Several progressive groups have come together to institute an initiative offering counsel and legal assistance to members of the ‘deep state’ who were removed during President Donald Trump’s second term. This initiative, known as the ‘You Are Not Alone Project’, includes: Civil Service Strong by Democracy Forward, the American Federation of Government Employees, and the Partnership for Public Service. Firstly launched in July for State Department employees, it has since been extended to federal agencies.
This experimental project provided several services to the axed bureaucrats, such as free legal representation through Rise up, also recognized as the Federal Workers Legal Defense Network. This network, borne of a coalition of left-leaning groups, also includes members of the ‘You Are Not Alone’ project. The pilot extended advices to former bureaucrats on how to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board and pursue complaints through the Office of Special Counsel.
Let’s talk about Democracy Forward, the organization that touts itself as an advocacy and litigation entity, conveniently chaired by Marc Elias, an experienced Democrat election lawyer. This individual will always be remembered for promoting the infamous Trump-Russia collusion theory during his tenure on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. This is their dedication to fairness and truth.
Their spiel is that ‘Federal employees serve our nation with dedication and integrity’ and their mission is to provide reassurance to those employees who have been unjustly singled out and targeted. Ironically, shouting ‘You Are Not Alone’ in this case seems more like an attempt to gather sympathy and support for a deep-state agenda rather than a noble fight for the average worker.
Moving on to the American Federation of Government Employees, the most extensive federal employee union of the nation. Then we have the Partnership for Public Service who typically swerves clear of advocacy, focusing on government efficiency and procedures. However, they couldn’t resist a chance to criticize President Trump’s administration for reducing the size of the bloated federal workforce.
Together, these organizations publicized the ‘You Are Not Alone Project’ for all federal agencies just last week. However, this initiative had already been piloted in July for former State Department employees post the layoff of more than 1,300 individuals due to a Trump administration reorganization.
This reorganization, initially met with much criticism and resistance, is expected to result in approximately 3,000 total departures including voluntary resignations. Blowing a tiny layoff issue into a tumultuous storm may seem over-the-top, but that appears to be the modus operandi of these organizations.
A union spokesperson couldn’t resist pointing out the newsworthy pilot program. Although he doesn’t agree with unionizing federal employees, he believes that these alliances sit well within the traditional union function, according to an investigative think tank that monitors nonprofits.
Elated by the plan, he noted that ‘while I firmly hold my view that government worker unions should not exist, this plan is exactly what labor unions should do if they were to exist. It may seem partisan at first glance, but supporting members affected by layoffs isn’t the worst thing labor unions do.’ In his view, the Partnership for Public Service joining the coalition doesn’t come as a shock. According to him, it is obvious that the organization holds the same biases as progressives.
As per his perspective, ‘While it’s not openly partisan like other organizations, the union positions itself as a champion for public servants.’ It seems there’s an inevitably partisan line of thinking, even where it’s not expressly stated.
One statement within this mix was, ‘Our union won’t stand by while these patriotic citizens are cast aside.’ An expression of feigned sympathy or a truthful eagerness to push their agenda? You decide.
Declarations for the need for support were also made by a representative from the Partnership for Public Service. The sentiment expressed was that ‘it’s important for federal employees to have trustworthy locations for accurate, direct resources to assist them during this time of anxiety and uncertainty.’
However, the support and resources these organizations seem so eager to offer are tightly bound up with their own political objectives. From using these layoffs as opportunities to criticize a necessary reorganization, to pushing narratives supportive of their own agenda, it’s clear that the agenda here is far from benign.
While some may argue that these agencies are providing needed resources, it’s essential to bear in mind the broader picture. This is politics through and through, wrapped up in a guise of supporting public servants, an attempted manipulation of the narrative through perceived sympathy and support.
The post Progressive Groups Exploit Layoffs as Opportunity to Bash Trump appeared first on Real News Now.
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