Hobo Nation Rises

Tomorrow the Senate is scheduled to vote on a $10 billion bill to save 135,000 jobs in the field of education. Like the previous jobs creation bill, I expect Republicans to block it. At last glance, this would make three separate jobs creating and saving bills they have blocked. Will they pay politically for this?

It depends on the success of the unemployed netroots--a collection of blogs and sites that connect the jobless and update them in detail on Congress' work on unemployment issues. Republicans have taken to attacking the unemployed as hobos, drug addicts, lazy and refusing to take an honest job. This rhetoric worked to attract blue collar workers reacting to welfare. But the Republicans may have stepped on a minefield, since many of the unemployed white collar workers proclaim they have always voted Republican.

The unemployed netroots came to fruition during the eight month battle to extend unemployment insurance, when unemployment soared to 10%. Now that we are approaching mid-terms,these netroots and grassroots organizers are hooking up with formal organizing groups to add power to their effort. Already, a number of unions and other organizations have created dedicated working groups or online organizations for the jobless. Last year, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers founded the Union of Unemployed or U-Cubed, for jobless workers. The AFL-CIO's Working America has launched Unemployment Lifeline. Working America claims to be the "biggest organization of the unemployed", saying they have 500,000 members. Working America is actually conducting door-to-door canvassing to recruit more unemployed members. U-Cubed plans to call out politicians campaigning during the August recess, with plans to visit events in Kansas and west coast states.

The talent pool here is deep. There have been more than 30 million people, who were left without work during the recession and 14.6 million are currently unemployed. As many as 4 million people are the 99ers, who have exhausted the maximum weeks of federal and state unemployment benefits. Unlike teabaggers, who depend on military pensions and other government programs and are upper middle class, these people have become radicalized by experiencing a period of extreme economic insecurity.

Michael Thornton started the biggest sites in the unemployment netroots called LayoffList in 2008. At the Rochester (N.Y.) Unemployment Examiner, he receives more than a million hit on his articles about Congress' deliberations on these matters. He claims that the unemployed are "energized and motvated" for the fall elections. As he said, if only half the unemployed vote, it would swing the elections nationwide.

Let's hope this effort materializes on election day.