Rush Takes Vow Of Poverty… Not! — Anti-Poverty Conference Ignores Labor Movement

WASHINGTON, D.C. Sojourners magazine almost pulled a fast one on us last week.

The publication billing itself as a progressive Christian outlet reported that conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh had announced his acceptance to give the keynote address at the Mobilization to End Poverty conference later this month.

Too bad the news came on April Fool’s Day.

“Okay, as you may have already guessed April Fools! But seriously folks, come to Washington, D.C. this April for the Mobilization to End Poverty!” the story concluded.

But even that invitation rang hollow upon closer inspection of the sponsors, speakers, and workshop facilitators of the so-called anti-poverty conference.

Not a one was a union, a union leader, or a union organizer.

And you’d think that if you wanted to end poverty, you’d invite a few unions that explain how unionization alleviates poverty to your conference whose stated aim is to alleviate poverty.

When asked about the lack of union voices, a spokesperson for the conference replied to the Lone Star Iconoclast via email:

“Thanks for your question about The Mobilization. Sojourners has close ties with SEIU and just a couple weeks ago Jim Wallis was on the hill testifying about the Employee Free Choice Act. I know we’ve made an effort to go with only union vendors for the event, and tried to make as clear as possible anything dealing with the Mobilization that is non-union. That being said, I’m not sure about other specifically union involvement in The Mobilization. We don’t have any unions as sponsors or outreach partners.”

Okay, so let’s break it down.

First, Sojourners is friends with one union as if having one black friend means you’re not racist.

Second, Wallis was on “the hill” in support of the Employee Free Choice Act as if congressmen couldn’t find a conservative Christian clergyman with a parish full of card-carrying rank and file.

Third, union vendors as if unions were being reduced to selling wieners at Nationals Park or something?

Lastly, yeah, we know you don’t have any unions. That’s why we asked you in the first place!

As if we needed to be talked down in a fashion akin to Rachel Maddow of MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, the executive director of the Interfaith Worker Justice Kim Bobo gave The Iconoclast some perspective on the Rev. Jim Wallis and the disconnect between communions and unions in America.

“I know Jim Wallis very well. The organization is a leader on poverty issues,” said Bobo. “It’s actually not done all that much on labor issues and so the fact that Jim spoke out in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act, from my point of view, is a very good thing.”

Bobo also said that she has a general invitation to attend the conference but won’t due to her tour in promotion of her new book “Wage Theft.” Sojourners not only promoted her book but has also published a few articles of hers promoting labor issues that can be found on Sojourner’s website, she noted.

That said, Sojourners’ blind spot to the labor movement is a symptom of a more systemic problem in the greater rel