"The Only Ones Who Can Stop the Onslaught"

I was horrified on Monday to witness a small-town "Labor Day" parade with dozens of vehicles not one of which mentioned a union, workers, labor or the real point of the day in any way. However, at least three vehicles flaunted their support for treason by flying large confederate flags.

I should have gone to Louisville.

Kenneth Quinnell at Crooks and Liars:

On Labor Day, despite all the focus on Jimmy Hoffa's comments, it was actually Vice President Joe Biden whose speech was the most important one of the day. He gave the type of speech that labor supporters have long wanted to hear from the White House. The speech was fiery and was an accurate portrayal of the struggle that labor faces in the United States. The problem is we should've heard this speech from the president and it should've been given years ago and been matched with significant action. If the vice president finds him self unemployed in January 2013, this failure might be a key reason as to why.

The speech had particular resonance because of where Biden made it. Zandar:

Here in Cincy, the annual AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic at Coney Island is always a big draw, and following last year's visit by President Obama, this year Vice President Joe Biden showed up to talk about the GOP's assault on Ohio unions.

Thousands of Greater Cincinnati union members say they are energized following a speech by the Vice President on Monday.

Vice President Joe Biden told crowds of people at the annual AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic at Coney Island repealing SB5, now Issue 2, is the fight of their life.

“You are the only folks keeping the barbarians in the gates. You are the only non-governmental power, the only non-governmental power, the only one that has the power and the capacity to stop this onslaught.”

Issue 2, the referendum to overturn GOP Gov. John Kasich's bill that removes collective bargaining power from the state's unions, means Democrats have a big opportunity to send a major message to anti-labor Republicans in just two months. Kasich's law removes strikes, collective bargaining, sick pay for teachers, and lets local, county and state government have the final say on labor issues, basically eliminating unions in the state, period. Some 400,000 Ohio workers are affected by this law, and it's unleashed an anti-GOP backlash among Ohio's working class.

Hey Ohio? Vote NO on Issue 2 and remember what Kasich tried to do to Ohio workers.

If the total takeover of the Democratic Party by corporate owners finally forces liberals to form a party that genuinely represents the middle class, we should call it the Labor Party.