It seems that, since the historic speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) by Teamsters Union President Sean O'Brien, Democrats, including presumptive presidential nominee Kamala Harris, have given Teamsters the silent treatment. The Union says they requested that Harris participate in a roundtable discussion with union leaders, an invite that she has not responded to. O'Brien says he has not received an invitation by Democrats to speak at the Democrat National Convention that begins August 19 in Chicago.

O'Brien's RNC speech revealed what has long been suspected: that the blind support for Democrat candidates by union leaders is not necessarily shared by the rank-and-file members. The tone of O'Brien's RNC speech also implied that taking organized labor support for granted in November would be a bad move for Democrats. 

THE MORE YOU KNOW!!!
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents a diverse set of industries — may remain neutral this cycle, withholding an endorsement of the Democratic Party candidate for the first time in nearly three decades.

— Pedal to the metal ‘till you see God, then brake! (@thefloridarose) August 12, 2024

Sean O'Brien was not at the RNC to deliver an endorsement, but his tone was not an adversarial one that might have been taken toward Republicans in the past, but to "make inroads" with the GOP, which has become, because of Donald Trump, more populist and working class. In his speech to the RNC, he stated in part,

“President Trump had the backbone to open the doors to this Republican convention, and that’s unprecedented. No other nominee in the race would’ve invited the Teamsters into this arena. We need to call the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtables what they are: They are unions for big business … here’s the fact: Against these gigantic multinational corporations, an individual has zero power. It is only when Americans band together in democratic unions that we win real improvements on wages, benefits, and working conditions."

Democrats and Kamala Harris could be playing with fire by giving organized labor the side-eye. In July, just before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, the Teamsters considered not endorsing any candidate in the 2024 election, a move that would be a huge political blow for Democrats. The Teamsters, which number around 1.6 million members, began voting on who the union would endorse at the beginning of August. That voting runs through the end of the month. Members were also asked what they believe are the top five political issues for the nation.

Snubbing one of the largest and most powerful labor unions in the nation could just be the latest thing that could almost make you wonder if something is brewing ahead of the convention. Thousands of Democrat voters essentially had their votes thrown out as the party elites selected Harris; her radical left-wing record going back to her days as San Francisco District Attorney is being revealed. Her VP pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is equally radical, if not more, and has some serious questions regarding his military history being asked. My colleague Ward Clark asked what appears to be more and more a valid question: Is the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket a throwaway ticket? Have Democrats become resigned to the fact that Donald Trump has a very good chance of being reelected, willing to take the loss and the not-so-subtle whack on the head from the American people, and slink off to retool for 2028? 

Kamala Harris may be about to find out just how valuable to the Democrat Party she is.

The last time the Teamsters endorsed a Republican presidential candidate was in 1984 for Ronald Reagan.

*EDIT: he may not have enforced but being there and floating no endorsement is a HUGE blow to the DNC

— Flip - Live Free (@flip4liberty) July 16, 2024