CALIFORNIA YANKEE

The worst case scenario

Fred Barnes writes about what he sees as the "Worst Case Scenario" - an Obama administration and a heavily Democratic Congress:

If this scenario unfolds, Washington would become a solidly liberal town again for the first time in decades. And the prospects of passing the liberal agenda--nearly all of it--would be bright. Enacting major parts of it would be even brighter. You can forget about bipartisanship.

Start with "card check." It would permit organized labor to unionize the private sector without winning a certification election by secret ballot. It's easy to get workers to sign cards saying they want a union, but it's hard to get them to vote that way when labor organizers aren't hounding them. Card check is labor's last hope for more dues-paying union members.

Unions simply aren't popular and neither is card check. But it passed the House last year, only to be blocked in the Senate by a Republican filibuster. In 2009, with Washington controlled by Democrats, it would sail through Congress and President Obama would sign it. After all, neither Obama nor congressional Democrats have bucked organized labor even once.

In his speech in Virginia Beach yesterday, Senator McCain took on Obama's knee jerk support for big labor:

"Senator Obama is measuring the drapes (in the White House), and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to … take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections."

CNN Political Ticker did a fact check on McCain's statement:

The Facts

McCain is referring to a plan supported by labor union leaders. Currently, workers must get a majority of their colleagues to sign an authorization form to ask for union representation — then hold a secret-ballot vote to finalize it. The change Obama supports would let a union be recognized by the National Labor Relations Board immediately after a majority of workers sign the authorization.

Supporters of the change, including the AFL-CIO and other unions, say it would cut down on the ability of employers to pressure their workers to vote against a union. Business groups, meanwhile, say the opposite — that the secret ballot allows workers who don't want to unionize to publicly sign off on the plan, pleasing union leaders, then privately vote against it.

The change is part of the Employee Free-Choice Act, which Obama co-sponsored. The plan is designed to make it easier to create unions in the workplace, and both supporters and opponents agree it would increase the number of union members in the United States. Backers say it will lead to better wages and benefits for workers and increase the size of the middle class, while opponents say it will hurt businesses by costing them more at a time when profits for many are already thin.

The bill passed the House last year by a vote of 241-185. It was also supported in the Senate, 51-48 — but that didn't reach the 60 votes that would have been needed to survive a filibuster on a final vote. That's also not enough to override a veto by President Bush, who is against it. Obama and running mate Sen. Joe Biden voted on June 26, 2007, to move the bill forward, while McCain voted against it.

Verdict:

True. McCain accurately represents Obama's stance, although the candidates disagree on the merits of the plan. Organized labor backs Obama's position, while business groups and some non-union workers support McCain's.

McCain isn't the only one upset about the effort of big unions and Democrats to take away the right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections. Even the Democrats' former presidential nominee, George McGovern, thinks it's a terrible idea.

Watch the following video, in which McGovern explains why he opposes with what the Democrats have the nerve to call the "Employee Free Choice Act:"

Hillary Celebrates Victory At Non-Union Hotel

Hillary's Pennsylvania Primary victory celebration is being held in the Bellevue-Stratford hotel, a nonunion hotel and the location of the first recognized outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.

Not a very auspicious move.

Obama's Union Thugs

Why won't Obama repudiate the union thugs who are advertising on his behalf in PA?

The Service Employee International Union (SEIU) is running a television ad in Pennsylvania, in support of Barack Obama, who is already outspending Hillary Clinton 5 to 1 on the airwaves.

The ad titled "Change," shows mostly white, working and middle-class Pennsylvanians complaining about their gas prices and then declaring their faith in Obama. The ad compliments the SEIU's extensive get-out-the-vote campaign in Pennsylvania.

Why would Obama accept the assistance of the SEIU? Just last weekend, the SEIU dispatched 700 of its thugs to disrupt a labor conference in Michigan, shoving people to the ground and inflicting a head wound on a retired woman.

In California, they are stalk nurses in a rival union by going to their homes and even post YouTube video of themselves doing it.

The SEIU stalking got so bad that a California judge issued a restraining order against SEIU:

So I repeat, why won't Obama repudiate the SEIU's violent tactics and reject the union's ads on his behalf?

Why does Obama choose to stand with the SEIU, and its track record of intimidation? A record which is rendering the union a pariah, even within organized labor.

Thanks to Matt Lewis and Flap for the tip.

Unions Pressure "Moderates" To Oppose Budget Cuts

Two of the nation's largest unions are teaming up to broadcast TV ads urging "moderate" Republican members of Congress to oppose the budget cuts contained in the Budget Reconciliation bill nearing final passage in the House.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Service Employees International Union will spend $500,000 to run TV ads in 11 House districts, starting Wednesday.

The anti-budget cut ads will initially target Jo Ann Emerson of Missouri; Sherwood Boehlert of New York; Jim Nussle of Iowa; Mark Green of Wisconsin; Nancy Johnson, Rob Simmons and Chris Shays, all of Connecticut; Mike Fitzpatrick and Jim Gerlach, both of Pennsylvania; Fred Upton of Michigan; and Bob Beauprez of Colorado.

According to the Associated Press, the unions plan to eventually target 30 House districts in all, holding town hall meetings and running telephone campaigns urging opposition to the budget cuts.

The budget cuts "offset" the cost of Hurricane Katrina relief. The House approved the Budget Reconciliation containing the cuts by a 212 - 206 vote on December 19. Nine Republicans and the Independent voted with the Democratic against the bill. Six Democrats and ten Republicans did not vote, setting up another squeaker after the Senate approved a slightly different version of the Budget Reconciliation bill.

Things Fall Apart : Teamsters and Service Workers Leave AFL-CIO

Reuters reports that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union made good their threat and broke away from the AFL-CIO today. The two breakaway unions represent 3.2 million workers.

The Teamsters and the Service Workers are only two of a seven union dissident group that want a greater focus on organizing workers:

"We have been disappointed over the last 10 years with the decline in membership. The AFL-CIO idea is to keep throwing money at politicians. We say no," Teamsters president James Hoffa said. "We are going to do something new."

According to Reuters, other unions, including Laborers International of North America, UNITE HERE (the textile, garment, hotel employees), the United Food and Commercial Workers, and the United Farm Workers, may also secede from the AFL-CIO in the coming days. The Carpenters and Joiners International, broke away from the AFL-CIO four years ago.

The AFL-CIO's falling apart is bad news for the Democratic party, which relies on unions for money and manpower.

Illinois' Democratic Senator Durbin urged the AFL-CIO convention to maintain its unity:

Business interests may think the divide will make organized labor vulnerable.

"We have news for them. It's not going to happen," he said to cheers. "Our unity is our strength. We will stand together and fight for working families."

I have a hard time taking seriously anything Defeatist Democratic Senator and Democratic Whip Durbin says after he suggested the treatment of Guantanamo detainees is equivalent to atrocities committed by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and former Cambodian leader Pol Pot, even if he sort of apologized a week later. Nevertheless, in the long run, more competition for organized labor may well breath new life into a dying institution.