Barack Obama’s smear campaign against Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital is being funded in part by three labor groups.
Unions have played prominent roles in Obama’s re-election tactics—one union member even appeared in a super PAC ad to blame Romney for his wife’s cancer death. The ad was financed in part by big-money donations from organized labor.
1. SEIU
The SEIU, one of the Democratic Party's biggest backers, has pumped $1 million into Obama’s super PAC. The group represents 2.1 million workers in the public and private sector. Obama organized for the union after finishing up college, and he remains loyal to them: "Your agenda has been my agenda," he told the group during his presidential run.
2. National Air Traffic Controllers Association
The air traffic controllers have contributed $1 million to Priorities USA, as well as $450,000 to other liberal super PACs. The union was created after the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization went on strike in 1981, leading Ronald Reagan to fire them en masse. The union reversed its decision to endorse the Gipper in 1980 and has put tens of millions into Democratic coffers since.
3. United Association
This collection of 300,000 plumbers and pipefitters has contributed more than $600,000 to Democratic candidates in 2012, including a $250,000 donation to Priorities USA in July—just before the cancer ad was released.