The Senate Goes Wobbly on Card Check

[question everything]

JANUARY 2, 2009

The Senate Goes Wobbly on Card Check
It's hard to defend taking away the secret ballot.
By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
WSJ

(snip)

Take Mark Pryor, Democratic senator from Arkansas. In 2007, Mr. Pryor voted to move card check, Big Labor's No. 1 priority.. Postelection, Mr. Pryor isn't so committed. He's indicated he wouldn't co-sponsor the legislation again. He says he'd like to find common ground between labor and business. He is telling people the bill isn't on a Senate fast-track, anyway. His business community, which has nimbly whipped up anti-card-check sentiment across his right-to-work state, is getting a more polite hearing.

(snip)

Instead, union leaders now say they are being told card check won't happen soon. It seems the Obama team plans to devote its opening months to important issues, like the economy, and has no intention of jumping straight into the mother of all labor brawls. It also seems Majority Leader Harry Reid, even with his new numbers, might not have what it takes to overcome a filibuster.. Mr. Pryor isn't alone. Fellow Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln voted for cloture in 2007 but is now messaging Mr. Reid that she's not eager for a repeat. She recently said she doesn't think "there is a need for this legislation right now," that the country has bigger problems. What she didn't mention is that she is also up for re-election next year, and that one potential GOP challenger, Tim Griffin, is already vowing to make card check an issue. South Dakota's Tim Johnson, Nebraska's Ben Nelson and others face similar pressure. And it seems unlikely new Senate arrivals such as Colorado's Mark Udall are eager to make card check an opening vote, especially with visions of United Auto Worker bailouts fresh in voter minds.

Republican "moderates" aren't eager for card check either. If this were a minimum-wage vote, Maine's Susan Collins, for example, would be lining up. But polls show more than 80% of Americans disagree with eliminating union ballots. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has bolstered opposition by turning card check into a litmus test of Mr. Obama's promise to work with the other side. Even Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter, the lone GOP vote for card check in 2007, is backpedaling, worried about a 2010 primary challenge.

(snip)

None of this is to suggest card check is dead, or that it might not yet be resurrected in the early days. If Al Franken pulls out a win in Minnesota, Mr. Reid might be inspired to use his 59 votes to forge ahead. Some House Democrats are also suggesting union intimidation would in fact "stimulate" the economy, and that the legislation ought to be attached to the upcoming spending package. Whatever the difficulties, it's hard to fathom how waiting helps Democrats. Mr. Obama will never be stronger than in his opening months, and he'll need muscle to strongarm reluctant party members to support such an unsupportable measure. The initial union strategy was to whip this through before Americans understood the debate, but in that they've already failed. The more time goes on, the more likely this issue turns into trench warfare.

(snip)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123085879658147927.html

[DJ13]

1. This illustrates why I wish we had a Parliamentary government

The bastards run on promises they never intend to keep, hoping that years later when the next election comes around the idiot voters wont remember how they broke their promises.

We need some way to easily force them into a new election so the threat of losing their job is taken seriously.

[Lifetimedem]

2. Agree n/t

[madrchsod]

3. the bloom will soon be off the rose

this does`t have a chance in hell to ever pass the senate. there`s a lot of his ideas that will never see the light of day.

[question everything]

4. Whether the reality or excuses, I think that many ideas

will be moved to the back burners, including more abortion and gay rights, because of the economy.

Obama would like to hit the ground running with a wide approval of Congress and the economy is the one that many Republicans cannot afford to vote down.

This is what happened to Bill Clinton: he started (with Hillary) with a universal health care and with gays in the military and the Democratic Congress voted them down, even took away his power to regulate gays in the military.