# McCain/Palin schwag: union bugs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 1, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623 "2008-11-01T19:51:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/1 "2008-11-01T19:51:10Z")
I haven’t seen any McCain/Palin campaign materials close-up. However, most if not all official Obama printed materials, bumper stickers, signs, and other goodies have union bugs on them. Same thing with McCain materials? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/2 "2008-11-02T01:01:24Z")
God, I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/3 "2008-11-02T06:24:28Z")
At the [Obama Campaign Store](http://www.demstore.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/scstore/Obama/index.html?E+scstore+done) and the Obama Store, pretty much everything seems to be advertised as “Made in USA” and “Union Printed/Embroidered/whatever”. These seem to be the most “official” outlets for Obama campaign merchandise. At the [McCain Online Store](https://www.mccainonlinestore.com/asp/product.asp?ID=100033), some of the lapel stickers are advertised as “Made in USA”, but most of the merchandise isn’t. Most of the [McCain merchandise](http://www.johnmccain.com/storelanding/) seems to come from various for-profit manufacturers, some of which say their stuff is made in the US while others don’t. [A handy but not detailed comparison of all 2008 candidates’ campaign merchandise.](http://laborrightsblog.typepad.com/international_labor_right/2008/01/vote-for-sweats.html) > [@Sam Stone](#): > > God, I hope not. 😕 You’re hoping that McCain has his campaign merchandise made in sweatshops or something? ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/4 "2008-11-02T06:54:37Z")
Personally my opinion of McCain/Palin would improve slightly if some of their campaign material wasn’t “Made in USA”. China is probably a much more cost-effective producer of a lot of these products and it makes sense from both the US and Chinese pov for the US to import rather than produce them domestically. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/5 "2008-11-02T07:03:17Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > 😕 You’re hoping that McCain has his campaign merchandise made in sweatshops or something? I don’t think there is anything superior to union-made products over non-union products. Nor do I think union workers or businesses with unionized work forces are morally superior to non-union workers or businesses. Nor do I think that you should ‘buy union-made’ or in some other way discriminate between products made in union shops vs products made in non-union shops. Making sure everything has a union label is simply a way to pander to pro-labor voters while ignoring the vast majority of people who work in non-union jobs. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/6 "2008-11-02T07:08:05Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Personally my opinion of McCain/Palin would improve slightly if some of their campaign material wasn’t “Made in USA”. And I, as an Obama support, would see that mere manufacturing cost is a lousy way to determine the PRICE of campaign goods, would prefer that EITHER candidate’s were labeled “Union made in the USA.” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/7 "2008-11-02T07:14:19Z")
I missed the cutoff: > [@Lantern](#): > > Personally my opinion of McCain/Palin would improve slightly if some of their campaign material wasn’t “Made in USA”. And I, as an Obama support, would see that mere manufacturing cost is a lousy way to determine the PRICE of campaign goods, and would prefer that EITHER candidate’s materials were labeled “Union made in the USA.” ETA: Less than that would reveal one as not only NOT an Internationalist Pig, but would call from the mountaintops that "The American worker can get fucked until he is willing to work for as little as the Indonesian worker, regardless of the quality. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/8 "2008-11-02T07:40:10Z")
Democratic candidates are required as a matter of practicality to have a union bug, as they are the party of organized labor. In California, not having the bug is a sure sign of a fake Democrat. Republicans are the party of management, and risk alienating their constituents if they have a union bug, if those constituents know what the bug means. My review of the swag available indicates that they do not sport the bug. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/9 "2008-11-02T07:46:29Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > I don’t think there is anything superior to union-made products over non-union products. Nor do I think union workers or businesses with unionized work forces are morally superior to non-union workers or businesses. I agree that a non-unionized workforce is certainly not necessarily inferior to a unionized one, nor is a non-union workplace necessarily a worse place to work. But surely you agree that the presence of a union does at least attest to some minimum level of protections and benefits for workers that you won’t find in a sweatshop? To me, the label “Union Made” is basically equivalent to “Not a Sweatshop”, and that’s why I prefer it. I would be just as happy to purchase goods with some kind of “Fair Labor Practices” certification where non-unionized as well as unionized workforces could qualify, but I don’t know of any such. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-palin-schwag-union-bugs/470623/10 "2008-11-02T10:03:44Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > I agree that a non-unionized workforce is certainly not necessarily inferior to a unionized one, nor is a non-union workplace necessarily a worse place to work. But surely you agree that the presence of a union does at least attest to some minimum level of protections and benefits for workers that you won’t find in a sweatshop? By saying you promote union-made goods, you are saying that it is a better choice to buy materials from businesses that have a unionized workforce. You’re making a value judgment that these products are somehow either superior in quality or the purchase of them is somehow morally better than purchasing other products. > [@](#): > > To me, the label “Union Made” is basically equivalent to “Not a Sweatshop”, and that’s why I prefer it. I would be just as happy to purchase goods with some kind of “Fair Labor Practices” certification where non-unionized as well as unionized workforces could qualify, but I don’t know of any such. The vast majority of businesses in the U.S. are non-union. Almost none of them are ‘sweatshops’. The people who work in them work there voluntarily. You are attempting to pass judgment on their choices and on the businesses that employ them by discriminating against them in favor of union-made products. That’s the bottom line.