Two of the country's largest labor groups, the SEIU and the AFL-CIO, are each holding emergency executive meetings today to discuss whether they should support the latest round of health care compromises made by Senate Democrats.
Though there's no official word yet, early indications based on talks with various officials are that the groups will either formally oppose the legislation or, less dramatically, just not fight very hard to ensure its passage.
I would like them to push against the "watered down" bill...
I wish we had gone the 51-vote route, but I am notoriously confrontational for no reason...
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I am still confused at this point about the fine line between 1) calling bullshit on this bill and 2) indefinitely postponing the larger cause of hcr
I'm sort of with lex on the rhetoric.
That said, I think this is tin-ear politics. It's too late for this sort of intervention; it would have made more difference early on. Medicare buy-in ain't coming back.
On the other hand, maybe this isn't politics.... *cough*
from politico:
Top labor leaders are meeting today to weigh action on health care legislation with which they're deeply dissatisfied, but most insiders say they'll likely find a way of expressing their distress that comes short of actually opposing the legislation.
Sam Stein first reported that both the AFL-CIO and SEIU are holding special meetings today to discuss the health care bill. An SEIU spokeswoman, Lori Lodes, said the session would likely not be conclusive as a manager's amendment isn't yet finalized. The meeting of leading AFL's presidents meeting just concluded at the organization's Washington, D.C. headquarters, and an AFL staffer also said the timing of the legislation prevented a final decision.
"Labor is looking to make the bill better," American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten told me in a brief interview after the meeting.
While I am leaning towards Dean's (and Kos and many at FDL) sentiment of "killing the bill", I like some of the ideas thrown around (by Digby, Krugman and others) like taking out the mandates and other possible improvements.
I read that Nelson still wants stronger prohibitions on Abortion, so that could tip the scale even more.
I also heard that sanders is not going to vote for the bill in its current form. So there may be hope for improving the final version yet. Also, the senate bill has to be reconciled with the house version...
should be interesting. Not sure why it absolutely has to be passed before the baby Cheebus' big day...
It doesn't have to be passed by Christmas. Obama wants to be done and moving on to a jobs bill (and with good reason). And reconciliation is still an option.
As for labor, Trumka's been beating the "we won't back anything that doesn't have a public option and taxes existing benefits." If anything, the tin-ear comes in from going squishy on this sort of shit again.
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