Cool-on-Labor Obama Seeks to Get His Millions from the Wealthy

When President Obama won the 2008 election, his victory was made possible in no small part by the labor community, which overwhelmingly supported him and his message of restoring the viability of the middle class. Mr. Obama had promised to make the Employee Free Choice Act one of his major priorities, and he seemed to make good on his promise to take the side of working families when the first bill he signed was the Lily Ledbetter Act.

But then, instead of trying to pass EFCA, the President promptly turned his back on labor. He spent months working to pass cap and trade, which actually would have killed jobs throughout the country, particularly those of hard-working miners and steel manufacturers. He then moved on to health care reform. Make no mistake, reforming the nation's health care system was overdue, but the President outsourced his political capital to Congress, which led to the end of the public option and a series of payoff stories -- The Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase -- that forever tainted the public's image of the landmark legislation.

Meanwhile, the Employee Free Choice Act hasn't even received a single vote under President Obama's leadership (it did, however, pass the House in 2007.) As Harold Meyerson wrote in the Washington Post last year, "Under Obama, labor should have made more progress."

To make matters worse, now the President is pursuing anti-labor free trade deals and looking to wealthy donors to finance his re-election in lieu of the small donors the defined his election in 2008:

President Obama's reelection team has launched an invigorated effort to draw money from wealthy donors, buttressing the campaign against a potential decline in contributions from the everyday supporters who helped fuel his massive take in 2008.

[...]

The effort to court deep-pocketed backers comes amid uncertainty about whether Obama will be able to reproduce the level of small donations that were estimated to have made up about half of the $745 million he raised in the 2008 campaign.

The Obama campaign has not given up on recharging that source of support: A recent email solicitation offered four supporters a chance to have "Dinner with Barack" for as little as a $5 donation.

But the increased emphasis on major fundraisers — including those who gathered money for Hillary Rodham Clinton's competing presidential bid — carries some risks. While Obama continues to woo supporters at low-dollar fundraisers, his meetings with high rollers — including a $35,800-a-plate dinner Thursday night with Wall Street executives in a posh Manhattan restaurant — could undercut the image he has tried to craft.

If President Obama has "tried to craft" an image of looking out for the middle class, he hasn't been doing it publicly, or at least not been doing it incredibly well. His repeated willingness to ignore the interests of the middle class is why workers across America last year pushed back against Obama by using the primary process against incumbent Democrats that the White House supported.

With the President now turning his focus to wealthy donors for his reelection instead supporting the interests of the middle class, it might be time to ramp up the primary opposition nationwide once again. And maybe, this time, it won't be limited to Congress.

Are you listening yet, Mr. President?

Rebuild America, Not Afghanistan

Eric Margolis has a must-read column this weekend on the cost of the war in Afghanistan and the need to adjust our national priorities, namely by focusing on the United States' crumbling economic situation instead of pursuing abstract ideological ends halfway around the world...which costs us hundreds of millions of dollars per day.

Washington currently spends at least $10 billion monthly on the Afghan war, not counting “black” payments, CIA and NSA operations. The US has poured $18.8 billion in development aid into Afghanistan since 2001 with nothing to show for the effort. Pakistan has been given $20 billion to support the Afghan War.

The US deficit is heading over $1.4 trillion. The national debt, when unfunded pensions and benefits are added, is likely $100 trillion, according to the chief of PIMCO, the world’s largest bond trader.

Forty-four million Americans now receive food stamps; the national infrastructure of roads, airports, bridges and schools is crumbling from neglect. Unemployment, officially at 9.5%, is probably closer to 20%.

The cry is being heard: "Rebuild America, not Afghanistan."

You can read more on Eric's website or via CommonDreams.org.

Did Prosser Assault a Female Judge?

Strange developments in Wisconsin yet again, this time regarding recently elected judge David Prosser, who stands accused of assaulting a fellow judge:

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser, a member of the court's 4-3 conservative majority who was just re-elected to a ten-year term in a heated race that involved a recount and vote-tabulating controversies, is now reportedly being accused of physically assaulting liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley in an argument over the court's recent decision regarding the upholding of Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation.

More from TPM Muckraker, including how Prosser has declined to comment about the alleged incident.

Why I Joined the Labor Movement

For years I thought of the labor movement as merely "Big Labor," yet another interest group that lobbies elected leaders to gain favors at the expense of the majority. Years in conservative politics established firmly in my mind that to be pro-union or pro-labor was to adhere to a watered down version of socialism. Indeed, "union thugs" and other ridiculous pejoratives were all part of marginalizing the labor movement as anti-capitalist, anti-growth, and anti-liberty.

But somewhere along the line, the catchphrases and political posturing lost their basis in reality. From the bailouts of Wall Street in 2008 to the debate over health care reform to the calls for reducing vital support for working families in order to balance the budget, an alarming trend has emerged: Those who work the hardest are the ones being asked to sacrifice the most. Perhaps even more illuminating, those who have been the victims of failed policy priorities -- namely, the middle class -- are now being forced to be the victims of policy adjustments.

It's hard to spend years fighting for lower unemployment and a stronger economy as I have and ignore all of those facts. And part of my epiphany is that these are not just facts to be acknowledged; they are components of a broader, disturbing trend in America that requires action, which in my case requires rethinking the positions that have become so entrenched in my worldview.

This means recognizing as myths the claims that often repeated about the labor movement's priorities. Health care reform isn't about socialism; it's about making sure miners and rural workers can have peace of mind that they won't be left behind. Stronger workplace standards are not a means of destroying businesses; they are put in place to protect the workers who allow the businesses to operate in the first place. Collective bargaining rights, pensions, and family benefits are not mere luxuries; they are the only means available to public employees and low-wage workers -- whose needs all too often get ignored -- to guarantee an acceptable standard of living for themselves and their families.

The labor movement is not about rejecting capitalism or denying the benefits that a market economy can deliver. It is, however, about correcting market failures and making sure the backbone of the economy -- the middle class -- does not have its interests pushed aside. It's the never-ending fight for workers' livelihoods, for improving workplace safety, and for ensuring that future generations can have a sustainable working life.

It is about reallocating our priorities to focus on the working men and women, to make sure our policies are designed to improve their lives and protect the gains they have made over the past century.

Paul Wellstone once said that politics isn't about winning, but about improving people's lives. Simply put, the people whose lives are most in need of improving are the working men and women throughout the country. And placing our priorities on their well being will strengthen the most vital component of the American economy: middle class families.

BREAKING: Wisconsin Democrats to Return to the State? UPDATED

The Democratic state senators in Wisconsin who fled the state to prevent passage of Governor Scott Walker's anti-labor budget bill are planning to return soon, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The senators recognize that the bill will likely pass, but are betting that the reforms -- which include stripping collective bargaining rights from public employees in the state -- are so unpopular that it will create irreversible political damage for the Republican governor and legislators.

Sen. Mark Miller (D) said of the decision: "We are now looking at returning to the state capitol and requiring the senators to take a vote and have them declare who they're with — the workers or the governor."

Read the full story here.

UPDATE: Senator Miller's quote was taken out of context. According to a fellow state senator, Miller actually told the Wall Street Journal that the Democrats will only return when the attempt to eliminate collective bargaining is taken off the table.

U.S. Lags Dreadfully Behind Other Developed Countries

A new must-read article at the Daily Kos asks a very important question: Why Isn't the United States No. 1 Where It Counts?

The premise is straightforward: Despite being number one in the world in terms of total Gross Domestic Product, the United States lags considerably behind other countries in education, health care, and even childhood poverty.

Among the notable statistics is the following rankings for the United States:

22nd in literacy;
17th in childhood poverty among 21 selected countries in the OECD;
47th in infant mortality;
47th in life expectancy at birth;

The article also points out that we are number one in certain categories, including the percentage of GDP spent on health care, which is twice the OECD average.

Having the largest economy in the world means little if it is all achieved on the backs of the middle class without a commensurate commitment to their well-being. When you consider that labor unions have been vital avenues for achieving substantive gains in middle class growth over the past century, it's shocking that anyone could view these statistics and think it's a good idea to continue attacking public employees by taking away their rights at the workplace.

New Wisconsin Poll Shows Broad Support for Labor

A new poll in Wisconsin shows that nearly 60% of the state support public employees, while a majority of Wisconsinites (53%) have an unfavorable view of Governor Scott Walker (R), who is attempting to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public workers.

The poll also shows that 65% of voters in the state want Walker to compromise with the unions instead of standing strong in his push to cripple organized labor. Among independents, 68% support compromise over further demonization of the state's workers.

This latest polling comes as Tea Party groups are claiming the support fueling Walker's anti-worker agenda is beginning to crumble due to growing public opposition, which means this latest poll will only intensify the opposition to Governor Walker's budget "repair" plan.

Read more about the poll's findings at Talking Points Memo.