RUSH: Here’s Jack in San Francisco, as we head back to the phones. Great to have you on the program, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Cigar smoking dittos, Rush. I want to talk to you about you how you speak often about the weak-kneed Republicans being afraid of losing the Hispanic vote. I think they ought to stop thinking about that and start thinking about courting the private sector labor union people. I can tell you, I worked in a union. I was a fireman, and I spent over 20 years working as a union representative. I can tell you many — probably at least 40% of building trades guys, firemen — vote Republican.

But I can tell that far more than that, probably 80%, are truly conservatives. Union people believe the boss should make money because the more money the boss makes the more money is on the table when you try to bargain for a pay raise, and I think that if we differentiate between the private sector and the public unions, I think that the Republicans could get a lot more of the private sector union people to vote for them and make up for whatever they think they’re losing with Hispanic votes.

RUSH: Well, it might work out mathematically. I don’t know. But the big problem is, organized labor is losing members left and right. But those that remain pay a hell of a lot of money in dues, and that all goes to the Democrats. No matter how the member votes, his dues are donated to Democrat candidates and Democrat causes — and that is something else that needs to change. I mean, the union member needs to be able to opt out of his dues being used in political ways that he would not choose.

But, you know, being a conservative union member is almost like being an actor in Hollywood: You don’t dare say it, or you might be injured on the job, or you might be laid off, or your family might have something happen to them. I don’t doubt that in the private sector labor union movement that there are quite a few conservative-oriented individuals and may in fact vote that way.

But they don’t dare go public with it, and their union dues are still used for Democrats. You know, a lot of private sector union people are gonna be losing their health care, thanks to Obamacare. Everybody that gets their health care from the job is at some point or another down the road gonna lose it there, and everybody’s gonna have to do going to an exchange. Don’t forget, folks… Who was it? Jimmy Hoffa, this Trumka guy, and one other union leader.

They sent all these letters to Pelosi and Reid demanding that they be exempted from Obamacare because their union members are gonna lose health insurance. They wanted to be exempted from the requirement. They wanted to preserve health care provided by the boss, is what they want. That’s at risk with Obamacare, and they asked to be exempted from what’s gonna change that. And they sent this letter to Reid and Pelosi (summarized), “You guys are killing us! You’re gonna kill us. You’re gonna wipe out our union. We can’t survive this way!”

These union guys are gonna learn what every other Democrat supporter learned.

“You’re either with us at the party level or it’s sayonara.”

Jack, I appreciate the call.