Huffington Post:Labor Pushing Backbone Implant for Wavering Dems on Taxes, Social Security, Deficits

[Omaha Steve]

Art (the author) and I run in the same circle. :-)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/labor-pushing-backbone-im_b_786298.html


Art Levine

Contributing editor of The Washington Monthly
Posted: November 20, 2010 11:26 AM

The White House and Democrats have been sending mixed signals (at best) on whether they're willing to fight against extending tax cuts for the rich and, except for some House Democrats and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, appear to be blandly accepting the draconian principles of Obama's deficit commission: lowered taxes for the rich, more pain for the middle-class.

So it's been up to labor to take a leadership role in fighting back. Everyone talks about Democrats caving in to the GOP and right-wing talking points, but not many advocacy groups are effectively and visibly pushing back against the right-wing assault. Some exceptions: Adam Green's Progressive Change Campaign Committee that's gathered over 100,000 online petitions asking President Obama to fight, not cave, on tax cuts for the rich -- and key labor groups.

Unfortunately, it's not at all clear that Democrats will be willing to take tough stances. Thursday, in an ominous sign for other progressive goals for the lame-duck session, House Democrats failed in efforts to extend employment benefits for the two million jobless people who risk losing their benefits at the end of the month -- and now there's no clear pathway to passage.

As the moderate liberal columnist E. J. Dionne points out in a column headlined, "Are Democrats both lame and spineless?": "Imagine a Congress still controlled by Democrats passing an extension of the Bush tax cuts for millionaires but leaving the unemployed out in the cold. If this happens, laugh out loud the next time a Democrat claims to be on the side of working people."

To fight against this very real nightmare scenario, few progressive leaders have been as active as AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. He has been seeking to fight the deficit commission's attack on middle-class benefits and brand the Bush tax cuts for the rich as TARP Two, another bailout for the wealthy.

"Instead of bailing out the banks, we're bailing out the people at the helm," Trumka has said. Labor's efforts on this latter front might be bearing some fruit: Pelosi said this week her caucus favors allowing tax cuts for those earning over $250,000 to expire, although both the Senate leader Harry Reid and President Obama seem far more more open to compromise with the GOP.

FULL story at link.

[theoldman]

1. Everyone expects Obama to have a spine.

How about the Democrat and Independent voters getting a spine. They are the ones who failed to vote at the last election.

[Skittles]

3. LOLOLOL

:rofl: - can you connect cause and effect there, old guy?

[KoKo]

2. You mean "THIS SPINE?" That one over in the corner, there?

[Dragonfli]

4. Haven't you heard? Our party leader has a backbone like a ramrod!

He is the "man of the steel spine" according to many
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=528181&mesg_id=528181

[Subdivisions]

5. I've suggested that Trumka himself would make a good choice as

a presidential candidate:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9558723&mesg_id=9558818

and...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9548444&mesg_id=9548836

[readmoreoften]

6. No such operation. It's up to us. We're the spine we've been waiting for.

They're just Goldman Sachs' sock puppets.