All respect my friend, but Democrats are not trying to damage the relationship between big business and Republicans and quite to the contrary. It was President Bill Clinton (Democrat) who signed the financial modernization act which allowed three previously discrete financial industries (banking, securities, and insurance) to consolidate. It may not sound like much but this act, authored by three Republicans, was more than an olive branch to Wall Street. It was the birth of "too big to fail" and the precursor to our current financial meltdown. Maddow is simply asking if Democrats understand that by serving corporate interests, they've empowered their political enemies and disenfranchised much of their base?

Unions are all but dead in this country so I'd hardly call them anyone's backbone at this point. That's not good enough for some, unfortunately. Wisconsin proves that Republicans and Big Business want to completely eradicate organized labor, effectively "salting the earth" so unions, once destroyed, can never grow again. Organized labor needs a "Hail Mary" pass at this point if it hopes to come back. I really don't think that will come from Democrats and I fear it won't come from the people, either. Despite it being against their own interests, most Americans have swallowed whole the idea that organized labor is an obstacle to prosperity. Unions are getting it from all sides and I'm afraid no amount of free pizza will change that. However, if things turn out well for labor in Wisconsin I might sing a different tune.



In reply to this comment by My_design:
Maddow makes a lot of sense here, but seems to forget that it is a 2 way street. She pointedly admits that Unions are the backbone of the Democratic machine and that Republicans are trying to do away with that. Kind of like how Businesses are the backbone of the Republican machine and Democrats are trying to damage that relationship. Each gives bonuses to their backers. In either case the public loses. Seems to me that the money goes to private security firms, or money goes to Union bosses, over inflated pensions and employees that can not be fired. But that doesn't make what is happening in Wisconsin right.

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