Teddy Roosevelt did more for the American working man than most other presidents and he was a conservative. A progressive yes. But a conservative non the less. It’s about the individual not their party.
Roosevelts presidency occurred in a time very similar to our own. In Teddys day large corporate moguls ran the country. Elites such as Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan had effectively bought their own president (McKinley) and had used their influence to shore up political control in Washington. They bought large shares of news paper companies forcing stories that touted these titans of industry as saviors of the American work force. Any of this sound familiar?
In that time men and women were working 6 days a week sometimes 12-16 hours a day. Living in tenement housing and barely scraping by. Unions were crushed (sometimes violently) and whistleblowers were silenced. It was hazardous to speak about labor reform. Again any of this sound familiar?
Labor is not a party issue like the media would have you believe. Both parties will use labor as they always have, As a tool to gain votes. They will “support labor just long enough to secure an election and turn around to serve their corporate donors. These politicians and parties don’t give a shit about you. Not when their corporate masters line their pockets.
If you truly want to further the labor movement, If you truly want a fair days pay for a fair days work, stop voting on party lines and start voting for the candidate that can actually get it done. Start voting for things like term limits and transparent elections. Do your own research and don’t just follow what the party says. That’s what got us into this mess in the first place.