tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47612350500075774622024-03-13T14:44:32.326-07:00Observe Obamalaborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-87797505646486073792010-03-10T06:49:00.000-08:002010-03-10T06:53:16.101-08:00Click Here for "laborlou.com"When I began blogging in May, 2009, my mission was to urge my friends and colleagues to give our new president, his administration and congressional democrats a chance to figure out how to govern and legislate.<br />
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I was a little rough on some progressive democrats, who I subtly berated for their impulse to criticize Obama and his crew. I believed that the White House needed breathing room to organize its agenda and shift public sentiment in our direction. I pointed out that this is a basically conservative country and moving too far and too fast would cause backlash.<br />
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In my last “Observe Obama” post on January 20, 2010, commenting on Republican Scott Brown’s victory in the Massachusetts Senate race, I conceded that the electorate was “revolting against this president and his party.” The inaugural anniversary was my tipping point.<br />
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Now, it’s not true that I closed down “Observe Obama” in a fit of political anguish. In fact, I’d been thinking about a blog site upgrade for quite a while. I was frustrated, in particular, by complaints from readers about the difficulty of leaving comments. But I was also eager to be a little less constrained in what I write about.<br />
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At first, I was going to find another topical name for my blog. To maintain tradition, I came up with “A Better Obama” and the rather obscure “Internal Politics in the Age of Obama.” Then I went to the absurdly general with such non-starters as “Notes, Posts and Anecdotes” and “Politics on the Brain.”<br />
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Finally, I concluded that nothing on my list was catchy enough or original enough or cute enough to paste on the top of the page. So I resorted to a tag that’s been with me for quite a while.<br />
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Sometime in the mid 1990s I whimsically chose my email prefix. I had been working in the Labor Movement in Los Angeles for many years and “laborlou” rolled off the tongue pretty easily. Frankly, I thought it was silly and worried that it somehow violated professional protocols. But it was soon obvious that in the era of google and yahoo frivolous email addresses were just fine.<br />
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Even better, though, was that friends and colleagues started calling me laborlou.<br />
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Yet to name my blog laborlou.com does make me feel self-conscious.<br />
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I suppose I’ll get over it.<br />
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This new site is still a work in progress. I’ve archived all my past posts (the evolution of my political thinking is open to review and criticism). Material will be better organized, they’ll be a few bells and whistles and, perhaps, guest posts.<br />
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As for my sub-head “Lou’s Views on News and Politics,” its origin dates back to ancient times, to my first published column in the student newspaper at Windham College in Putney, Vermont (though the campus is still used, Windham disappeared decades ago).<br />
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Thanks to my first editor and old friend Gil Newman (now a Berkeley psychologist) for coming up with “Lou’s Views.”<br />
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“…on News and Politics” is my idea.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-42773221235409934312010-01-20T06:22:00.000-08:002010-01-20T10:43:31.148-08:00These Results Don't SpinDon’t look to me for an upside assessment on the Coakley disaster in Massachusetts. You’ll hear that this is a wake up call to the Dems and Obama. But face it, the electorate is revolting against this president and his party.<br />
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Obama and Democratic Congressional leaders can’t spin their way out of this. Though it’s legitimate and perhaps comforting to look back on the first year of the Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton and Bush Jr. presidencies, that’s just an intellectual exercise.<br />
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Republicans smell blood in 2010 and Democrats are dazed.<br />
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Interpret the Brown victory however you want but we can't deny that Obama and the Democrats are in big trouble right now.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-83222365184276006202010-01-18T06:39:00.000-08:002010-01-18T06:39:29.633-08:00Anniversary BluesFrustrated, exhausted, overwhelmed?<br />
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Want to withdraw from American political life? Give your emotions a rest? Let whatever happens, happen without you? Read a novel? Watch the NLF playoffs? Take a walk?<br />
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For many moderate, liberal and progressive Democrats, the past year has been draining, troubling and not a whole lot of fun.<br />
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Not as outright scary as the Bush years, but not what we had hoped for. Relief yes. Exaltation no.<br />
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We’ll know soon if the Obama agenda will suffer its biggest hit yet with the loss of the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts. If we squeak out a victory there, we’ll take a breath. Then hope for an uptick in the economy and maybe some good news in Afghanistan.<br />
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Politics is like this for us in America. Sometimes it wears us out. But we hang in. What choice do we have?laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-40102253953548914752010-01-13T18:43:00.001-08:002010-01-14T11:22:22.708-08:00Labor in Negotiations on Health CareThe American Labor Movement is engaged in high-stakes negotiations with Congressional Democrats and the White House over a tax provision in the health reform package which would penalize many union members.<br />
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Union leaders are being careful and calculating in their language, warning without overtly threatening that the Labor Movement could yank its support for the whole bill if the so-call “Cadillac tax” on high-end plans - which passed the Senate - isn’t removed or mitigated.<br />
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Union leaders are big backers of the House-passed provision which raises revenue by taxing high-income individuals and families. Look for some sort of compromise as Democratic leaders try to figure out how to appease Labor.<br />
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The Labor Movement’s political players know how to pick their spots and leverage their influence. And, for this battle at least, rival union factions AFL-CIO and SEIU are putting aside differences to double-team Congressional and White House staffers desperate to find the right formula.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-6635617378801967742010-01-09T06:45:00.000-08:002010-01-09T06:49:49.910-08:00Fear and Fun in 2010I take politics very seriously.<br />
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I was distressed and sometimes terrified by what was happening during the Bush years; particularly 2002 to 2006 as I watched Congressional Republicans collude with the White House to fashion an American brand of authoritarianism.<br />
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That trajectory was changed by the 2006 and 2008 elections.<br />
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An essential part of our mission those two elections was, in fact, to stop - or at least slow - this right wing surge which dominated the first decade of the 21st century.<br />
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This year is different. The brawl is on among moderate, liberal and progressive Democrats. (This can make for quite an internal struggle for those of us who have a moderate, a liberal and a progressive living within a single brain).<br />
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Maybe we do need to beat the hell out of each other over what Obama, his crew and Congressional leaders did wrong. And maybe various constituency groups do need to act out their outrage and frustration. But probably, at some point, we’re going to need a truce in order to fight our true adversary, those clever and devious Republican.<br />
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A demoralized and withdrawn Democratic base plays right into the hands of our opponents and legitimizes and reinforces the Republican strategy of twisting facts, blocking reform and disparaging the president. Do we really want to reward their bad behavior and give up ground to the likes of Mitch McConnell, Jeff Sessions, John Boehner, Eric Canter, Tim Pawlenty and - oh yea - Sarah Palin?<br />
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I don’t think so. I’m optimistic that Democratic activists are going to get over our disappointments and unite.<br />
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And one more thing…<br />
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As we continue to argue, posture and protest, is it possible that we try to lighten up at least a little bit? Yes, there’s a lot at stake. But if politics and policy become too much of a drag, we’ll all just want to take our ball and go home.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-37756813728169700232010-01-03T15:23:00.000-08:002010-01-03T15:23:59.067-08:00What Does Labor Want in 2010?The question isn’t whether Congressional Democrats and Obama Administration officials take the Labor Movement for granted.<br />
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Of course they do.<br />
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A Republican White House, Labor Department and Congressional majorities are a nightmare for unions. <br />
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</div>That alone motivates labor leaders, reps, operatives and activists to remain loyal. <br />
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</div>Democrats need labor’s political muscle for the 2010 midterm <a href="http://laborlou.blogspot.com/2009/10/2010-united-states-senate-elections.html">elections</a>. With resources and sophisticated campaign operations in many states, cities and local precincts, unions can make the difference in close races. <br />
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</div>As the Democrats most pragmatic partners, unions will no doubt gear up for the next election cycle. And, as always, many activists will be afflicted by an uncomfortable sense of unrequited love, particularly appalled by Senate Democrats failure to deliver:<br />
<ul><li>The Employee Free Choice <a href="http://www.launionaflcio.org/summary-a/efca/">Act</a>, which makes union organizing somewhat easier, isn’t even close to the 60-vote filibuster-proof majority needed for passage.</li>
<li>A health care <a href="http://laborlou.blogspot.com/2009/12/union-threats-to-withdraw-health-reform.html">bill</a> which frustrates reformers and could penalize some union plans.</li>
<li>The nomination of a skilled and experienced union lawyer, Craig <a href="http://laborlou.blogspot.com/2009/11/republicans-block-labor-board-pick.html">Becker</a>, to fill a vacancy on the National Labor Relations Board “on hold” by Sen. John McCain (R – Arizona).</li>
<li>The appointment of Erroll <a href="http://create.usc.edu/about/southers.html">Southers</a>, a former FBI agent and “chief of intelligence and counter terrorism” at LAX to run the Federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stalled because of the antics of Sen. Jim <a href="http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5369/unions_promote_terrorism_according_to_demint/">DeMint</a> (R - South Carolina) who opposes the <a href="http://tsa.afge.org/">unionization</a> of airport screeners.</li>
</ul>On the other hand, national unions are delighted with the appointment of a very pro-union Labor Secretary, former Southern California Congress member Hilda Solis, who has staffed the top levels of <a href="http://www.dol.gov/dol/contact/contact-phonekeypersonnel.htm">DOL</a> with Assistant Secretaries, Commissioners and Directors whose mission is to protect workers and not - like the Bush crowd - serve the interests of corporate employers and promote an anti-union agenda.<br />
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But the Labor Movement wants more from Obama, Pelosi and Reid than a “seat at the table.” We’ll find out soon if unions have the leverage to get it.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-11588067405584133702009-12-30T09:15:00.000-08:002009-12-30T09:23:08.293-08:00Obama's 2009 Environmental RecordDisappointed with Obama’s legislative agenda and his leadership style?<br />
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Too many compromises and concessions?<br />
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Don’t know what to tell your friends when they complain that the new prez isn’t progressive enough?<br />
<br />
Take a quick look at this end-of-the-year <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/obamarecord/files/obamarecord.pdf">report</a> from the Natural Resources Defense <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/">Council</a> outlining the administration’s direction and accomplishments on the environment.<br />
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Compare that to the previous group of plunderers and science-deniers who populated - and corrupted - the executive branch of the federal government.<br />
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Now keep in mind that the upcoming inauguration anniversary will trigger lots of media and internet chatter about where Obama has fallen short.<br />
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You won’t hear a lot about how this administration - through political <a href="http://laborlou.blogspot.com/2009/10/presidential-appointments.html">appointments</a>, departmental actions and executive orders - has made substantial progress on environmental preservation, <a href="http://laborlou.blogspot.com/2009/11/us-interior-departments-clean-energy.html">conservation</a>, protection and enforcement.<br />
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And, of course, there won’t be much discussion of other critically important matters such as workplace and consumer protections.<br />
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We’ll talk about that, among other things, next year.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-42650957516291878032009-12-27T12:39:00.000-08:002009-12-27T12:49:02.478-08:00End of the Decade BlogThe last year of the first decade of the 21st century ends and the first year of the second decade of the 21st century begins.<br />
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I was born during the second year of the second half of the 20th century when Harry Truman was a lame duck. So I was really an Eisenhower baby. Eisenhower was the only Republican candidate for president my father ever voted for. A working-class New York Jew, Irving Siegel broke from his New Deal roots to support the guy he called “his general.”<br />
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I watched John Kennedy wave from his convertible passing through Bensonhurst Brooklyn in 1960 and knew, three years later, that the rumor that he was dead was true when I saw the flag at half mast as I left junior high school.<br />
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I never really hated Lyndon Johnson even though I was rapidly radicalizing by the time he packed in his presidency. Even then, I was pulled to the center (I wore a “McCarthy supporters for Humphrey” button).<br />
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Nixon I hated, of course, and was certain that Watergate meant that conservatives were toast. I drank fairly heavily the night Reagan was elected and my father died the day before he was inaugurated.<br />
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I don’t want to talk about Michael Dukakis.<br />
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I loved watching Bill Clinton speak and constantly defended him. Then I just assumed that George W. Bush was a one-termer.<br />
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When Kerry lost I was worried sick that right wingers would rule for the rest of my life but then the Democrats took the Congress in ’06 and I cheered up. When the results came in on Obama’s election night I hugged a lot of strangers.<br />
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I’ve been on the Democratic Left for more than 40 years and have worked in the Labor Movement in Los Angeles since 1986.<br />
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Sometimes I’m pulled toward radical left ideology, but I’m more comfortable as an ordinary American. That can happen when you work with unions and their members.<br />
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You don’t have to be a genius to know that the Obama-era would be tough, that the new president was going to protect “elites” and piss-off his base. <br />
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Just like everyone else, I’m vulnerable to speculation that Obama was naive, timid, fearful, overly compromised and - oh no! - not really one of us; that he, his circle and Congressional Democrats have already blown it; and that our opponents are on their way again to steering the country back toward their particular brand of authoritarianism.<br />
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But, guess what, I’m not convinced.<br />
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Barack Obama is my 12th president, my sixth Democrat and the first one who’s younger than me.<br />
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It’s almost hard to believe that he’s still in the first year of his first term.<br />
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So, for God’s sake, don’t be gloomy. Democrats should enjoy the fact that we’ve gotten at least this far. Consider the alternative.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-82961429145637677972009-12-20T08:28:00.000-08:002009-12-20T08:46:49.665-08:00Union Threats and Militant Action on Health ReformCriticizing the watered-down Senate version of the health reform bill, two high-profile national union leaders - AFL-CIO’s Rich Trumpka and SEIU’s Andy Stern - brought the <a href="http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5343/union_leaders_attack_senate_health_bill_still_pushing_for_tougher_reforms/">Labor Movement</a> to the front of the debate last week. <br />
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The well-covered story, of course, is that their remarks reflect a fracturing of the health reform coalition and represent a genuine threat that progressive Democrats will peel off.<br />
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We’ll know soon where Labor and other critically important Democratic constituency groups end up on the issue. But this week’s spotlight on Trumpka and Stern points to the difficulty faced by union activists to generate significant media attention and traction for their well-organized hard work on behalf of genuine reform. <br />
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While over-the-top expressions of outrage by Tea Party operatives are part of the “national conversation,” camera-ready actions by labor activists, including a coast-to-coast campaign of <a href="http://mobilizeforhealthcare.org/category/coverage/">nonviolent civil disobedience</a> at insurance company headquarters, has barely made a blip or a buzz.<br />
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It could be argued that these single payer advocates were cut off at the knees from the beginning because that position was not seriously considered by the administration or congress.<br />
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But are the angry and contrived outbursts of Obama-haters really that much more interesting and vital to the debate than the principled actions of rank and file union militants?<br />
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On Saturday, a local paper in Louisiana reported on a <a href="http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20091218/NEWS01/912180340/1060">“24-hour rally”</a> by union members on behalf of reform. While this demonstration seems to endorse the Senate bill, it received little national attention. And a campaign in California for a state-run single payer program <a href="http://www.cahpsa.org/lobbyday10.html">(SB 810),</a> gaining support from union activists in Los Angeles, will not be in gear until the federal legislation is settled one way or another.<br />
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Nevertheless, it may be that the general perception that Labor is an “inside player” in national politics, preempted the impact of its activities on-the-ground.<br />
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With the fate of reform now hostage to the “rule of 60,” Labor’s only leverage at this point are threats by its high-profile leaders to withdraw support. <br />
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That doesn’t preclude a union-led insurgency in 2010 on behalf of working-class interests. The question is whether it can match the fervor of the Tea Party movement and get the media - and ordinary Americans - to pay attention.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-64710631002906293152009-12-13T07:37:00.000-08:002009-12-13T08:52:27.164-08:00The Paradox of Economic RecoveryOf course we’re hoping that conditions in this nation dramatically improve in 2010.<br />
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We want Americans to find work, feel more financially secure, buy what they need and enjoy their lives.<br />
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And obviously, as Democrats, we want the economy to show enough progress that we hold our own in the congressional midterm elections.<br />
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If the standard measures of growth are pointing north, it will blunt Republican charges that Obama and the Democrats have mismanaged the economy.<br />
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In that regard, I’m rooting for a conventional recovery:<br />
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Unemployment down a couple of points; consumer borrowing and spending up; the Dow above 11,000; and an uptick in home prices and housing starts.<br />
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Yet we also know the severe limitations of simply returning to those standard measures. A drop in unemployment, though vital, doesn’t correct massive inequalities in the labor markets; buying binges by Americans don’t reverse the depletion of domestic manufacturing; fattened investment portfolios don’t mean sustained prosperity; and a return to inflated housing prices don’t make it easier for working-class families to buy.<br />
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Even more to the point, those traditional indicators don’t evoke the real promise of the Obama era: a meaningful effort to close the wage and income gap, spurred by a reinvigorated Labor Movement, and a decoupling of economic growth from wasteful consumption.<br />
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But in the meantime, we want some basic relief for suffering Americans and better-looking economic numbers. In the short term, that will stifle our opponents and bolster our prospects for positive change in the next decade.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-41639747732400241692009-12-08T12:11:00.000-08:002009-12-08T12:11:09.582-08:00High-Speed Rail - Manufacturers Commit to American JobsLost among contentious battles over big picture issues - Afghanistan, health care, global warming - are Obama Administration initiatives which could transform America.<br />
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The effort to jump start high-speed <a href="http://www.highspeedrailusa.com/">rail</a> projects across the continental U.S., for example, will have enormous impact over urban and suburban development patterns, energy use and, of course, intercity transportation.<br />
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The start-up $8 billion stimulus money is spurring state and regional action on land acquisition, engineering, contracting, and ultimately construction of these <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/obama-high-speed-rail-city-plans.php">corridors</a>. It will certainly be many years and decades before we see 220 mile-an-hour bullet trains connecting <a href="http://www.highspeedrailforcalifornia.com/">Los Angeles to San Francisco</a>, Chicago to St. Louis, Houston to New Orleans, Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and Miami to Tampa, but these labor intensive projects will provide tens of thousands of high-wage jobs.<br />
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Spearheading the plan is the U.S. Department of Transportation, led by its energetic Secretary <a href="http://www.dot.gov/bios/lahood.htm">Ray LaHood</a>, who before his appointment by President Obama was a Republican member of Congress from Illinois for 14 years.<br />
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The DOT recently announced that more than 30 rail manufacturers and <a href="http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2009/fra0909.htm">suppliers</a> have agreed that if they’re contracted to work on high-speed rail, they will operate out of U.S.-based production facilities. That means that the tracks, wires and station materials will be built right here in America.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-34136682121975105722009-12-05T05:59:00.000-08:002009-12-05T14:57:56.574-08:00Hillary Clinton - Obama’s Kissinger?A day after President Obama’s West Point speech committing 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was on Capitol Hill explaining the policy, deflecting criticism and - side-by-side with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chair Admiral Mike Mullen - adding a considerable dose of gravitas to Obama’s war strategy.<br />
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Then it was off to Brussels where Clinton met with European allies and, along the way, did some spunky interviews with, among others, NPR and <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/europe/july-dec09/clinton_12-04.html">PBS</a>.<br />
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Hillary is emerging as a star player in the administration and someone who is essential to its - and the president’s - success.<br />
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With disapproval of the Obama “surge” arousing rowdy and near-hysterical <a href="http://www.alternet.org/world/144356/progressive_leaders_pan_obama%27s_decision_for_more_war_in_afghanistan_--_10_reactions">disapproval</a> within important factions of the Democratic Party, the Secretary of State could be pivotal in keeping these constituencies in the fold.<br />
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While Colin Powell gave - and ultimately forfeited - his credibility in service to George W. Bush, no Secretary of State in my memory has been so central to a presidency as Clinton since Henry Kissinger fashioned and carried out foreign policy for Presidents Nixon and Ford.<br />
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This must be an awful comparison for Kissinger-haters. Dr. Kissinger, the evil genius, never ran for office and in addition to his breakthrough diplomacy with the Chinese Communists, was involved in some of the most pernicious acts ever committed by this nation (the overthrow and murder of Salvador Allende in Chile is just one example).<br />
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Nevertheless, Kissinger’s influence was historical and enormous. And now, Ms. Clinton is taking center stage in the post-cold war era.<br />
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The move, a year ago, to offer her this key cabinet position may turn out to be President Obama’s most politically astute act and the one that could ultimately save his presidency.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-87406113371590796162009-12-02T16:40:00.000-08:002009-12-02T16:43:38.960-08:00Afghanistan Surge Opponents - Are You Sure?The arguments many progressives are using to oppose Obama’s Afghanistan policy are very persuasive. Here are a couple examples of thoughtful analysis from two very bright guys: Tom <a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091214/hayden">Hayden</a> and Robert <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/here_we_go_again_20091202/">Scheer</a>.<br />
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I’m not smart enough to refute their reasoning and - frankly - I don’t want to make a big fuss against the anti-war passion that’s been stirred by the decision to add 30,000 troops.<br />
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If, in fact, Obama is leading us down a terrible path, the outrage is justified.<br />
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My problem is with the certainly of some of those who object to the President’s surge.<br />
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I don’t know if this military strategy will work or not. I hope it does. I would like if it stabilizes the region and ultimately spares Afghani women the horrors of Taliban rule. And sure, I would want Obama to get a political bump out of it which would strengthen - or maybe even save - his presidency. <br />
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But what do I know?<br />
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It’s possible, I suppose, that Obama just caved to the Generals, Gates, Clinton and Mullen. That Obama just doesn’t have the chops.<br />
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It didn’t seem that way to me when I watched the President at West Point but maybe I was just taken by the setting and the stagecraft?<br />
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So - no surprise here - I’m going to support and defend the president and, for the most part, leave the arguing to others. <br />
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Except this… <br />
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That I think the administration sees the Afghanistan conflict as pivotal in a long-term strategy to contain Islamic extremism. And it could take generations to find out whether they’re right.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-42668600700730495102009-11-29T09:26:00.000-08:002009-11-29T11:51:27.640-08:00Afghanistan Surge - Do You Know Why the President Said Yes?Here’s what we’ll be wondering as we watch President Obama announce his decision on Tuesday to send additional troops to Afghanistan:<br />
<ul><li>Why couldn’t he say no to the Generals?</li>
<li>Was he afraid of another fight with Republicans?</li>
<li>Does this doom his domestic agenda?</li>
<li>Do anti-war Democrats matter?</li>
<li>Is this another Vietnam?</li>
<li>How many will die?</li>
<li>Is Obama a one-term president?</li>
<li>What if it works?</li>
</ul>Was the president intimidated by military strategists and conservative bullies? Is he making an independent judgment regarding what’s best for our country?<br />
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Or both?laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-29452584323464634732009-11-27T16:21:00.000-08:002009-11-27T16:26:41.481-08:00Republicans Block Labor Board Pick Craig BeckerThe recent approval by the <a href="http://laborlou.blogspot.com/2009/11/list-of-republicans-voting-to-end.html">Senate</a> of David Hamilton to the U.S. Court of Appeals focused attention on the fact that President Obama has made only 27 appointments to fill approximately 100 vacancies on the federal bench, out of which only ten (including Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court) have been confirmed.<br />
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Among non-judicial presidential <a href="http://laborlou.blogspot.com/2009/10/presidential-appointments.html">appointments</a> - cabinet departments, agencies, commissions and the like - there are currently at least 500 positions to fill.<br />
<br />
While many of these are moving through the system, some key appointments are being stalled in the Senate by Republicans using a parliamentary provision allowing one member to put a “hold” on a nominee. A filibuster-ending cloture vote could be required to bring that nomination to the floor.<br />
<br />
Of particular interest is an appointment to the National Labor Relations Board, an independent federal agency which decides important and sometimes precedent-setting cases involving union organizing, representation and bargaining.<br />
<br />
Obama’s choice of Craig Becker - a former associate council to SEIU and the AFL-CIO - has aroused conservatives, who accuse Becker of being a “forced unionism <a href="http://www.breitbart.tv/the-b-cast-gop-readies-for-face-off-over-obamas-nlrb-nominee/">extremist</a>” with an agenda to impose labor law reform.<br />
<br />
It’s uncertain how and when Democrats will try to end the “<a href="http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5074/mccain_slaps_hold_on_pro-labor_nlrb_nominee/">hold</a>” Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) has placed on the Becker nomination.<br />
<br />
Even without Becker, Democratic appointees will soon control the NLRB. The question is whether the Obama Administration and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are willing to fight to save this pro-union appointment.<br />
<br />
It’s very unlikely that the NLRB - with or without Becker - would attempt to exert regulatory authority to institute significant labor law reform. The Labor Movement’s top legislative priority, making union organizing easier through “card check” elections, does not have the 60 vote super-majority in the Senate to pass.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-41915727561782577482009-11-26T12:22:00.000-08:002009-11-26T12:44:39.352-08:00The Impossibilities of the Obama PresidencyAm I the only one who doesn’t know where Obama went wrong and what he should have done <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/obamas_thankless_thanksgiving_20091125/">differently</a>?<br />
<br />
Obviously, many thoughtful writers, pundits and advocates try not to be presumptuous. But, in this media-saturated universe, who’s going to pay attention to you unless you can come up with an original idea?<br />
<br />
That’s one reason that there’s virtually no breathing room in the political debate. Everything is instantly dissected and then subject to competition....Look over here!<br />
<br />
There’s something very pluralistic and democratic about all this - everybody gets into the act - but it enfeebles the political process in ways we don’t yet fully understand.<br />
<br />
This is certainly true regarding what we think about - and what we think we know about - President Barack Obama.<br />
<br />
The Left thinks he’s governing Right and the Right think he’s governing Left. And, of course, even that’s not entirely accurate. <br />
<br />
Lately, I have to work harder than ever to keep my progressive colleagues from getting demoralized and depressed. This is an interesting time in history, I tell them. It’s a complicated country. Obama’s still young. Health reform will pass. The economy will turn around.<br />
<br />
I’m exhausted.<br />
<br />
My friends on the Left really want to slap me around when I defend conservatives and confide that - even though I’m not one - I can enjoy, learn from and respect conservative ideas and people.<br />
<br />
So here’s my two cents about our president:<br />
<br />
This guy is basically progressive but clearly has some conservative impulses - look at his bio - which have been sharpened since he took office.<br />
<br />
We see this kind of behavior all the time when reform-minded people take on big jobs - in business, nonprofits, unions, colleges. Facing enormous challenges in a very entrenched setting, you tend to hunker down, look at what’s in front of you and start to manage your circumstances one step at a time.<br />
<br />
You learn as you go.<br />
<br />
Obama, like most of us, was - and is - conciliatory, accommodating and compromising. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be where he is today.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-19623768355362535522009-11-24T19:02:00.000-08:002009-11-24T19:09:12.553-08:00Those Darn Republicans...At least some of us thought that Obama’s election would bring a respite in the culture wars and a degree of healing to the bitterly divided electorate.<br />
<div><br />
</div>We knew there would be intense opposition from Republicans but didn’t anticipate how that would escalate into this harsh and extreme rhetoric, behavior and imagery. Who really expected to see Barack’s photo decorated with swastikas, hammers and sickles?<br />
<div><br />
</div>We’ve adjusted; and now accept the fact that our opponents have chosen to go all out to disparage, undermine and destroy this president and his administration.<br />
<div><br />
</div>There are certainly enough glib explanations about why the Right is so adroit at mounting a united front: <br />
<ol><li>They tap into genuine frustration</li>
<li>They appeal to authoritarian temperaments</li>
<li>They arouse anger and manipulate events</li>
<li>They flummox liberals with incisive sound bites</li>
<li>They trap Democrats mired in their (our) own contradictions </li>
</ol>Some Republicans will argue that their unified and strident antagonism toward Obama and the Democrats wasn’t predetermined, but was driven by the new President’s agenda. Others will insist that they’re not doing anything to Barack that the Democrats didn’t do (or at least tried to do) to bring down their guy, Bush. It’s pay-back time, I suppose. And then, of course, there’s a legitimate case to be made that it’s the noble role of the opposition to defeat the party in power.<br />
<div><br />
</div>Even so, isn’t it just a little sad that the most palpable and memorable expression of national unity over Obama was on election night, 2008 and it’s been downhill ever since?<br />
<div><br />
</div>But that’s the case and, frankly, I don’t want to hear over and over what Obama and the Dems have done wrong. I guarantee, however, that going forward every major decision and action by this President will provoke outraged hysteria from his right, left and middle.<br />
<div><br />
</div>How he and we handle that will be pivotal.<br />
<div><br />
</div>Obama and the Democrats had also better be smart and lucky.<br />
<br />
At a minimum, smart enough to pass meaningful health reform and lucky enough to preside over a labor market recovery starting early next year and at full steam by the summer.<br />
<div><br />
</div>That might put Democrats in decent shape for the November, 2010 midterm election which - like it or not - will be seen as a vote of confidence on Obama and his party.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-25996161465589664172009-11-22T14:31:00.000-08:002009-11-22T14:31:34.695-08:00Obama - What's Wrong with You?There’s a lot of fascinating and brilliant criticism of the President coming from observers who earnestly wanted Obama to succeed but are now just about certain that he’s not going to.<br />
<br />
This piece by Lee Siegel (no relation), charging the Prez with an “American Idol style of <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-20/obama-the-un-decider/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsC2">governing</a>” is very persuasive and fun to read.<br />
<br />
So is Chris Hedges’ column of a few of months ago titled “Nader was <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090810_nader_was_right_liberals_are_going_nowhere_with_obama/">Right</a>." <br />
<br />
But what do you do when people whose opinion and intellect you respect make you feel silly and unsophisticated because you’re determined to stay loyal to Obama and believe he’s our best bet to get America back on track?<br />
<br />
You’re almost tempted to attribute something sinister to those “thought-leaders” on the intellectual left; that their impulse for critical analysis, for example, is really a need to sabotage their (and my) ideals and values.<br />
<br />
I know I don’t get a lot of support for that kind of speculation, but here’s my dilemma:<br />
<br />
I’m already emotionally drained from fighting off attacks from the right. I barely have enough stamina to push against both sides at once.<br />
<br />
If necessary, I’ll just retreat to that familiar place: Where Democrats go to resign ourselves to - and defend - what we have. Did I hear you say Bill Clinton?<br />
<br />
I’m not suggesting that anyone on what might be called “our side” repress their urge to blast Obama. But I just hope that in our need to tell each other what’s wrong with ourselves, we don’t hand the ball back to the Republicans and waste another chance to make the country better.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-91108359090518923742009-11-19T15:48:00.000-08:002009-11-19T15:48:11.312-08:00Are Republicans Outsmarting Obama?Sure seems like it.<br />
<br />
They certainly know what it means to be the political party in opposition.<br />
<br />
They’re tough and ruthless and they use their authoritarian temperament as an advantage.<br />
<br />
Obama’s early attempts at conciliation made him look weak rather than gracious.<br />
<br />
On health care, the Republicans have created a no-lose scenario: they either kill the bill or weaken it to the point where it won’t work.<br />
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They’re aiming to do the same thing on global warming. <br />
<br />
On financial reform, they get away with blaming the Democrats for bailing out Wall Street while - at the same time - making sure that meaningful reform is blocked.<br />
<br />
They’re the party that can mobilize constituent anger and get media attention. Their search and destroy missions against ACORN and Van Jones have been well executed.<br />
<br />
Now they seem to be successful in swaying independents in their direction.<br />
<br />
Was 2008 a fluke?<br />
<br />
Did we win only because of the ineffectual George Bush and the chaotic McCain / Palin ticket? Will an articulate conservative - Tim Pawlenty, Eric Canter - wipe out Obama in 2012 after Republican Congressional gains in 2010?<br />
<br />
Or...<br />
<br />
Are these just the early rounds, the chance for Obama and the Democrats to absorb some punishment before coming on strong and steady and winning back public confidence?<br />
<br />
There’s a great deal of anxiety, doubt and disappointment on our side right now. Our opponents know this and they know how to exploit it.<br />
<br />
Bullies always depend on exposing their victim’s weakness and forcing a sense of helplessness.<br />
<br />
This is not the time, fellow Democrats, to go limp.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-12735878499717002352009-11-17T17:16:00.000-08:002009-11-17T17:22:51.033-08:00List of Republicans Voting to End Filibuster of David Hamilton’s AppointmentTen <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00349">Republicans</a> joined 58 Democrats and two independents on the cloture motion to allow David <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dcnow/2009/11/the-senate-this-afternoon-voted-to-end-a-gop-filibuster-over-a-judicial-appointment-as-some-republicans-crossed-the-aisle-in.html">Hamilton's</a> nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit go to the Senate floor for a vote:<br />
<br />
Lamar Alexander (R - TN)<br />
Saxby Chambliss (R - GA)<br />
Susan Collins (R - ME)<br />
John Cornyn (R - TX)<br />
Judd Gregg (R - NH)<br />
Orrin Hatch (R- UT)<br />
Richard Lugar (R - IN)<br />
Lisa Murkowski (R - AK)<br />
Olympia Snowe (R - ME)<br />
John Thune (R - SD)<br />
<br />
Twenty-nine Republicans voted to sustain the filibuster with one Republican not voting.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-79195035658264675402009-11-12T12:33:00.000-08:002009-11-12T12:39:39.027-08:00Obama and Afghanistan - It’s Hard to Say No to the GeneralsRemember William Westmoreland, the pugnacious general who commanded American troops in Vietnam?<br />
<br />
Those of us from the Vietnam War protest era had a perfect foil: a hard core, right wing, dissident-hating stoic, <a href="http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/1900s/p/westmoreland.htm">Westmoreland</a> personified what the new left hated about the military.<br />
<br />
That imagery began to change considerably when Colin <a href="http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/pow0bio-1">Powell</a> became chairman of the Joint Chiefs and General Norman <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/oral/schwarzkopf/1.html">Schwarzkoph</a> commanded Gulf War troops under Bush I in 1991.<br />
<br />
The 21st Century style of military leadership is even more formidable. <br />
<br />
Watch current Joint Chief Chairman Admiral Mike <a href="http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2009/11/04/HP/A/25149/JCS+Chairman+Adm+Michael+Mullen+Remarks+on+Military+Operations.aspx">Mullen</a> field questions and you’ll see a smooth, thoughtful and articulate military advisor. (Check out the Admiral’s <a href="http://www.facebook.com/admiralmikemullen">Facebook</a> page).<br />
<br />
CENTCOM Commander General David <a href="http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/01/anintellectualsurge/">Patraeus</a>, who earned his PhD from Princeton in 1987, exemplifies the military intellectual.<br />
<br />
The arguments President Obama is hearing from top brass at the Pentagon about an Afghanistan surge are not jingoistic and fear-based but sophisticated, geo-political analysis.<br />
<br />
Saying no to the military’s intellectual firepower will not be easy.<br />
<br />
(In addition, the stature and standing of the military rank and file is higher than it’s been since World War II).<br />
<br />
Afghanistan war strategy should not be decided based on the charisma or IQ of military leaders. But this current batch of generals - and the admiral - is certainly quite capable of making a very compelling case.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-7047823857177953482009-11-10T14:49:00.000-08:002009-11-10T15:51:58.768-08:00“Creation Care” – God’s Voice on Global WarmingAlong with the usual suspects, the coalition supporting Congressional action on global warming includes a broad selection of religious organizations - most interesting are evangelical groups which promote the idea of “Creation Care” which seeks to<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em>… educate, inspire, and mobilize Christians in their effort to care for God’s creation, to </em><em>be faithful stewards of God’s provision, and to advocate for actions and policies that </em><em>honor </em><em>God and protect the environment...in a desire to be faithful to Jesus Christ.</em><br />
</div><br />
<div>Exactly the kind of Christian values-driven sentiment which can blunt republican opposition to environmental <a href="http://laborlou.blogspot.com/2009/07/httponline.html">legislation</a>.<br />
</div><br />
<div>A global warming bill passed the House in June and the Senate Environmental Committee recently approved a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5A42WB20091105">measure</a>. But don’t expect passage anytime soon.<br />
</div><br />
Here are some of the religious groups building pro-environment constituencies:<br />
<ul><li>Evangelical Environmental <a href="http://www.creationcare.org/about.php">Network</a></li>
<li>Evangelical Climate <a href="http://christiansandclimate.org/">Initiative</a> </li>
<li>U.S. Conference of Catholic <a href="http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/ejp/index.shtml">Bishops</a></li>
<li>National Council of <a href="http://www.ncccusa.org/news/091105climatejustice.html">Churches</a></li>
<li>Religious Action Center of Reform <a href="http://action.rac.org/t/4234/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=953">Judaism</a> </li>
<li>Jewish Council for Public <a href="http://www.coejl.org/index.php">Affairs</a></li>
<li>Interfaith Power and Light <a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/Resources.htm">Campaign</a></li>
</ul>laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-78262268025382402382009-11-07T10:39:00.000-08:002009-11-07T10:44:57.124-08:00Why Aren't We Doing Better? - A List for DemocratsSo why can’t a Democratic White House and a Democratic Congress bring about the kind of change we want?<br />
<br />
Here’s what we’ve been hearing:<br />
<ul><li>Obama’s not very progressive</li>
<li>The Democrats have no guts</li>
<li>Corporate and financial interests control Congress</li>
<li>The Republicans tricked us again</li>
<li>It’s a conservative country</li>
<li>Americans are dumb</li>
<li>The Bush deficit</li>
<li>The media can’t cover complex issues</li>
<li>It’s too late to liberalize this nation</li>
<li>It’s Nixon’s and Reagan’s fault</li>
<li>Religious people are manipulated</li>
<li>The working class doesn’t vote</li>
<li>Clinton damaged the presidency</li>
<li>Iraq and Afghanistan burn up the budget</li>
<li>Larry Summers</li>
</ul><br />
<div> Here are a few reasons to be hopeful:<br />
</div><br />
<ul><li>Obama is 48 and getting smarter</li>
<li>Right wing Republicans will devour their party</li>
<li>Henry Waxman</li>
<li>Unemployment has bottomed out</li>
<li>Health reform will pass</li>
<li>Young voters lean toward tolerance</li>
<li>American’s aren’t so dumb</li>
<li>The EPA is doing its job again</li>
<li>Democrats want to win</li>
<li>Progressives know how to organize</li>
</ul><br />
<div>Who knows what will be. My advice is to stay positive, enjoy the ride and try to remember what it was like just a few years ago. Need any help...?:<br />
</div><ul><li>Dick Cheney</li>
<li>Donald Rumsfeld</li>
<li>John Ashcroft</li>
<li>Gale Norton</li>
<li>John Roberts</li>
<li>Tom Delay</li>
</ul><br />
<div><br />
</div>laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-16088668592499027892009-11-06T12:08:00.000-08:002009-11-06T12:08:26.204-08:00The President’s “Statement” Doesn’t ConnectI was discouraged this morning when I caught the President’s <a href="http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2009/11/06/HP/A/25629/Pres+Obama+Remarks+on+Fort+Hood+Shooting+Unemployment+Numbers.aspx">remarks</a> from the Rose Garden about the Fort Hood shooting and persistently high unemployment. Obama looked more like a White House staffer reading a statement than a President connecting with Americans over their grief and pain.<br />
<br />
Don’t read to us. Talk to us in your own words. Feel it and mean it.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4761235050007577462.post-78608893856947194392009-11-03T18:10:00.000-08:002009-11-03T18:25:35.709-08:00U.S. Interior Department’s Clean Energy ForumWatch a few minutes of C-SPAN’s coverage of the Interior Department’s Clean Energy <a href="http://cspan.org/Topics/Energy.aspx">Forum</a> held November 2, and you’ll see something both ordinary and extraordinary:<br />
<br />
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, his Deputy, Assistant Secretaries, Directors and <a href="http://www.doi.gov/bureaus.html">Commissioners</a> presenting an intelligent and persuasive case for the Obama Administration’s Clean Energy Strategy.<br />
<br />
Contrast this group of <a href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2009/federal-appointments/agency/interior-department/">professionals</a> with the cast of characters at the highest levels of the Interior Department during the Bush era.<br />
<br />
Remember Gale Norton, who ran the Department for six years, using her office to turn federal land and resources over to her friends in the mining, timber, oil, gas and coal <a href="http://www.alternet.org/environment/33802">industries</a>. Norton is now under <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-norton17-2009sep17,0,6215749.story">investigation</a> for conflict of interest related to oil shale leases in Colorado. She was followed as secretary by former Idaho Republican Governor Dick Kempthorne, known for his animosity toward open space in the West.<br />
<br />
Disillusioned Democrats, frustrated by stalled legislation in Congress and a cautious White House, should keep in mind that this administration is slowly and steadily shifting the internal practices and policies of federal <a href="http://laborlou.blogspot.com/2009/10/presidential-appointments.html">departments</a>, agencies and commissions.<br />
<br />
This takes time. While it’s not exactly a “purge,” populating the federal bureaucracy with appointees who believe in the mission of government is an enormous asset for environmentalists, unions, consumer advocates and progressive organizations from A to Z.laborlouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07549827091748636971noreply@blogger.com0