Unions are not doing well. Their membership has been plummeting for years. Their political influence is at an all time low. They're a convenient scapegoat for just about any social or economic problem plaguing America. At least they deserve some good ads.

The AFL-CIO is launching a new ad campaign (see above), with the purpose of... well, I'm not really sure. Make people feel good about the fact that they work, anywhere, at all? "I know what work is... work is what connects us." Okay, well, fine. Sure, that's fine. Making people feel validated to have jobs is fine and all. This will also not help unions one single bit.

Unions need the opposite of vague, feel-good ads that completely lack any prescriptive qualities or, you know, ideas whatsoever. Christ, even an SVP from the union-hating Chamber of Commerce can point out the obvious in the WSJ: "No one questions the value of work, but that doesn't really relate to whether one wants to join a union."

If Republicans can continue to take credit for freeing the slaves 150 years later, unions should feel free to take credit for everything they've done for the workers of America in the same time frame: the 40-hour work week, child labor laws, fair wages.... you know, things that EVERYONE INCLUDING MILLIONS OF MIDDLE CLASS WORKERS WHO VOTE REPUBLICAN are extremely grateful for. This, I would humbly suggest, should be the foundation for a union ad campaign that might have some positive effect:

1. Say what unions have done.
2. Say what unions can still do.
3. Say how people can help.

We don't all need to be patted on the back for having a job. We need unions that are strong enough to actually get something accomplished. That means we need convincing. So convince us.