This is not a union banner. This is the state flag of Wisconsin. Here's a clue: The word "Wisconsin." Here's another: "1848," the date Wisconsin became a state. And here's a third: The state seal.
A Politico reporter covering a speech President Obama gave in Wisconsin seemed to miss all those hints. He
reported the state flag was "a flag for the local union, Wisconsin 1848." And he suggested it demonstrated Obama's pro-union bias.
We can hardly blame the reporter. He's part of a Beltway culture that disregards workers, unions and the plight of ordinary people. But as Talking Points Memo reported, AFSCME took advantage of the mistake.
...the gaffe made the rounds among actual union officials in the state and now that the laughter’s subsided, they’ve turned it into a membership drive.
“When national news blog Politico came to Milwaukee to cover Pres. Obama’s visit, they incorrectly identified the Wisconsin flag as the “flag for the local union, Wisconsin 1848.” Many people got a chuckle at the embarrassing mistake, but we think it really represents something larger,” reads a new AFSCME petition. “So let’s say it loud and say it proud! Join as a charter member of “Wisconsin Local 1848” today. We’ll share up-to-the-minute information on statewide issues that affect us all.”You can sign the petition here.
