As I drove to attend the Labor Day observances (in the form of hot dogs, barbecue chicken, and a healthy dose of politics) at UAW Local 882's recreational facility in Hapeville, I was faced with a stark reminder of what the stakes are for taking this state back. That reminder was the Ford logo on the Hapeville assembly plant. That decal has been a symbol of pride for decades, a monument to American industry and the loyal, hardworking employees of Local 882 who make it possible. Now, however, that logo is a brand of shame, a searing reminder of just what Sonny Perdue has done to real working people in Georgia.

What I absolutely am unable to fathom is why - why - the fact that our Governor, the man who purports to be our leader, made no effort whatsoever to preserve a colossus of American industry in Georgia while granting obscene tax incentives to a foreign interloper fails to resonate with voters as it does with we progressive activists. Why aren't fiscal conservatives in an apoplectic rage over monstrous giveaways? Why aren't education activists and others fuming over such ridiculous expenditures while cuts to vital state programs continue utterly without cause or benefit? Most of all, why aren't the residents of Hapeville, which derives nine percent of its total tax revenue from the doomed-and-dismissed plant, calling for the Republicans who stole that revenue to be put to the sword?

I wish those questions were rhetorical, but they aren't. Republicans are eviscerating workers' rights and the traditional strength and benefits of unions and union industries, and voters just don't care. The answer, the only answer, is for us to fall in behind our candidates – starting with Mark Taylor – as they kick off their campaigns in earnest tomorrow and help them bludgeon Georgia Republicans over and over with issues (like the HOPE scholarship and the abysmal state of health care in Georgia) where we will always hold the moral high ground over amoral Republican swine. When you work this election season, remember the workers of UAW Local 882 and what Sonny Perdue and his minions have robbed them of. We must not let such heinous acts remain unpunished.