Labor Holds Emergency Meetings To Discuss Senate Bill

[tomm2thumbs]

Source: Huffington Post

Two of the country's largest labor groups, the SEIU and the AFL-CIO, are each holding emergency executive meetings today to discuss whether they should support the latest round of health care compromises made by Senate Democrats.

As one high-ranking labor official emailed the Huffington Post: "What is really frustrating folks here is that it's impossible to make and implement plans to pressure senators when the White House and Reid keep undermining the efforts no one from the outside can put any credible pressure on Senators because they know the White House will back that Senator up whatever they do. If the White House is going to cave to a Senator who spent the entire election campaigning with McCain and calling Obama a traitor how are we supposed to have any leverage over anyone?"

"If Lieberman -- who has done so many horrible things directly to Obama -- can get away with this on Obama's signature issue it makes it infinitely harder for us to pressure senators, on issues in the future, because there is no fear of retribution or coercion from the White House. They only pressure progressives, not anyone in the middle."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/16/labor-holds-emergency-mee_n_394070.html

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I hope they grind those Senators into a pulp about letting Lieberman walk over them with out so much as a murmer. If they want to fillibuster the bill, let them do it. NOTHING can get done for months and the country can watch Joe Lieberman day in and day out - figuring out who is the cause of the entire mess.

[Winterblues]

1. I think they should approach it like the military

If one screws up punish the entire lot of them..It works well in the Military, so I can't believe it wouldn't work in the Senate as well.

[Iowa]

5. Exactly! The only thing that matters is results.

[tomm2thumbs]

2. Picture Lieberman chasing Obama with a golf club, till he drives the Health Bill into a tree

if only that Taiwanese company could make a video of it - well, it would look the same

[99 Percent Sure]

3. Well, I've been calling the WH comments line

for 2 days now, and haven't been able to get through because it's busy.I believe they're giving the president what for. For the heck of it, I'm also calling Hapless Harry to give his aides an earful.

I just got a DNC spam from Mitch Stewart a few minutes ago:

If we don't pass health reform, millions of Americans will be trapped in a broken status quo, unable to pay their bills or see a doctor when they need one.

More and more employers will drop coverage for employees. And Medicare and Medicaid will blow a hole through our budget.

There's too much at stake to not get this done. That's why OFA supporters have made 849,856 calls to Congress in support of health reform since August.

And that's why today, with the Senate locked in last-minute negotiations, our goal is to hit one million calls.

Can you help? Please call your senators now and help us "ring in reform." Then click here to let us know you called.

According to our records, you live in California.

This holiday season, millions of Americans will go without desperately needed care simply because they can't afford insurance.

But insurance lobbyists are desperate to pull apart the bill and derail reform, so your voice is needed now.

Your senators are fighting hard for health reform. Please call today, thank them for their work, and let them know we need them to keep fighting.

Just dial the numbers above, then tell the staffers who answer where you live -- so that they know you are a constituent -- and that you support reform.

Then click here to make sure you call is counted in the race to a million:

http://my.barackobama.com/RingInReform

Thanks for standing up,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Ha! As if they care about what's best for, what we want. A l'ouvre on connait l'ouvrier.

[Javaman]

4. If the Unions want to remain relevant to the conversation, they should tell the senate

to fuck off.

[maryinthemorn]

6. Agree!!