Cincinnati, Ohio (CNN) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry took sides Tuesday in the ongoing battle over organized labor in Ohio, coming down forcefully on the side of Republicans who want to drastically limit the collective bargaining ability of public sector unions.
The Republican presidential contender made a point of weighing in on the issue after his rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, visited Ohio and left questions about his position on an upcoming ballot measure that would overturn the anti-union legislation.
Hoping to drive down long-term budget deficits, Ohio Republicans led by Gov. John Kasich passed a bill last spring that sharply curtails the bargaining rights of public employee unions and forces union members to pay more into their pensions.
But the legislation, known as Senate Bill 5, is broadly unpopular in the perennial swing state and faces certain doom in referendum on Election Day, Nov. 8.
"As a true conservative, I stand with Gov. Kasich in promoting S.B.5 for fiscal responsibility and job creation in Ohio," Perry said in a statement to CNN. "Gov. Kasich and the Republican leadership of Ohio are to be commended for their efforts."
Added Perry, "My record as a pro-jobs governor is clear and you don't have to wonder where I stand."
Earlier in the day, Romney visited a Cincinnati-area phone bank run by the state Republican Party and rallied volunteers who have been urging Ohioans to vote yes on Issue 2, a ballot measure that would ratify S.B.5.
But Romney would not say specifically if he supports S.B.5, which Ohio voters oppose by a 57-32 margin, according to a Quinnipiac poll out Tuesday
Instead, he issued only generic support for GOP efforts to control spending in Columbus.
"I am not speaking about the particular ballot issues," Romney said, after being pressed by reporters. "Those are up to the people of Ohio. But I certainly support the efforts of the governor to reign in the scale of government. I am not terribly familiar with the two ballot initiatives. But I am certainly supportive of the Republican Party's efforts here."
Romney's vague statement quickly circulated around the web, chafing some conservatives who rallied behind Republican efforts in Wisconsin and Ohio earlier this year to limit union power.
From CNN Politics
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Does Perry have any idea what he's just done to himself? If he is the nominee, Ohio is lost to the GOP.
agreed with Romney – its a state issue and Perry should stay out of it.
Perry's Texas middle class job creation involves training. Being able to use phrases like, "Do you want fries with that?" and "Welcome to Wal-Mart," have managed to keep Texas' unemployment rate as low as 8.5%
Perry is a republican, a birther, a puppet for big oil, so it is not surprising that he would stand with republicans against workers.
Wow, just how out of touch with reality is this guy?
Wow. What a surprise. A Republican against working people's right to bargain. Who'd a ever thought?
Wall Street or Main Street. Pick a side.
Stupid is as Stupid does.
Is Perry INSANE? A 20-percent flat tax for individuals is immense! For a family earning $50,000 a year, that would be $10,000 in taxes!! I realize he was too busy being a college cheerleader and studying animal husbandry to fit economics into his schedule but it would be nice to know he at least has a clue–about anything to do with running a country. I'm forced to wonder if he can count to twenty without taking off his socks.
Romney is a flip flopper. This is a guy making phone calls from Republican phone bank in support of SB 5 and when asked if he supports the bill, he skid skirts around....it is a State issue! What the hell was he calling for? NO WONDER CAIN IS TOPPING POLLS. Romney and Perry are not ready for what they are looking for. No wonder Obama is not watching them.
Every time Perry opens his mouth or does something, he digs himself deeper into a hole. What an absolute clown.
This tells us a lot about Perry and Romney. It tells us Romney is afraid to commit to a cause until he knows how it will turn out. And it tells us Perry will rush in and take a stand on something without really giving it a lot of thought. He's on the wrong side of the issue, but at least Perry stands for something, unlike Romney, who stands for nothing.
I don't believe this poll simply because I find it impossible to believe that any Republican has been able to pick the least stupid, least inept amongst this pack of blithering idiots. One of these blind squirrels will find the acorn at the end of the GOP convention, but he has no shot to win the general election. Can you imagine Perry, Cain or Romney debating Obama? Put all of the on the stage at once, like a debate team, and Obama will still tear them to shreds. Turn out the lights. The GOParty is over.
Look the american public will demonize who they want when they want one side or the other matters not what does matter is that each side makes the right choice based on what is right for who they represent not for the party or party ilne they are in bed with lets shoot for term limits in all of congress the argument is the longer you are in congress the more you know and can do for the country the real point of it is that congress would have to implement this on themselves and thats not going to happen right away at least not without the people demanding it over and over just like proabition and a whole host of other issues that have been overturned or overruled in the past also the supreme court has made some really bad calls in the past five years or so and they also can be overturned too it just takes enough of a voice to make it happen happen that is in our own country the united states of america.
Let me get this straight he says "I stand with Gov. Kasich in promoting S.B.5 for fiscal responsibility" and "My record as a pro-jobs governor is clear and you don't have to wonder where I stand." to me that is non-specific and noncommittal. This guy need to go back to Texas and take care of their $27B pluse debt and repay the loans back he took from the rest of us tax payers.
Awesome. If Cowboy Fonzie gets the nomination, that's 20 electoral votes for Obama haha. Not suprising tho...he's at the point where he has to flail and throw stuff against the wall to see what sticks.
Soooooom, CNN, when are yuo going to do a big report about the new study the Senate Finance Committee had CBO do that showed that ALL...that's right ALL...let me say this again....
ALL
OF
IT
.....THE ONLY GROWTH IN SHARE OF THE TOTAL NATIONAL INCOME BETWEEN 1979 to 2007 OCCURED IN THE WEALTHIEST 1% OF THE POPULATION. ALL OF IT. ALL ALL ALL. IN FACT, ALL OTHER QUINTILES EXPERIENCED A DECREASE IN INCOME SHARE.
SO MUCH FOR TRICKLE-DOWN, EH?
I live in Texas, a right to work State and I can tell you for a fact that this law is on the side of Corporations. The only protection that a worker has is the EEOC and they are very picky about when to get involved with a complaint.
AUSTIN – Perry campaign Communications Director Ray Sullivan has released the following statement:
“Mitt Romney’s finger-in-the-wind politics continued today when he refused to support right-to-work reforms signed by Ohio Governor John Kasich – reforms Romney supported in June. Americans are tired of politicians who change their beliefs to match public opinion polls. Mitt Romney has a long record of doing this on issues like government-mandated health care and the Obama stimulus. Mitt Romney needs to realize that when you try to stand on both sides of an issue, you stand for nothing.”
@ Larry Moniz
There is a $12,500 standard deduction. So a family making $50,000 wouldn't actually pay anything.
And make sure you include all the charts so the conservative simpletons can understand that CBO and 30 years of historical record took a giant steaming dump on their economic ideology.
If Ohio plays it right, they can be another Texas.
No thought Perry and Romney the Artful Dodger Flip-Flopper
Perry may as well spend all his campaign cash and go back to texas. He clearly won't be the one the teapublicans nominate, they are in love with that 9-9-9 jokester herman cain
Have no fear, Gov. Your owners know you stand with them against the American people. Every step you take proves it, from the fat-cat flat tax to ripping off workers' rights.
Rich guys get together all the time. They slice up territories, decide how little they're gonna pay worker, decide which candidate they're gonna support (i.e., buy). But let a few workers exercise the limited power they have over their own labor? Not on your life. Why, that would be communism! And everybody understands that they should be afraid of a word like that, never mind that few people could even define it. It's all part of how people remain exploited and under the thumb of the rich guy.
Class warfare is a fact of American life, and it is practiced daily against the American worker.
"Gov. Kasich is a Drukin Bum" Who forgot where he came from !
Perry would go down on the devil to get a vote from hell !
I can't stand either of these imbeciles . . . One is a flip flopper and has NO convictions or principles and the other guy is a radical right wing(nut).
This explains why half of all jobs in Texas are at minimum wage.
It should be up to the American People them self If the want a Union or Not. Not any Republican or democrats. It the American People Right to choose , no one else. Rick Perry got no business being a Gov. let along President. The man has Love affair with his GUN. I think he a nut case.
At some point you have to feel sorry for the Perry donors. But, hey. Odds are they can probably afford it.
These breed of republicans are the coldest, heartless and rudest cretins I've ever encountered. First, you have Romney's plan to solve the housing crises, "let the bombs loose their homes and allow investors to swarm in and buy up all property and rent it to the peons." Second, Bachmann’s' healthcare plan, "if you are unfortunately born without a silver spoon in your mouth and can't afford to pay your own medical bills without the help of government, you are considered a charity case and should wait for some kind-hearted fat cat to have mercy on you and toss a couple of bucks your way." Third, Cain – 9-9-9 plan which changed to 9-0-9. Cain is making up things as he goes alone. Next it will be called 4-0-9 plan because it is catchy. Last, but not least, Perry. Perry can't seem to come up with a cohesive idea of his own so what does he do? He runs to "the Donald" for advice. "The Donald" tells him to reach back into the cesspool and stir up the birthers. This would be comical if they were not vying for the most powerful position in the country. Now, it's just sad.
well Texas IS a right to work state and unions down here are not looked upon very fondly...one of the reasons the wages here are much lower. I am not suprised at Perry with this stance.
Dear Mr. Perry-
In case no one told you, labor unions are legal. Not only that, they protect the rights and interests of the working classes. Something you and you "Tea Party Patriots" refuse to do-
You, my friend, are an imbecile.
Sincerely-
An American Voter
So typical of that jellyfish Willard M. Romney not to take a firm stand. In the next remake of "The Wizard of Oz," he should play two roles: the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man.
declare your position, suffer the consequences. Not that it makes any difference anyway since you are going nowhere
Perry is definably not a friend of the working people.
Bush Perry against the people of Ohio, thank you for your generous gift to the Obama Campaign! Knuckle Head!
God told me that you were going to lose...........................
I thought Perry was a states rights man! What happened to that? Flip-flop flip flop. These guys are both doing what they do best...nothing but releasing hot air every time they open their mouths!
In the Republican mind, corporations have the rights of people, but people can't organize to protect their rights.
I thought Parry believed in freedom? Why can't people have the right to make their voices heard? What's Parry got against freedom?
@Sniffit: "SO MUCH FOR TRICKLE-DOWN, EH?"
You forgot to mention that (per US Census data, as of the 2010 Census):
50% of Americans earn less than $26,363.55 a year
10 million Americans are working part-time (that's all the work they can find; they want but can't find full-time work.
If you work 40 hours a week at minimum wage, you probably won't make $15,000 (depending on what state you live in and the minimum wage laws there, you won't even make that much).
3.3% of people (1 in every 30) went all of 2010 without any work at all
1/3 of Americans earn less than $15,000
Contrast this to the FACT that 400 people (individuals) in the US are worth more than 150 million people combined (1/2 of the US population).
TRICKLE-DOWN ECONOMICS DOES NOT WORK!
Hitler dismantled the unions. That should tell people something, but we've got too many out there who don't know history. That's why Bush was allowed to get away with he did, even when his "laws" were reminiscent of 1930's Germany.
Martin Niemoller said it so well –
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.
We've seen the GOP do some unAmerican things. We've seen the GOP do illegal things. Yet the American people who spoke out against the crimes were called "traitors" by the FOX propaganda machine and their acolytes. It's time to speak out against it, America.
For any real working American (you know, us folks that actually earn our living by making things and providing services, not moving money around or managing managers, of managers of managers), voting for Perry (or just about any of the other Republicans) is like shooting yourself in the foot. His financial plans are designed to benefit the wealthiest at the expense of the rest of us. If you want to vote for him because you like his views on abortion, or his hari or whatever, fine, but if you think he will help the financial health of this country for most Americans, you're deluded.
Hey nancy, what's wrong with a politician that follows the polls? Aren't they elected to represent the majority and do what the majority elected them to do? John Kerry said it right that your position can change when given new information. If you choose a side and your on the other side of the majority, you should not be elected.
Another perfect example of why this man is wrong for America and why he will never get my vote.
John A – you are wrong. The $12,500 standard exemption would reduce the amount of income subject to tax, it is not a credit against the tax. So the family making $50,000 would subtract $12,500 and then pay tax on $37,500. The tax at 20% would be $7,500, not zero.
The rich secessionist only cares about the super rich and romneycare is waiting to understand the polls a bit better on this issue so he can take one side and the flip flop to the other side.
BTW – that picture in another story doesn't show him standing tall and proud while the National Anthem was playing. I guess no TV cameras around to pretend he loves this country so much he wanted to split it from the rest of the US?
Perry firmly against working people? No surprise. What also doesn't surprise is that Perry or whomever the GOP sends up as the nominee will win Ohio in 2012. Depressing, but not surprising.
@Sniffit – Thank you for always backing up your post with facts. I learn a lot from you!!
Perry will be the nomination and President Obama will mop the floor with him!!
Obama 2012!!
Perry just shot himself and the GOP in the foot, again. He is an idiot that has no idea what he is talking about.Just ask the majority of the people in Texas. The GOP/TP just lost Ohio.
Boy-o-boy-o-boy! This is looking easier for Obama/Biden every day!! I love it. The frauds are falling all over themselves. The republican candidates look like a bunch of idiots. None of them will win the general election, so cut your losses now boys and girls. Save your money for 2016. This crop is a waste of good money!