Sunday, May 17, 2009  

Does Obama really want to ruthlessly eliminate all major threats to his reelection ? You'd think that at some point, in a contentious negotiation with Congressional Democrats, it would be useful for Obama to be able to point out that if Democrats raise taxes too high, for example, he might lose the White House in 2012. That threat is becoming increasingly hollow. ... 11:56 P.M.

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Every time I read about a favor Obama's done for organized labor, I instinctively think: "Good. That must mean he knows the 'card check' bill won't pass so he's doing everything else he can to make labor happy." One problem with this optimistic viewpoint is that something very much like the "card check" bill might pass . The other problem is that the list of these little favors, as compiled by Sean Higgins , is getting rather long. I didn't realize Obama has already nominated two new members of the National Labor Relations Board. And then there's this:

The administration has rolled back transparency rules that require unions to more extensively report their finances, executive compensation and potential conflicts of interest every year. The Labor Department said "it would not be a good use of resources" to require this.

The Obama administration's first proposed budget calls for cutting the budget of the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards, which investigates unions on behalf of workers, to $41 million, down from $45 million last year.

11:24 P.M.

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Isn't Rep. Luis Gutierrez being a little over-thuggish , even by pre-post-racial standards, in this quote :    

Gutierrez said he and fellow Hispanic officials appreciate the wooing and White House invites, but want action on the issue of providing illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. And he doesn't mince words about what he sees as White House foot-dragging on the issue, which proved difficult to tackle even in better economic times.

"If Rahm [Emanuel] thinks he can get away with not doing anything on immigration and still have the support of Latino voters, it won't get done," said Gutierrez ...

Do you think Obama can get away with not doing anything on immigraton and still have the support of Latino voters? I think Obama can get away with not doing anything and still have the support of Latino voters. Latino voters are Democrats. And, you know, Americans. If they think a President is good for the country, are they really going to switch their allegiance to the GOPs  over immigration reform? ... Gutierrez' threats have a tinge of desperation, no? ... 11:13 P.M.

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