there was a thread on Free Republic in which a Freeper bragged about his plans for firing his liberal employees. Huckabee seems to be advocating a more "genteel" version of the same thing. Looks like Republicans high and low have taken a look at Romney and decided that raw intimidation is their only option.

Crossposted from Thoughtcrimes

Comments

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

The old version of embedding is available via the YouTube site itself. Not sure if the ThinkProgress videos work the same way.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

As for the content of your post, do you really think government regulation and policy have no impact on hiring and firing practices?

[paft.livejournal.com]

Not enough to justify an employer threatening his employees in that manner.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

I think you're also being quite a bit literal. The point is not that employers are literally having that exact discussion (although I'm sure some are and more should) but that there are consequences that will go with this election.

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

How would the employer know how the employees voted?

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

Do you honestly think this is going to be a problem in America, employers firing their employees for not voting for the candidate the business owner/manager supports?

No. Do you know why?

Labor laws exist in this country to protect citizens from being fired for any reason other than anything pertaining to their job.

This reads like something The Onion would publish...

[dexeron.livejournal.com]

In some states, this kind of thing is blatantly illegal. I know Ohio is one of them. Ohio law states that no employer "shall print or authorize to be print...or post or exhibit in the establishment or anywhere in or about the establishment...handbills containing any threat, notice, or information that if any particular candidate is elected or defeated, work in the establishment will cease in whiole or in part, or other threats expressed or implied, intended to influence the political opinions or votes of...its employees." I would assume that a "conversation" would be included in this prohibition.

Not sure if federal law applies, or if all states have such laws in place.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine such a law is legal, especially in the wake of Citizens United and last week's ruling.

[paft.livejournal.com]

Why would such a law be illegal?

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

So criminality is the law now in your view of it? Businessmen are entitled to do any damn thing they please?

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

It isn't that bad. Huckabee isn't actually an employer, and probably knows next to nothing about the reality of small business. He's just making shit up off the top of his head to fill the air time in his dead and stupid show on cable.

[paft.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think he's sending a shout out to any wingnut employers who might be listening.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Of course if they actually read the bill, they would know that the employer's 'rising costs' is a myth.

http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/vb8vs/eli5_what_exactly_is_obamacare_and_what_did_it/c530lfx

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

That would, in part, depend on some knock-on effects (taxes that might increase due to the Medicaid expansion, whether additional subscribers are sufficient to outweigh the rise in costs imposed by things like the preexisting-condition ban, how much the lifetime-coverage provisions cost, etc.).

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Wow, the GOP really does want to go back to old school rough and tumble politics.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Standard alarmism that electing a democrat to the White House will destroy businesses. This old canard was dragged out during the last election and obstinate parrots like Huckabee and Limbaugh happily repeat fact-free propaganda of this sort.

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

It's a good thing Obama hasn't been saying people will lose their jobs if Romney gets elected.

[rimpala.livejournal.com]

well

sounds like extortion to me

"if the election doesn't go my way you're fired!"

well fine, go do the job yourself bossman

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

Last week there was a thread on Free Republic in which a Freeper bragged about his plans for firing his liberal employees.

I wouldn't want to work with someone who thought crazy either. Although the guy probably shouldn't have hired them in the first place.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Discriminatory firing - bad! Discriminatory hiring - good!

[paft.livejournal.com]

Another right winger votes for political coercion.

Apparently it wasn't the Soviet record on dissent that bothered you guys about the USSR.

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

I remember Baptist preachers (like Huckabee) telling their congregations to vote for Nixon 'cause Kennedy would give the country to the Pope. I guess Huckabee thinks a similar approach will frighten some employees. Unless a conservative employer follows each of his workers into the voting booth, I doubt the effectiveness of it.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see someone fire their most productive workers over their political views.

Because it would be quite the rarity, because generally money is more valuable than ideology.

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

Excellent point made by republicans.

[paft.livejournal.com]

You consider "vote the way I want you or I'll fire you" an "excellent point?"