"We think we've done a great job for all working Americans out there and that includes union members," AFL-CIO’s Richard Trumka said upon news that the unions have brokered a backroom deal with Democrats on healthcare. Democrats have agreed to exempt labor agreements from the tax on health care plans until 2018.

 The problem is that nearly 90% of the U.S. workforce is not part of a union. So in reality, Richard Trumka did a “great job” for just over 10% of working Americans.

It’s a shame Democrat members of Congress are not as devoted advocates for their constituents as labor bosses are for their membership.

“The disaster in Haiti is the reason why Obama's event in Maryland was canceled,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs explained this morning.

And AP reported, “Obama adjusted his Wednesday schedule, canceling a jobs event in Maryland to better monitor the situation in Haiti.”

Except that Politico reports:

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) are back in the Capitol for votes -- but they are scheduled to return to the White House immediately afterwards to continue their negotiations on health care.”

And-

“Key labor leaders are back at the White House this afternoon for negotiations on health care, according to two sources…Congressional leaders are also still at the White House, although they may not be sitting at the same table as the labor leaders.”

“You have more and more people, at least anecdotally I've picked this up, edging towards buyer remorse over their vote for Barack Obama. It's very interesting, what's going on,” Mike Barnicle, MSNBC, January 13, 2010

A new Quinnipiac Poll <http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1411>  out today confirms that what voters are getting from the Obama Administration is not the change they expected to get. The poll finds that voters are split, 45%-45%, in judging whether Obama’s first year as president has been a success or a failure.

In particular, the poll finds that 54% disapprove of the way Obama is handling the economy and 47%, a plurality of those polled, think Obama hasn’t been spending enough time on the economy. By a 53% to 43% margin, voters said Obama “is being fiscally irresponsible in his spending of federal money.”  On health care, 58% disapproved of Obama’s handling of the issue while 35% approved.

This is the second poll in as many days to find ... more

“Stimulus” is not a popular word around the White House these days, as a WSJ piece points out. Democrats are reticent to brand their new economic legislation as round two of the $787 billion giveaway that has failed to keep national unemployment below 8% and add 3.5 million jobs to the economy as promised.

Unfortunately for Democrats their push for a second stimulus coincides with an avalanche of unfavorable headlines, including this one today from the AP, “Stimulus cash doesn't create local jobs.”  The new analysis finds that billions in road stimulus in particular has had no effect on local unemployment rates. Yet Democrats are not letting the evidence of failure keep them from pushing through billions more in road spending in Stimulus Two, as the same piece notes.

While the Democrats might be successful in naming their new jobs bill something creative like the “Jobs for Main Street Act,” they seem oblivious to what everyone else seems to know by now- it is the policies ... more

January 11, 2009

“States do not want the ‘help’”

States are asking the Obama Administration to put a hold on implementing new EPA emission rules over concerns that more regulation would only add to their ever-widening budget deficits as well as result in more job loss. The EPA is moving to regulate emissions as it has become clear that the White House’s job-killing initiative called cap and trade is unlikely to be taken up during an election year.

State budget deficits are in the billions this fiscal year and are projected to widen further in the coming year as federal stimulus dollars run out and revenues continue to drop. Democrats claim they are looking for ways to bolster the states until the economy fully recovers. However, instead of promoting policies that lessen regulation, cut taxes and encourage growth, the White House continues to push job-killing policies and unfunded mandates such as the EPA’s new regulations and a health care bill, whose added costs the nation’s ... more