JAMES TARANTO: Obama’s Model For America: Detroit.

Hoffa describes the combatants in his “war” as “workers” on the one hand and “the Tea Party” on the other. But of course he isn’t interested in workers in general, only those who belong to unions–a group that, after decades of private-sector union decline, largely consists of employees of government, government contractors and government bailout beneficiaries such as General Motors and Chrysler. “The Tea Party,” meanwhile, is a dysphemism for taxpayers.

“Despite President Obama’s repeated claims to change the tone in Washington, the White House had no comment this afternoon” on Hoffa’s highly uncivil rhetoric, ABC News reports. Hey, give Hoffa credit. It isn’t easy to stop this president from talking.

In his own speech, the president made clear that he agreed with the substance if not the tone of Hoffa’s remarks. But turning America into Detroit may not be easy. After all, once Detroiters moved past Eight Mile Road, they were no longer able to vote against Coleman Young. Obama can’t shrink the electorate he will have to face next year.

And the economy’s gotten bad enough, it’s even hard to get illegals to come on over.