Shelton from the Storm

The Observer is reporting that a labor leaders has labeled Congressman Mike McMahon a, "Judas," for his vote against ObamaCare: "Rep. Mike McMahon was called "the Judas from Staten Island" by Communications Workers of America International Vice President Christopher Shelton, for voting against the health care reform bill."

How Biblical of Shelton-and how politically insensitive as well. We guess that this labor leader would rather see a Republican represent the 13th Congressional district; and if we take the new Gallup survey seriously, that's likely to happen in many of the swing districts that are very similar to the one that McMahon represents.

Memo to Shelton: the health care law is not very popular among the broad middle spectrum of the American populace-and particularly among those small businesses that will pay through the nose for their workers health coverage. McMahon was simply alive to the sentiment in his district, and if labor is looking to squash this Judas than it needs to be aware of what the consequences are-a Republican controlled congress whose members are true believers who want to repeal the health care law.

Perhaps Shelton-so immersed in his own ideological bubble-doesn't care about what will happen if swing districts like the 13th are lost to his party. But one thing is clear. In his ideological zeal, he has lost touch with where most of America sits vis a vis the new law. This following comment underscores our point: "Later at the press conference, I asked Shelton what can McMahon do to win back his support. "I don't know what he could do to change what he did to the working people of New York City and the United States."

On the contrary, Mike McMahon stood up for the "working people" of this city and country-the folks who start businesses and pay a disproportionate share of the taxes that keep the machinery of government operating. Shelton calling him a Judas is a label that McMahon needs to wear proudly-and display it like a Congressional Medal of Honor.