Is Big Labor Thinking About Defecting...

...if Democrats lose in November?

The story is about the behind the scenes commotion at Kerry's campaign, but I think it may be burying the lede:

"Clinton was told -- and it's something that he knew anyway, we think -- that four more years of Republican control on Capitol Hill and in the White House could weaken organized labor to the point where we wouldn't be able to help Democrats the way are now," says the AFL-CIO lobbyist. "That's why it was critical to plug Clinton back."

This is something serious to watch. If the Democrats lose the unions, they lose their party. It's really that simple. For decades, the unions have turned out the vote and provided much of the financial backing for Democrats. Without their manpower and their money, the Democrats are in serious trouble.

It makes sense. After all, why would Republicans give unions even one thing they want legislatively knowing that they can never earn their support in an election no matter what they do. If the GOP wins the White House and maintains control of the Congress, then the unions would be smart to re-examine their political support plans across the board. Consistently backing the losing horse in every race is no way to ensure your issues get heard.

If this is the kind of thing the Democrats are hearing behind the scenes, then the coming shake-out in the Democratic Party post-election could be a much bigger story than anyone had previously thought.