Posted on September 3, 2010 by Lou
I’m in no mood to analyze the Labor Movement’s predicament or point out that Labor Day is the unofficial start of election season. They’ll be enough of that in the papers, on tv and online and I promised not to criticize democrats before the November vote. But as a blogger I know that I have [...]
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Posted on August 27, 2010 by Lou
I heard that new housing starts are down. That’s supposed to be bad news. But then I think of those crappy tract homes next to the freeways east of Pomona which put working-class families “underwater” in the subprime scam. In an era of stagnant wages, workers hoped to score in the real estate market, so [...]
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Posted on August 20, 2010 by Lou
Here’s what I’m not going to talk about: How the Obama election triggered an amazing sense of elation that began to dissipate almost immediately How almost overnight the republicans figured out how to undermine the new president and his allies Whether it would be better for democrats to hold slim congressional margins or turn over [...]
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Posted on August 13, 2010 by Lou
What’s all the fuss about American companies making profits but not hiring new workers? That’s been going on for at least 40 years. So what if earnings are up. There’s nothing in our political or economic system to persuade, coerce or – sorry for this one – “incentivize” private sector job creation or retention. Did [...]
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Posted on August 6, 2010 by Lou
I’m not sure we can call government worker pensions a “hot button” issue. It lacks the immediacy, clarity and simple polarity of, say, abortion or gay marriage. But I guarantee that the controversy over retirement pay for millions of city, state and federal workers will fuel ongoing political debate, possibly for the rest of this [...]
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Posted on July 25, 2010 by Lou
I’m struck by republican imagery that voters in the November midterm election can call on the cavalry to rescue a nation now held captive by democrats. Listen to Sen. John Cornyn of Texas justify his party’s strategy of blocking everything down the pike with a “D” attached to it. The republicans are playing out their [...]
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Posted on July 18, 2010 by Lou
I’m sure there’s some correlation between tax cuts for small business – promoted by the administration – and job creation, but let’s be serious here. A lot of hiring “incentives” are – at best – used by retailers to bring on a few more sales clerks. Retail sales is important work for entry-level and part-time [...]
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Posted on July 16, 2010 by Lou
Polling and pundits suggest that republicans may take back the house in November. There’s a sentiment out there that this might be a good thing for democrats. That, in particular, it helps Obama’s reelection two years later. We’ve been through this before. I’m searching my memory… Some in the “new” left promoted the idea that [...]
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Posted on July 4, 2010 by Lou
The republican campaign against Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court appointment was not intended to block her confirmation but to set the stage for future nomination battles, particularly those which could be “game changers.” Here are the ages of current justices: Ruth Bader Ginsberg – 77 Antonin Scalia - 74 Anthony Kennedy - 73 Stephen Breyer - 71 Clarence Thomas [...]
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Posted on July 1, 2010 by Lou
I’m about to flip-flop. I’m ending my Obama-bashing. At least until after the mid-term election in November. I’m not telling anyone else what to do. There’s plenty to criticize: Afghanistan, tepid reform, oil spill handling. But I’m done. It’s easier for me than for some of my friends and colleagues. Compared to them, I’m an [...]
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Posted on June 18, 2010 by Lou
Politics is as much about action and reaction as ideas. Obama has ideas. But on the big stage, I’m afraid, he just doesn’t know how to act. So what we thought was transformational may only be transitional. The man who seemed larger than life now seems too small for the job. Republicans made a mockery [...]
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Posted on June 13, 2010 by Lou
The $10 million union campaign to oust Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the Arkansas primary fell ten thousand votes short, prompting a white house staffer to criticize labor for flushing their members’ money “down the toilet.” After the AFL-CIO shot back, defending its campaign on behalf of Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, a gradual truce began [...]
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Posted on June 4, 2010 by Lou
On the day of that awful rampage last November when Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan gunned down 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas, President Obama came out to the Rose Garden. It was the president’s first remarks on the tragedy and he recited from his notes without emotion or outrage, offering what he called [...]
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Posted on May 30, 2010 by Lou
The deadly accident at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia and the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill expose pervasive federal government corruption: Government regulators on the take or on the make. How did these agencies – the Mine Safety and Health Administration [MSHA] and the Minerals Management Service[MMS] – become such industry [...]
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Posted on May 28, 2010 by Lou
Barack Obama is a great guy. Unfortunately, he’s not a great man. Or, I’m afraid, a great president. I’m not going to pile on the criticism he’s been getting for his handling of the oil spill. But I think this episode confirms that, though he might be competent running the federal government, he isn’t particularly [...]
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Posted on May 21, 2010 by Lou
Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln has turned me into a “single issue” voter. I’m usually the last guy to support primary challenges to incumbent democrats. And that includes some of the most conservative members of the party. After all, I’ll argue, the alternative to a conservative democrat is often an ultra-conservative republican. Isn’t it better to [...]
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