Holy Mackeral! Obama puts Employee Free Choice Act back on the table.

[mistertrickster]

http://www.demstoremonthly.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000003/000317.htm

In an address to the AFL-CIO:

"I know you are talking to a lot of your locals, I'm sure they are feeling like, 'Boy, change is not happening fast enough'," Obama said, speaking at a gathering at the Washington Convention Center. "They are frustrated. They have every right to be frustrated."

"But you have to remind them for the next three months: this election is a choice," he added. "You have these folks who drove America's economy into a ditch. And for the last 20 months we put on our boots and we got into the mud and we have been shoving that car out of the ditch, inch by inch, and they have been standing on the side the whole time watching, telling us 'No, you're not pushing hard enough, you're not doing it the right way,' not lifting a finger to help. And now we finally get that car ... we are about to drive and they say they want the keys back. Well, you can't have the keys."

The president was greeted with standing applause for that line, a now common election-theme contrast. But it was his more substantive remarks that drew the strongest approval from the crowd of roughly 200 union officials, aides and progressives. Obama spoke admirably about the role that unions play in the lives of workers, quoting FDR saying that if he were a laborer and not president, he'd have joined a union himself. The president talked about structuring and passing fair trade agreements, the need for more aid and stimulus to states and his desire to stop sending government money to union-busting companies. His most welcomed line focused on the Employee Free Choice Act -- the stalled-in-the-Senate measure that would make it easier for workers to form unions.

"We are going to keep on fighting to pass the Employee Free Choice Act," he said at one point. "Getting EFCA through the Senate is going to be tough. It has always been tough... But we are going to keep on pushing," he added. It was, one union official estimated, the first time the words Employee Free Choice Act had left the president's lips since last September (other White House officials have talked about the measure). And it earned him a standing ovation.

******

I hope this means we're going to get some follow-through on this essential issue.

[RussBLib]

1. I know Obama has a plate full of issues ....

...but push HARD for this, Obama, and DON'T let it get watered down like just about everything else that has come out of Congress over the last 18 months. It would be nice, for a change I could believe in, to have one, clear, UNEQUIVOCAL victory on something!

[whathehell]

2. Could it be that, despite the remarks of Gibbs...He has

kind of "got the message"?....Could be, in my opinion.

[zipplewrath]

3. Talk

3 months before an election and suddenly he's finding time to talk this up.

Coincidence?

Nice talk, especially since the Senate won't even be in session for 6 weeks. So we will see action when and how?

At this point I don't really care what they say they'll do, or they promise to do. I just wait and see what they ACTUALLY do.

And when they lose seats in the Senate, what do you suppose he'll say then?

[mistertrickster]

5. This gives me a ray of hope. I'm no Obama worshipper--far from it.

But he clearly needs Big Labor in November, and then he's going to OWE us . . .

I think it's worth going the distance for.

[dflprincess]

4. He's a fierce advocate of GLBT rights, opposes insurance mandates

and thinks we need a public option to keep the insurance companies honest.

Alert me when he follows through on his talk with action.

[boppers]

29. LOL, that stung.

Well played, though.

[JustAnotherGen]

6. This needs to happen for everyone

Not just big labor. Let's remember - Big Labor is a good reason why we have what benefits we ALL have as employees/workers today.

The muckrakers started it, the Unions/Labor got America 90% of the way to the finish line.

Let's finish this up and get it done.

[pscot]

7. This would have meant something

if he'd done it when Congress was in session, or if he had taken on Democrats like Lincoln, Prior, Nelson, Landrieu and Feinstein. He was quiet as a mouse when it mattered. In the present context it looks like political opportunism; a cynical attempt to energize a disaffected constituency. Tell me I'm wrong.

[amborin]

26. the window of opportunity was there and Obama let it pass... now it's pure empty political hype

[nosmokes]

8. Yeah, he was gonna fight for a public option as well.

Maybe his biorhythms weren't in sync that day...

I welcome the news but will withhold attaboys until I see some dedicated follow through.

[AtomicKitten]

9. Maybe the Dems will have better luck with this during the lame duck session. nt

[ieoeja]

22. You know, the anti-incumbent thing could actually work for us there.

Are the two moderate Republicans running for re-election this cycle? If so, and if they ere knocked off, they might agree to drop the obstruction during their final days.

Ditto for conservative Democrats. If Ben Nelson was voted out, he might decide to give his fellow Democratic Senators this victory knowing his career with the voters is over.

[ieoeja]

10. EFCA will never get through the Senate.

This is one of those things Conservatives oppose 100%. And 41 Republicans plus 13 Conservative Democrats means they currently have a 54-46 majority. Even if the Democrats swept every Senate election up for election this year, there would still be more than 41 Conservatives in the Senate.

Obama can push it all he wants. And I wish him luck. But I don't see any way in heck this goes through without major Democratic Senate pickups over the course of multiple elections.

[demosincebirth]

16. Big odds, but he has to give it a try, then we'll see who are the friends of a Labor

[ieoeja]

20. Good point.

See who the new bad guys are after this election.

[Mnpaul]

21. I said it before and will say it again

We would need at least 70 Senators to pass EFCA

[w4rma]

11. Very good. (nt)

[derby378]

12. Good move on Obama's part

I hope he meets with success without having to compromise with the Devil.

[old mark]

13. ...and if the Democratic Left had not been pushing and goading and moaning at him,

he never would have done it. We MUST keep after him. If Obama gets too comfortable, he will give it all away to the center/right trying to get their votes.

We have to MAKE Obama work for us, because he will ignore us if left to himself.

Fired Up?:shrug:

mark

[whistler162]

18. It would still have been put back on the table.

[gkhouston]

14. Ah, it's August. Time to start football practice.

Sure would be wonderful if this happened because we got totally screwed when my husband lost his job.

[ej510]

15. IT'S ELECTION SEASON!!!!! It means it's time to be progressive again before

he turns right again.

[fogonthelake]

19. Its Promise time again.

[denimgirly]

51. Bingo! Just like Clockwork -- Democrats becoming Progressive...for the moment.

After November we are back to looking to help the right.

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. I'll believe it when I see it. nt

[mitchtv]

23. you and me both RaleighNCDUer

I just will have to wait and see, along with the Elizabeth Warren nomination

[IndianaGreen]

24. His deeds speak louder than words!

Words, words, words, I'm so sick of words
I get words all day through
First from him, now from you
Is that all you blighters can do
Don't talk of stars burning above
If you're in love show me

My Fair Lady

Show Me

http://www.lyricstime.com/my-fair-lady-trilha-sonora-show-me-lyrics.html

[ProgressOnTheMove]

25. So let's get the Senators to make it happen union folks, then we have REAL change.

[yurbud]

27. EFCA would be a game changer, and Obama has stopped short of that on every other issue.

I won't get excited about this till I see him sign it.

[IndianaGreen]

28. If Democrats really meant business, they would have repealed Taft-Hartley years ago

They didn't, and they won't.

[yurbud]

44. yep

[boppers]

30. Should your votes be public?

If the "Limbaugh for president" sign-up sheets can get enough people who are (potentially bullied into) signing, should that over-ride a secret ballot system?

EFCA has some good bits, but for me, the "card check" system is completely anti-liberal, and anti-democratic.

[mistertrickster]

35. Yes, your vote on unions should be public. Workers need to know

the toadys and the scabs who stab their fellow workers in the back.

What's undemocratic is how hard it is to unionize since Reagan.

[boppers]

38. Why stop at a voting record?

Shouldn't fellow workers also know your sex life, family history, health history, and any past legal issues? Wouldn't the removal of all privacy help the workers better know who to discriminate against?

:sarcasm:

[mistertrickster]

39. I understand your argument. You value privacy as do I.

The difference is one's sex life and health history has no bearing on how much money your fellow workers are going to make.

Whether you vote for or against a union however directly affects them too.

That's the important difference, IMHO.

[boppers]

41. Your sex life and health history affects your wages.

Heck, gender still affects wages.

That being said, suppose there's a card-check petition in the break room. Suppose that those who publicly vote to get a union on the petition don't get an annual raise, but *everybody else does*.

The idea of card-check is founded on two premises: that Unions are good, and that management won't game it. The first premise seems functional, but the second seems laughable.

[mistertrickster]

43. What you suggest is illegal. Union workers have to negotiate for everybody

in the group they represent whether they are in the union or not.

Management can always game the game. Hell, they write the rules and tell their bought and paid for Congress-critters to make it legally binding.

But that doesn't mean that workers can't fight back a little bit with union representation.

[Sherman A1]

31. Fool me once.......

There is absolutely no reason EFCA could not have been in the mix of bills when we had 60 Democrats in the Senate, with a chance of it passing (not much of one, but a chance). Now with less, he really expects this Union member and Member of the Left to get excited about the promise of EFCA? Some how I see a carrot being dangled in front of a crowd of potential voters that for the most part have just been pissed on by his Press Secretary and previously by his Chief of Staff.


No Sale.

[Jakes Progress]

32. A year ago this would have had me cheering too.

But now I'm going to wait and see. Talk is cheap. If you have a pattern of always following through and always doing what you say, you can get credit for saying you will do something. With the record of the administration on backing away from every single fight, from every issue where the right might balk, Obama will have to earn back the right to get credit just for talking a good game. You've got to produce to get the credit.

[cherokeeprogressive]

33. How many days until the midterm election?

Givin' the dog a bone.

Carrot on a stick.

[TheKentuckian]

34. I don't recall a fight in money time when the "magic", one in a generation or two, 60 seats

were there.

It is a bit of a positive that is even being discussed at all even if it is just a cynical carrot but much faith is hard to muster.

There is little downside to maintaining as good a majority as possible, if for no other reason than to beat back the mealy mouth excuses.

[ensho]

36. kick

nt

[ProSense]

37. Still trying to reach a consensus

"It's never going to pass" or "it's more empty talk."

Some have already given up on the idea.

Luckily, there will be progressive groups who will stand up and fight for this along side the President.

[mitchtv]

45. fight alongside the President indeed

I'd like to see him fight for something.This should have been done early on.

[ProSense]

46. Oh, don't get me wrong. I wished

the President could have achieved his entire agenda by July 2009, but I'm realistic.

[mitchtv]

47. 59 Including Ben and Blanche

It's a ruse to instill false "hope" in Union Voters, well this CWA guy will wait and see if Ben gets his committee chair threatened over it.I know that's Harry's job. You do what you can. timing is important

[ProSense]

48. So after saying

"This should have been done early on," you're now saying: "It's a ruse to instill false "hope" in Union Voters"?

If you don't believe it can pass, why would you have wanted him to "instill false 'hope'" earlier?

[mitchtv]

52. the chance was better when we had 60`

w/Ben and Blanche, there was also some monmentum. Now everyone sees exactly how much political capital the Pres is willing to expend for them and the momentum is kaput

[SwampG8r]

40. carrot waving

pre election carrot waving followed by the post election stick

[Freddie Stubbs]

42. Did Obama ever take it off of the table?

If not, what exactly is changing?

[GrantDem]

49. One would think an election is coming up...

[denimgirly]

50. Election season has a way of making Democrats act like Democrats -- So enjoy it while it lasts

Its nice to see democrats starting to push progressive ideas....yes this means we are in campaign season.