article_snippet: When Democrats chose Charlotte, North Carolina, for Democrats 2012 political convention -- a city not friendly to labor -- unions were livid.
article_snippet: There is broad frustration with the party and all elected officials," one labor leader said, "broad frustration with the lack of a union agenda.
article_snippet: Organized labor has not been that surprised.
article_snippet: The truth is that unions have been on the defense against Democratic presidents for decades.
article_snippet: In the past few decades, many Democratic politicians no longer believed that organized labor was a major player within many Democratic politicians party, as many Democratic politicians had been during the creation of the New Deal and Great Society.
article_snippet: As organized labor became a smaller part of the American workforce, Democratic politicians were not as determined to court Democratic politicians vote.
article_snippet: A larger number of Democrats since the 1970s have been elected by upper middle class suburban constituencies in which unions are not a big presence.
article_snippet: These voters have been more concerned in a style of liberalism that revolves around quality of life issues, such as environmental regulation, than These voters are with middle class jobs.
article_snippet: Many Democrats leaders embraced a vision of economic policy that centered on deregulation and free markets.
article_snippet: New voices that came into the Democratic Party after the 1960s wanted to challenge Republicans by offering a more centrist vision of economic policy.
article_snippet: The opportunities for Democrats to embrace a more pro-union agenda have only intensified with the fierce assault taking place among conservatives.
article_snippet: Democrats, and some Republicans, often talk about needing to deal with the problem of economic inequality.
article_snippet: Much of the talk is often vague and offers little in the way to real solutions.
article_snippet: Democrats need to push back against President Obama, even if this creates political opportunities for Republicans, so that the party does not abandon what has been at the heart and soul of Democrats agenda.
article_snippet: As Democrats continually watch Republicans outdo Republicans in terms of organization and pursuit, Republicans need to look to labor more as an ally than an enemy in the battle for the White House and Congress in the coming years.