Romney Encourages Captive Audience Meetings

Labor Journalist Mike Elk just uncovered a conference call featuring Mitt Romney addressing the anti-union National Federation of Independent Business. Here’s what the GOP presidential candidate had to say:

I hope you make it very clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their job and their future in the upcoming elections. And whether you agree with me or you agree with President Obama, or whatever your political view, I hope, I hope you pass those along to your employees.

To us and Working America, that sure sounds like a captive audience meeting. Coercion? Check. Intimidation? Check. Implying that workers don’t have all the “facts” to make the “right” decision? Check.

The troubling news is that Romney’s tactics aren’t new. Gawker recently reported that Westgate Resorts’ founder David Siegal emailed his employees to insinuate that they would be fired if Obama is reelected.  And In These Times also broke the story that the Koch Brothers are attempting to influence their workers’ votes.

Read the rest of the story and listen to the audio here for Romney’s talking points and the repercussions of Citizens United.

Photo by Austen Hufford via Creative Commons.