Friday Happy Hour Roundup: Chamber Declines Stern’s Debate Invitation
* The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is declining SEIU chief Andy Stern’s request that Chamber head Tom Donohue publicly debate the Employee Free Choice Act with him:
We have been debating the merits of this issue for months, years even, and we certainly welcome Mr. Stern to the discussion. We are quite clear on our position — this is a bad idea for workers, for business, and for the economy. However, a PR stunt through the Washington Post is not the best way to start a conversation. Maybe a formal invitation next time?
The Chamber’s full statement here.
* White House press sec Robert Gibbs has something of a breakout moment taking on the new emerging right wing folk hero, CNBC’s Rick Santelli.
* And it’s a confrontation the White House relishes, argues Marc Ambinder.
* If Rahm Emanuel screws up, blame Leon Panetta.
* A new poll finds that 60% favor the stimulus package, 49% view it as a “major accomplishment,” and 53% think it will significantly improve the economy.
* If you thought the Al Franken- Norm Coleman mess was ugly before, take a look at this.
* And a quick housekeeping note: For the near term, I won’t be posting on weekends. So consider this a weekend open thread. Back first thing Monday morning.
The homepage of this blog is here. Its RSS feed is here. And its Twitter feed is here.
Have a good weekend, greg.
On the Coleman/Franken court case, of course the upcoming labor battle is probably as important as your related posts suggest. Let me pass on a bit of history covered in Will Bunch’s new book which I hadn’t known.
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“In the late 1940’s, with trade unionism on the rise, [Lemuel] Boulware [head of labor relations for GE] devised a communications strategy for GE that involved going over the heads of union leaders and selling the company’s workers on a new politics that shunned traditional bread-and-butter issues, to convince them that a blend of anti-communism and free-market capitalism was the only thing that would let them keep what they had. This new conservative vision was sold through newsletters, company magazines, and eventually through Reagan’s appearances. Boulware’s stated goal ws to make General Electric’s tens of thousands of employees into “mass communicators” who would not only help sell their next-door neighbors on the notion that what was good for GE was good for America, but would elect public officials who understood the same. It was training these “mass communicators” that turned Ronald Reagn into the Great Communicator”
“Tear Down This Myth”, p 36-37
Pretty straight line from this to a Chompskian take on the dynamics in play.
One might wonder how it could be the case that Limbaugh pulls $400 million for eight years of doing what he does on the radio. Apparently, his operation is worth it.
did I really put a “p” in his name?! My god. I must have been hungry.
thanks for that, Bernie. I hadn’t know it either…very interesting.
Several days ago, a bunch of us were discussing that question of what the modern left ought to look like and how it ought to behave as regards Obama. I made the argument that a vigorous and vocal left will have the effect of demonstrating the extremism of the modern right by expanding the perspective (plus it will show Obama in the center, as moderate). Here’s a real world example of what I was talking about. It’s a sub-head from today’s NY Times front page:
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“Benjamin Netanyahu, picked to lead Israel, called on the centrists and the left to form a unity government.”
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The advance of Lieberman in this election not only allows Netanyahu to claim he is a species of centrist/moderate, it makes it ‘true’ in a relative sense. Further, Lieberman’s rise will pull Israel policy further right (as I argued a strong left here will pull our policy further left).
Can I assume this to be an open thread? I’ll pay five bucks.
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There’s a piece in the Times this morning on California politics and the potential that Maldonado’s move to institute open primaries could have on elections in the state. That’s a good discussion by itself but I’m curious about another aspect here. One sentence in the piece says:
“The dysfunctional budget process here, largely a byproduct of extreme partisan gridlock”
I’m not familiar enough with California politics to know whether that statement describes the reality or whether it is another example of the typical “false equivalence” we often see in press coverage. My notion was that this particular problem was mainly a consequence of Norquist’s activism on taxes. Can anyone – being as balanced in perspective as possible – enlighten me?
Bernie – I’m guessing we can agree that Norquist acivists are extremely partisan. I suspect that anyone who demands schools and hospitals would be an opposite extreme to them, but I’d prefer to let someone with more first hand knowledge of California describe the Dems there.
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I do find it rather fascinating that a Republican would want the open primaries, though. As Nate Silver points out, these tend to get moderates elected, with only a slight lean toward the majority view. I would think that would be a threat to Orange County style Republicans – much more so, any way, than social conservatives in Louisiana.
Danp
It’s one more of those issues I haven’t thought about much. Wikipedia has a short, but good piece http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_primary
Aside from the constitutional question, the fundamental negative seems to be that an open primary can be susceptible to manipulation. Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos” being an example.
Last June, it became apparent to me and some others that the whole PUMA/Clintons4McCain “movement” looked very much like a covert operation inititated by the RNC (you can read the following if you like. I’ve always posted online only as blatham or full name but couldn’t use those on this site where I’m ‘hecklebernie’ http://forum.newshounds.us/viewtopic.php?t=22119&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30&sid=9a16928050f5e87cb5ef06dab55aada5 )
But even so, it seems to me that the advantages in running an open primary outweigh the disadvantages, particularly if extremism is the main dilemma one wishes to temper. Thanks for the Silver link!
Bernie – Texas has open primaries and yes, Republicans vote in them for their own reasons. By the same token, we vote in Republican primaries to throw them off.
It’s susceptible to manipulation, yet, I don’t recall ever seeing anything that suggested that that is enough of a problem to close our primaries. I really like our system, but it’s what I’m used to, too.
I love our caucus system and that’s what they are talking about doing away with here. I love it – I’ve never felt so engaged and like an important part of the process as I did when I caucused for Obama.
Several days ago, a bunch of us were discussing that question of what the modern left ought to look like and how it ought to behave as regards Obama. I made the argument that a vigorous and vocal left
Here’s what I think, in case anyone cares, which I doubt: we need to find different, new ways of thinking and doing. Just making noise and being confrontational is not going to get the job done anymore, if it ever did.
We need to think of new approaches and new arguments and new, smart ways of getting things done. Just standing toe to toe with the Right and fighting over everything is a waste of time and energy and it’s annoying.
New thoughts, PLEASE! New methods = think, people. Glenn Greenwald is not going to accomplish one damn thing his way. Let’s get smart for a change.
Thanks for your feeback, Tena. Lot’s to learn, isn’t there? I’ve just emailed Vishnu with a formal request for one more lifetime (I’ve listed Sweden as first choice) before he turns me into a newt.
Different subject here but I wanted to point out Glenn Greenwald’s piece this morning for those who haven’t seen it. Glenn Beck and Fox have fallen over the edge.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
LOL…rather ironic timing there, isn’t it. I suppose I’d argue that both streams are necessary.
Darlin, Glenn Beck and Fox have always been over the edge – Beck is an unregenerate racist and always has been – there is nothing new about this.
I’m sorry but Glenn makes me tired. All he ever does is *****. I’m sick of bitching – I’ve spent 8 years bitching. I’m ready to build and frankly I think we need to pay more attention to how Obama built what he’s built. In other words, start local. Quit just complaining about what Obama and the administration is and isn’t doing – that’s all we did about Bush. Enough – start where there is agreement, work from there. Quit bitching!
The second Glenn that I’m tire of is Greenwald, not Beck. Beck is hopeless and Fox is hopeless and we can’t change Fox. At least Americans know that Fox is a joke – that’s all we can do about it. Leave it alone and build something instead of just wanting to tear down the Right.
Well, looks like there’s nothing else for it, Tena. You and I, 3:00, out behind the school bus parking lot.
Bernie – O you don’t know what you just started. LOL!
Here is what I see and I know it’s vague and idealistic, to say the least, but I’d love to build a progressive coalition like we had during the campaign (when Greenwald wasn’t trying to tear it apart with FISA, etc.) and that coalition would make so much noise getting things done and getting it right that we’d drown out the opposition. We wouldn’t fight it to a standstill – we’d win it to a standstill. We’d just get it done and leave them speechless in the dust.
That’s how you win for the long haul.
Tena
As I tried to express earlier, I think your argument is compelling. Clearly, cohesion and solidarity would be better facilited through the manner in which you operate as contrasted with how Greenwald operates. But I don’t think the unanimity you wish for is possible (too much variety in views and values).
It seems to me this is always a dilemma in human communities – the entirely reasonable urge towards unanimity and co-ordinated effort bumping up against the equally reasonable urge towards individual autonomy. Just one of them things. Like male pattern baldness.
Richard Shelby does, indeed, go there, and publicly questions Obama’s citizenship. Unbelievable.
Kids? This is your modern GOP.
You and I, 3:00, out behind the school bus parking lot – BL
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I’d love to build a progressive coalition. – Tena
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The entirely reasonable urge towards unanimity – BL
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I just stopped in to thank Bernie for his comments on newshound, but I see this is a bad time… so if you’ll excuse me…
CT…yeah, I caught that. And Huff Po has a piece on the weekend fun in GOP-land California version… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/far-right-fury-over-calif_b_168879.html
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Danp…I was out there at 3:00 for the rumble. My dukes were up. But no Tena. So, it’s shadow-boxing again.
Thanks on the other thing.