Arlen Specter

Specter: I Expect To Vote For Cloture On Democratic Bills, Particularly EFCA

Brian Beutler | August 14, 2009, 11:27AM

Just a quick data point. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) fielded questions at a Netroots Nation panel this morning about whether he'd encourage his colleagues to support cloture on Democratic bills. Though he elided the specific question, he did say that, unless Democrats flew off the handle and began trying to limit the first amendment, or civil rights for gays, he will vote with the party to bring legislation to the floor for an up or down vote. Specifically, he said he'd support cloture on the Employee Free Choice Act, even if he disagrees with the underlying bill.

He's also recently assured labor organizers that they'd "like" how he votes on EFCA. Before he switched parties, and even for a while thereafter, he said exactly the opposite.

Late update: Specter also said that he never asked President Obama to clear the primary field for him.

Late late update: Here's video.

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Topics: Arlen Specter, Democrats, EFCA, Senate

EFCA

With Assist From Karl Rove, Anti-EFCA Group Targets Evan Bayh

Brian Beutler | August 4, 2009, 6:11PM

This will warm the cockles of your heart. An anti-union group has launched a campaign against Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) for his past support for labor, and urging him to oppose Employee Free Choice Act. They're hitting him with radio ads, and 117 billboards, scattered across the state of Indiana, telling passersby "Don't let Evan Bayh kill jobs."

What's interesting about this particular campaign, though, is that it's sponsor--the Economic Freedom Alliance--is paying Karl Rove a pretty penny. In the first half of 2009, the group raised about $520,000, and spent about $550,000--$100,000 of which went to Rove's consulting firm.

See Think Progress for more. You'll be unsurprised to learn that a group that teams up with Karl Rove isn't exactly playing it straight when it comes to EFCA.

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Topics: EFCA, Evan Bayh, Labor

Arlen Specter

Specter: I've Been Perfectly Consistent On EFCA

Brian Beutler | July 29, 2009, 10:12AM

Yes, that headline is accurate. In a letter to the editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Specter defends his record on the Employee Free Choice Act as "consistent."

"My views on this subject have been consistent," Specter writes, "and suggestions to the contrary by those intending to run against me are incorrect."

The last half of this sentence is a jab at Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), who's made an issue of Specter's unreliability. But the first half could raise the hackles of labor supporters, who might have noticed that Specter once cosponsored EFCA, then, under attack from the right, said he would support a filibuster of it, then switched parties and told a crowd of organizers that they'd be "satisfied" with his vote on the issue, though he still opposes card check.

As the good folks of PA2010 point out, Specter may have consistent, secretly held views. But his political positions have varied pretty wildly.

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Topics: Arlen Specter, EFCA, Joe Sestak, Labor, PA-SEN, Senate, Senate '10

EFCA

Anti-EFCA Group To Target Webb, Warner Over August Recess

Brian Beutler | July 27, 2009, 5:14PM

Congressfolk won't just be getting an earful about health care over the August recess. The National Right To Work Committee will be pressuring Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) in the coming weeks to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act

"[W]orkers' rights will be trampled on by the U.S. Senate's action," said the group's president Mark Mix, who, in a statement, calls EFCA the "Card Check Forced Unionization Bill". Cute. But if Mix had been reading TPMDC he'd know that, earlier this month Senate negotiators deep-sixed card check from EFCA in an effort to woo people just like Webb and Warner.

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Topics: EFCA, Jim Webb, Labor, Mark Warner

Andy Stern

Stern: "It's Important That Both The House And Senate Consider Majority Signup"

Brian Beutler | July 21, 2009, 8:00AM

On Friday, the New York Times dropped a bombshell on the labor movement with a report that Senate negotiators had scotched a provision commonly known as 'card check'--which would permit workers to form a union when a majority of a business' employees sign an authorization form--from the Employee Free Choice Act.

Some labor officials played it cool when the news broke, but SEIU president Andy Stern insisted that he expected Congress to vote on the provision one way or another. Now, Stern's turning to his online supporters to make sure that happens.

"The New York Times reported on Friday that the Senate is considering dropping majority signup from the Employee Free Choice Act," Stern writes to a 100,000 person mailing list.

By giving employees the free choice to join unions - and not their bosses - majority signup allows workers to have a voice on the job.

Congress needs to hear about your support for majority signup. Sign my petition to Congress in support of majority signup and the Employee Free Choice Act.

You can read the entire letter below the fold. Stern wants Congress to consider majority sign up, but that could simply mean a vote on an amendment--card check as a stand-alone provision--as opposed to a vote on a bill with the provision already written into it. Union-sympathetic senators have apparently concluded that EFCA will fail if it includes card check, but a vote on the provision alone would at the very least put senators--particularly conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans--on the record.

Meanwhile, at the insistence of Blue Dogs, who'd rather not be forced to take a public stand, the House earlier this year reportedly decided not to consider EFCA until the Senate finishes work on the bill. There's certainly a significant number of House progressives who support the provision. But those progressives will have to speak up very loudly. If the Senate officially rejects the provision before the House takes up the legislation, it will be an extremely tough sell not to go the path of least resistance.

Read more »

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Topics: Andy Stern, EFCA, House of Representatives, Labor, Senate

Arlen Specter

In Wake Of Senate Compromise, EFCA Co-Sponsor Sestak Hits Specter

Brian Beutler | July 17, 2009, 7:43PM

Depending on whom you ask, the news that Senate Democrats have agreed to scrap card check from the Employee Free Choice Act is an acceptable compromise, or a knife in the labor movement's back, or both. But for Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), it's also an opportunity to remind voters of Sen. Arlen Specter's role in precipitating the compromise in the first place.

"As an original co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, I strongly support the legislation as it was originally written," says Sestak. "Arlen Specter, however, announced that he not only opposed Employee Free Choice, but would prevent it from coming to a fair up-or-down vote."

"Arlen will have to explain to working families across Pennsylvania why he took the side of every Senate Republican to oppose this legislation as originally written."

Since becoming a Democrat, Specter has softened on EFCA considerably. Last month, he told a crowd of union organizers, "I think you'll be satisfied with my vote on this issue on union organizing and on first contract just like you've been satisfied with the 22 times I voted for Davis Bacon."

But in his last days and weeks as a Republican--and in his first days as a Democrat--Specter, a former EFCA co-sponsor himself, sang a remarkably different tune. Facing a primary challenge from conservative Pat Toomey, Specter said he would oppose both EFCA, and a filibuster on the legislation. The move was a big blow to organized labor--one some in that movement won't soon forget.

You can read Sestak's full statement below the fold.

Read more »

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Topics: Arlen Specter, EFCA, Joe Sestak, Labor, PA-SEN, Senate, Senate '10

House of Representatives

The Mark-Up, 07-17-2009

Brian Beutler | July 17, 2009, 6:15PM

TPMDC's roundup of the biggest initiatives on Capitol Hill.

• Health Care: Two House committees--Education and Labor, and Ways and Means--passed historic health care legislation today. But the Energy and Commerce committee still has a long way to go, and it's going to be a hard climb.
• Employee Free Choice: Union-friendly Senate Democrats have reportedly agreed to drop a key provision--majority sign-up--from the flagship labor legislation to win the support of skeptical, conservative Democrats like Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor. But even if all Democrats are on board, with Sens. Kennedy and Byrd all but out of commission, EFCA still has a long way to go. The bill is anathema to Republicans like perhaps no other legislation on the Democratic agenda.

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Topics: EFCA, Health Care, House of Representatives, Labor, Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy

AFL-CIO

Stern: We Expect A Vote On Majority Signup

Brian Beutler | July 17, 2009, 9:35AM

Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, weighs in more fully on a report that Democrats have agreed to jettison a key provision of the Employee Free Choice Act: "As we have said from day one, majority signup is the best way for workers to have the right to choose a voice at their workplace," Stern says. "The Employee Free Choice Act is going through the usual legislative process, and we expect a vote on a majority signup provision in the final bill or by amendment in both houses of Congress."

AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale sought to downplay the news a bit, characterizing the compromise as a routine part of the legislative process. But the original Times report says that Democrats have "abandoned" the provision--commonly known as Card Check--altogether. Stern's statement suggests that a compromise on the provision itself might assuage him, calling for "a majority signup provision," but that dropping it completely won't fly.

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Topics: AFL-CIO, Andy Stern, EFCA, Labor

Andy Stern

EFCA Compromise? Moderates To Embrace Labor Reform...Without Card Check

Brian Beutler | July 17, 2009, 9:21AM

The New York Times reports that several labor friendly Democrats, including Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have embraced an Employee Free Choice Act compromise to win the support of conservative Democrats. That compromise? Eliminating Card Check--the majority sign-up provision that would end the secret ballot process, and, labor leaders say, curb employer intimidation.

AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale tells Ben Smith: "[T]his is the normal process of how a bill becomes a law."

We are very optimistic about passing the strongest labor law reform since the Wagner Act -- one that lets workers choose to join a union without intimidation or harassment, ensures that workers who join a union get a first contract, and has meaningful penalties for violations.

But Andy Stern seems less than pleased, tweeting, "we expect a vote in the bill or by amendment on majority sign-up in both houses of Congress."

I'm told a fuller statement is on its way, but clearly this compromise won't go down without several spoons full of sugar.

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Topics: AFL-CIO, Andy Stern, EFCA, Labor, SEIU

Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce Pre-Emptively Thanks Sen. Lincoln For Opposing EFCA; Republicans Call Foul

Brian Beutler | July 13, 2009, 4:21PM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) isn't generally considered a friend of organized labor. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce may be trying to fence her in anyhow.

Lincoln has opposed EFCA in the past, and has said she could not support it now without significant concessions, and the Chamber--pleased with her position--seems to be trying to make a "no" vote on robust worker protections legislation a fait accompli. That's not how her Arkansas opponents see things, though. When he saw the ad, Arkansas Rep. Davy Carter--a one-time potential Lincoln opponent--took to twitter.

Read more »

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Topics: Blanche Lincoln, Chamber of Commerce, EFCA

Health Care

Labor Leaders To Meet Obama At White House This Afternoon

Brian Beutler | July 13, 2009, 11:57AM

President Obama will host key labor leaders at the White House this afternoon to discuss a number of pressing issues, including the Employee Free Choice Act and health care.

The administration has put EFCA on the back burner, focusing instead on issues like economic recovery, health care, and climate change--much to the dismay of the very people the President will meet with today. But that doesn't mean there's no common ground. Labor has by and large been on board with Obama's health care push, and have by and large succeeded at taking a key financing scheme--a tax on employer-provided health care benefits--off the table, at a time when Democrats are trying desperately to cover the trillion-dollar up front cost of a reform bill.

On hand today will be the labor presidents of the National Labor Coordinating Committee, which was formed earlier this year by AFL-CIO, Change to Win, and the National Education Association. More on the meeting as details emerge.

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Topics: EFCA, Health Care, Labor

EFCA

SEIU Demands Nebraska, Arkansas TV Stations Pull Down Misleading "Employee Forced Choice Act" Ads

Brian Beutler | July 10, 2009, 10:53AM

The Service Employees International Union is demanding that television stations in Arkansas and Nebraska pull down ads calling on Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) Mark Pryor (D-AR), and Ben Nelson (D-NE) to vote against the "Employee Forced Choice Act."

"Your news network is running an advertisement sponsored by the Employee Freedom Action Committee," reads a letter the union sent to networks in both states, "which is demonstrably false and maliciously misleads viewers about unions and the Employee Free Choice Act."

In particular, the ad misleadingly refers to the "Employee Forced Choice Act."... The falsehoods and misrepresentations...warrant its immediate removal from the air.

The letter, which you can read here in full, explains the ads numerous distortions. The Employee Freedom Action Committee is the brainchild of notorious lobbyist Richard Berman, whose anti-union activities are well known to the labor movement.

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Topics: Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, EFCA, Labor, Mark Pryor, SEIU

EFCA

Franken's First Move: Co-Sponsoring The Employee Free Choice Act

Brian Beutler | July 7, 2009, 6:54PM

At an AFL-CIO reception moments ago, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) got the crowd all worked up--not by lampooning politics, but by participating in them. "I just became a cosponsor of my first bill in the Senate, the Employee Free Choice Act."

EFCA's been out of the headlines in recent weeks as Congress tackles a major health care overhaul. But labor must nonetheless be thrilled to have a new, high profile ally in the Senate.

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Topics: Al Franken, EFCA, Senate

Wal-Mart

Will Wal-Mart Cash In Support For Health Care Reform To Crush EFCA?

Brian Beutler | July 3, 2009, 12:03PM

One of the biggest developments on the health care front this week was Wal-Mart's decision to back an employer mandate as a major provision of reform legislation. The move rankled the Chamber of Commerce, which accused the retail giant of using the government to build competitive advantage against its competitors--all despite the fact that Wal-Mart is the Chamber's largest member. But liberals were by and large pretty happy with the development.

At least as far as health reform goes.

But Wal-Mart is a major stakeholder on a number of key issues, and some wonder whether the Arkansas-based behemoth will try to cash in their support for health reform with the White House when the focus in Washington eventually turns to employee free choice.

Labor sources, well-acquainted with Wal-Mart's anti-EFCA tactics, have suggested or acknowledged this concern to me in the days since the administration announced the deal--and as hard as it is to imagine Wal-Mart fighting that legislation harder than they already do, the sources say both sides may turn up the temperature in the fight over employee rights in the weeks and months ahead.

It's unclear where the basis of this concern lies--whether it comes from internal knowledge of Wal-Mart's negotiations with key health care players in Washington; or from an understanding of the company's incentives; or whether some in the labor movement are using this moment to launch a pre-emptive strike against their main EFCA opponent.

But either way, it's clear that the uneasy alliance between labor and Wal-Mart on the question of health reform does not translate into rapprochement on the issue of unionization. If anything, it makes the fight over that issue bloodier.

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Topics: EFCA, Health Care, Labor, Wal-Mart

Blanche Lincoln

Lincoln Campaign Manager Argues Against EFCA At Arkansas Event

Brian Beutler | June 24, 2009, 1:49PM

Here's an item that no doubt rankles supporters of the Employee Free Choice Act. Steve Patterson--who once served as Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln's Chief of Staff, and is now managing her 2010 re-election campaign--appeared before the group Benton County Democratic Women on Monday to praise his boss for 'voicing concerns' about the bill.

According to the Benton County Daily Record, "[l]ast month, the club welcomed AFL-CIO representative Amy Niehouse, who spoke about the EFCA and described the benefits to workers and communities when workers choose to organize a union."

Apparently an aide to Blanche Lincoln is the obvious counterpoint to this.

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Topics: AR-SEN, Blanche Lincoln, EFCA

EFCA

Labor: Chamber Gearing Up For 2010 Senate Fight

Brian Beutler | June 10, 2009, 2:49PM

Josh already noted this at the Mother Ship this morning, but Politico ran today with a story about the Chamber of Commerce's plans to raise $100 million as part of a campaign to "defend the free market system."

Privately, labor sources describe the move as the Chamber's opening salvo in the committee's campaign to disrupt the balance of power in the Senate--which they view as hostile to business--in the 2010 election. And there's more than just messaging to that--the Chamber's president made that pretty clear.

A public education ad buy defending the free enterprise system is in the works, as well as an issue advocacy program tied to the 2010 midterm elections.

"We're going to hold politicians accountable as we defend and advance economic freedom," [Chamber of Commerce President Tom] Donohue said.

Read more »

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Topics: Chamber of Commerce, EFCA, Labor, SEIU

Arlen Specter

Sestak: Union Reaction To Specter Shows They Worry He's A 'Flight Risk'

Brian Beutler | June 9, 2009, 3:43PM

Over the weekend, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) broke some news when, in response to the heckles of some frustrated union organizers, he suggested very strongly that he'd ultimately vote for a compromise version of the Employee Free Choice Act.

"I believe you'll be satisfied with my vote on this issue," Specter said.

Well, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) was also on hand that day. He's a cosponsor of EFCA in the House, and in a statement to TPMDC, he said that the welcome Specter received is telling. "The reaction by many people at the rally to Arlen's speech was simply one demonstration that Pennsylvanians want to be represented by someone they can trust to approach their work in a consistent and accountable way," Sestak said.

The leaders of the Democratic political establishment have not confirmed to this point that Arlen will not be a 'flight risk' after the election. This is a concern that many people attending last weekend's events in Pittsburgh expressed to me, including when I spoke at the rally.

I am a cosponsor of EFCA, and cosponsored and voted for it last year, because very unfair labor practices are being done in America. I would also be in agreement with a compromise that labor supports and that addresses their concerns.

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Topics: Arlen Specter, EFCA, Joe Sestak, PA-SEN, Senate '10

EFCA

Specter to Labor: You'll Like How I Vote On EFCA--Labor Skeptical

Brian Beutler | June 8, 2009, 9:27AM

On Saturday, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) addressed a crowd of union activists in Pittsburgh and answered for his wavering on EFCA.

"You want my vote, I want yours," heckled one of the activists.

"I believe you'll be satisfied with my vote on this issue," Specter said in response. You can watch the video here.

Read more »

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Topics: Arlen Specter, EFCA, PA-SEN

EFCA

New Business Coalition Pressures Senators To Back EFCA

Brian Beutler | June 4, 2009, 10:34AM

A new coalition of business leaders--Business Leaders for a Fair Economy--will press Congress in the coming weeks to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

As part of their launch, the group has placed an ad in the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and Politico, and it's chairman Roger Smith (who's also the President and CEO of American Income Life Insurance Company and National Income Life Insurance Company) has sent a letter to members of the Senate asking them to support EFCA.

It's important to counter the myths and misunderstandings that unions are bad for business. Quite the contrary - allowing workers to freely join unions can improve morale, productivity, and retention rates, and our bottom line. Further, enabling workers to make their own choice on how to form a union helps remove unnecessary conflict from the workplace so labor and management can focus on advancing the business....

In this tough economy, Business Leaders for a Fair Economy believes that passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is more pressing than ever. We urge you and your colleagues to put our country on a path toward lasting economic and financial recovery by enacting this vital measure.

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Topics: EFCA, Senate

EFCA

Labor Law Violator Argues Against EFCA In Arkansas

Brian Beutler | June 2, 2009, 4:14PM

A group of 11 Arkansas business leaders met with the state's congressional delegation today to voice their opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act. According to Arkansas Business, the the group included Michael Keck, whose St. Vincent Health System has been found time and again to be in violation of federal labor law.

Nurses there successfully joined a union in 2000 after a previous failed attempt was overturned by the National Labor Relations Board "amid charges that St. Vincent officials improperly tried to influence staff."

Two years later, St. Vincent was found to be involved in a similar attempt to decertify the union by "illegally lobby[ing] unions to end union representation."

Altogether, negotiations dragged on for nearly three years before before a contract was finally ratified. Those quotes come from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, but were aggregated by the Service Employees International Union before Keck's meeting with the delegation was announced. SEIU has been pressuring key Democrats in Arkansas to end their opposition to EFCA.

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Topics: Blanche Lincoln, EFCA, Mark Pryor, SEIU

Blanche Lincoln

Change To Win Targets Blanche Lincoln With Direct Mail Campaign

Brian Beutler | June 1, 2009, 9:12AM

The labor consortium Change To Win is targeting Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) with a direct mail campaign. The flyer credits her with helping assure that the stimulus bill survived in the Senate and tells recipients to "ask Senator Lincoln to do the right thing" and vote for the Employee Free Choice Act.

David Kinkade of The Arkansas Project got his hands on a copy.

Labor groups have been targeting Lincoln pretty consistently since she came out against the original language of EFCA earlier this year. Last week, workers held a 24 hour vigil at Lincoln's office in Little Rock. And AFL-CIO's director of organizing Stewart Acuff says Lincoln has received 14,000 handwritten letters from workers and small business owners across Arkansas.

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Topics: AFL-CIO, Blanche Lincoln, Change to Win, EFCA

Arlen Specter

Americans For Prosperity Launches Campaign Against 'Arlen Spector'

Brian Beutler | May 28, 2009, 2:49PM

The Pennsylvania chapter of the conservative group Americans For Prosperity has launched a letter-writing campaign to pressure Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) to oppose Democratic labor, energy, and health reform proposals. Unfortunately, they seem to have misspelled his name.

How embarrassing. One reader writes in to tell us that AFP is robocalling Pennsylvanians in an attempt to increase the number of signatures on a petition they plan to send him. I'm sure Senator "Spector" will carefully consider AFP's objections.

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Topics: Arlen Specter, Cap-and-Trade, EFCA, Health Care, PA-SEN

Andy Stern

SEIU Runs Letter To Obama From Pauline Beck In Los Angeles Times

Brian Beutler | May 27, 2009, 11:29AM

The SEIU's bid to get Barack Obama back on board their campaign to prevent the state of California from slashing home health workers wages continues today in the Los Angeles Times.

The group has purchased ad space in the paper, and used it to run a letter from Pauline Beck to President Barack Obama. "Mr. President, I had hoped your stimulus bill, which is bringing billions of dollars to California, would help protect home care," the letter reads. "Unfortunately, it seems that the money is being used for other things."

Read more »

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Topics: Andy Stern, Barack Obama, EFCA, SEIU, Stimulus

Arlen Specter

Dems To Sestak: Stay In Your Place

Brian Beutler | May 25, 2009, 1:27PM

The White House has been pretty clear for weeks now that they want Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) to sail smoothly to re-election in 2010. But now, apparently, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is getting in on the act.

Word out of Washington, D.C., is that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the political wiseguys from the Obama administration plan on "visiting with" Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Joe Sestak.

Their objective is clear: Get him off the stage and out of a primary race against incumbent (and now Democrat) Sen. Arlen Specter.

Sestak seems to have scaled back his attacks on Specter in the last week or two, and he suggested he approves of Specter's efforts to reach a compromise on the Employee Free Choice Act with the bill's sponsor Sen. Tom Harkin (R-IA). But he's also said he'd likely get into the race unless Specter came into line with the Democrats on a whole host of issues. Does this change his calculus?

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Topics: Arlen Specter, DSCC, EFCA, Joe Sestak

Arlen Specter

Harkin: Compromise On EFCA Or Else

Brian Beutler | May 20, 2009, 9:30AM

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chief sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, has a warning for Democratic foes of his flagship legislation: Work with me in earnest on a compromise, or I'll put the bill on the Senate floor and you can vote your conscience.

That may not sound like a grave threat, but it may well be. Two of the bills main skeptics--Sens. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)--face re-election next year, and both, for different reasons, may ultimately need union support to prevail. Specter, who tacked to the right and came out against EFCA before becoming a Democrat, is facing pressure from the Democratic base and Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) to move left or face a primary challenge.

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Topics: Arlen Specter, Blanche Lincoln, Democrats, EFCA, Joe Sestak, PA-SEN, Senate, Senate '10

EFCA

Gingrich Threatens EFCA Twitterer With Lawsuit, Doesn't Understand Twitter

Brian Beutler | May 19, 2009, 11:06AM

The campaign to pass the Employee Free Choice Act has reached the Twittersphere, and, naturally, foes of organized labor, such as Newt Gingrich, are taking it all in stride.

"We are writing to demand that you immediately take down an illegal and fraudulent posting on Twitter...which falsely purports to be written by our clients and unlawfully uses the name of Messrs. [Newt] Gingrich and [Saul] Anuzis," reads a letter (PDF) from Stefan Passatino of the law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge.

The cease and desist notice comes in response to an online movement intended to convince Gingrich's Twitter followers (among others) to sign a petition in support of EFCA. Gingrich and his lawyer takes issue with the campaign, but that's possibly because the finer points of Twitter have eluded both of them.

We have recently learned that a pro-EFCA group calling itself "The Truth About EFCA.Org" and operating a website at that URL, has apparently publish the Posting on Twitter. The Posting falsely purports to have been written by Messrs. Gingrich and Anuzis and includes the Mark [ampersand] as well as the Twitter "handles" of the foregoing individuals.

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Topics: EFCA, Newt Gingrich, Twitter

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | May 19, 2009, 9:01AM

Obama, Automakers To Roll Out New Mileage And Emissions Standards
President Obama and the country's automakers are set to announce this morning a new set of national mileage and emissions standards, with cars and trucks required to get 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. The automakers cooperated with the government in reaching these standards in order to pre-empt battles with individual states, and they have been given more time to reach the goals.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will deliver remarks at 12:15 p.m. ET, on the new set of auto emissions and efficiency standards. At 1:45 p.m. ET, he will meet in the Oval Office with formers Secs. of State Henry Kissinger and George Schultz, former Sec. of Defense William Perry, and former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA). At 3:30 p.m. ET, he will speak at a ceremony honoring the National Small Business Award Winners. At 4:30 p.m. ET, he will meet with Sec. of Defense Robert Gates in the Oval Office.

Read more »

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Topics: Auto Industry, Barack Obama, EFCA, Israel, Joe Biden, Michael Steele, RNC, Sarah Palin, Swine Flu

Arlen Specter

Specter's Slow Move To The Left Begins?

Brian Beutler | May 15, 2009, 2:26PM

When Arlen Specter became a Democrat nearly three weeks ago, everyone in Washington was extremely "surprised," but nobody was really all that surprised. Specter had been taking a beating from the right for, among other things, supporting the stimulus bill. He had lost the confidence of many in his party and, to ward off attackers, he was tacking steadily to the right to protect himself from a primary challenge he nonetheless seemed poised to lose.

So he became a Democrat. The move made sense as a matter of both Senate and electoral politics. Specter fits in just as well among the significant ranks of conservative Senate Democrats as he does among the ever-shrinking ranks of moderate Republicans, and his move into the majority renews what had been his dwindling hopes of re-election.

But then, unthinkably, he doubled down on all of the positions he'd taken as a threatened Republican. He bucked his new party on health care, reiterated his freshly minted objection to the Employee Free Choice Act (a bill he once wholly endorsed), and he flatly opposed the nomination of Dawn Johnsen, who President Obama has nominated to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel.

Now, though, he's showing some signs of easing up on the Republicanisms.

Read more »

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Topics: Arlen Specter, Barack Obama, Dawn Johnsen, Democrats, EFCA, Filibuster, Health Care, Joe Sestak, Labor, PA-SEN, Republicans, Senate, Senate '10

EFCA

3100 Companies, Including Wal-Mart, Sign Letter To Congress Opposing EFCA

Brian Beutler | May 14, 2009, 5:51PM

Over 3000 members of the nearly three million-member strong Chamber of Commerce have sent a letter (PDF) to Congress expressing "strong opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act."

EFCA has three provisions, each of which we oppose. The first provision would require union recognition based on authorization cards signed by a majority of employees. This provision would allow organizing to be conducted in secret, would effectively eliminate the secret ballot election, and would hinder or even eliminate an employer's ability to tell its side of the story and correct misleading union rhetoric. Card check recognition also would effectively disenfranchise employees who oppose unionization and, as courts have repeatedly recognized, is inherently less reliable than traditional election processes for determining whether employees wish to have union representation.

The second provision would enable a union seeking a first contract to require the
employer to enter into binding interest arbitration if a collective bargaining agreement were not reached within as little as 130 days....

The third provision would significantly increase penalties on employers for certain
violations of labor laws.

That's just about every provision of the bill.

On the one hand, 3100 signatories represents a very, very small percentage of the Chamber's members. On the other hand, there are a lot of big names on this list, including General Electric and, crucially, Wal-Mart. And there's little doubt that the business community is pulling out all the stops on EFCA.

On the third hand, the letter itself runs one page, and the list of signatories goes on for 30 more. And that strikes me as a huge waste of paper.

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Topics: Chamber of Commerce, EFCA

Arlen Specter

Specter: We're Close To A Compromise On EFCA

Brian Beutler | May 14, 2009, 1:59PM

According to the Associated Press, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) announced Thursday that the "prospects are pretty good" for an Employee Free Choice compromise.

"[H]e said he's been meeting with labor leaders and fellow senators in hopes of coming up with a compromise he could support."

The details of that compromise will be crucial, and, for labor to be happy, would probably have to be pretty cosmetic. But, as the AP reminds us, "Specter has said he opposes the "card check" and arbitration provisions of the bill, [leaving] the door open to other changes that would help unions, such as speeding up the election process and giving unions more access to campaign at work sites."

"Card check" and arbitration are the key components of the bill, and Specter, who was once and EFCA co-sponsor, knows how important they are. It would be hugely disappointing to labor if he didn't come back around to supporting both provisions, at least in watered down forms. But if Specter went from full support of a bill to no support of the same bill in the span of a few months, it stands to reason he could turn right back around and support it all over again. We may have an answer soon.

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Topics: Arlen Specter, EFCA, Senate, Senate '10

Arlen Specter

New Ad: Will Specter Stand With Pennsylvanians Or 'Greedy CEOs And Big Business'

Brian Beutler | May 13, 2009, 10:25AM

The group American Rights at Work is targeting Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) with a new ad asking whether he'll stand "with Obama, Biden, and the working families of Pennsylvania, or with greedy CEOs and big business lobbyists" on Employee Free Choice.

"We hope Senator Specter will join the President and the majority of Congress who understand that if we truly wish to restore our middle class, workers must be able to bargain, not borrow their way to a better life," said Kimberly Freeman, Acting Executive Director of ARW.

The ad is among the first to target Specter on any issue since he switched parties last month, and by far the most explicit. In recent days, progressive groups have seemingly demonstrated a renewed willingness to target conservative Democrats. Earlier this spring a variety of campaigns aimed at pressuring House Blue Dogs and their Senate counterparts were scrapped (or all-but scrapped) after party leaders said the initiatives weren't helping.

Specter cosponsored the Employee Free Choice Act last Congress, but reneged that support this spring when, as a Republican, he faced a 2010 primary challenge from conservative Pat Toomey. Now, as a Democrat, he's supposedly working toward a compromise with the bill's lead sponsor, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA).

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Topics: Arlen Specter, EFCA

Blanche Lincoln

Will Unions Back A Green Candidate Against Blanche Lincoln?

Brian Beutler | May 11, 2009, 6:39PM

The cause of Employee Free Choice been dealt a number of difficult blows in the last several weeks, but perhaps the hardest came from Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) in early April when she came out against EFCA. At the time she said, "[I] cannot support that bill in its current form. Cannot support and will not support moving it forward in its current form."

Deliberations are underway between labor groups and key legislators who seek a compromise bill with enough support to overcome a Republican filibuster. But Lincoln, whose constituents include Wal-Mart, is situated to drive a hard bargain.

That is, of course, unless she thinks her job might be at stake. And it could be--or, at least, some influential people want her to think it could be. One senior labor official close to the situation told TPMDC that a general election challenge could be in the works. "I think that's a line people are preparing to cross."

Read more »

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Topics: AFL-CIO, Blanche Lincoln, EFCA, Labor, Mark Pryor, Senate, Senate '10

Arlen Specter

Sestak: Specter Is 'Expedient' Choice, Not Reliable Through 2016

Brian Beutler | May 5, 2009, 4:21PM

On CNN moments ago, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) reiterated a couple themes he touched on when I interviewed him last night--specifically that the Democratic establishment has embraced Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) for expediency's sake, and that Specter may not be a reliable choice for Pennsylvania Democrats, particularly given that his next term, should he win re-election, won't end until 2016.

Specter's working toward a compromise with Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chief sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, but Sestak's demanded much more of him if he hopes to fend off a primary challenge.

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Topics: Arlen Specter, Democrats, EFCA, Joe Sestak, PA-SEN, Senate, Senate '10

Arlen Specter

SEIU Talks EFCA With Specter--Says It's 'Critical' Issue

Brian Beutler | May 5, 2009, 4:02PM

As we noted earlier, Sen. Arlen Specter met with senior SEIU officials this afternoon, just one day after his most likely competitor for the Democratic Senate nomination in Pennsylvania--Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA)--met with the group's president Andy Stern.

One of those officials was Eileen Connelly, Executive Director of SEIU's Pennsylvania State Council, who, reached by phone, said the meeting "was all about EFCA". "We didn't really talk about health care," she said.

Specter's support for both issues, but particularly the Employee Free Choice Act, has been flagging. Before he became a Democrat, he disavowed his prior support for EFCA, and then reiterated that position after switching parties last week.

"I think that part of our concern is--the Employee Free Choice Act is a critical issue for us," Connelly said. "It's why we've been talking to Specter, whether he's a Republican or a Democrat."

I asked her whether the Pennsylvania SEIU would consider getting involved in a Democratic primary if one of the candidates took stronger position on that issue. She said it was a bit too early to make big calls like that but that "there's nothing automatic for anybody."

"I don't want to say that it's all or nothing," Connelly added, "but it's very critical."

Read more »

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Topics: Arlen Specter, Democrats, EFCA, Health Care, Joe Sestak, PA-SEN, Pat Toomey, Republicans, Senate, Senate '10, Tom Ridge

Arlen Specter

Specter Meets With Labor Leaders

Brian Beutler | May 5, 2009, 2:20PM

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) isn't the only potential Pennsylvania Senate candidate meeting with senior labor officials. Sam Stein reports that earlier today Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA)--the former Republican who's been all-but promised an easy road to the nomination by establishment Democrats--met with SEIU Officials Anna Burger--Chair of Change to Win and Secretary-Treasurer of SEIU--and Eileen Connelly, the Executive Director of the SEIU Pennsylvania State Council.

These were Specter's natural allies when he was a pro-labor Republican, but between the threat of a primary challenge by conservative Pat Toomey, and his sudden defection into the Democratic party, Specter has doubled down on more conservative positions, saying that he no longer supports the Employee Free Choice Act and opposes a publicly funded insurance option as a component of comprehensive health reform.

Those statements and others have drawn the ire of Sestak and labor officials, who say Specter better get in line, or his road to the Democratic Senate nomination in 2010 won't be as smooth as he first expected. We'll get you more specifics about these talks as they come in.

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Topics: Arlen Specter, Democrats, EFCA, Health Care, Joe Sestak, PA-SEN, Pat Toomey, SEIU, Senate, Senate '10

Arlen Specter

Sestak: We Don't Need The GOP's Benedict Arnolds

Brian Beutler | May 5, 2009, 11:21AM

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) hasn't been shy about criticizing Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) for switching parties last week, but his harshest words came last night in an interview with TPMDC: "He left the fight," said the former admiral and highest ranking military man ever to serve in Congress. "In the military, we just don't leave fights."

Sestak's shot at Specter comes amid grassroots grumbling that the deal Democratic leaders struck to get Specter to defect from the GOP cost the party a shot at putting a real liberal in the seat in 2010.

"I can't figure out...why the deal was done," Sestak told me, saying he's concerned that the party was so quick to embrace Specter for reasons of "expediency," and without regard to the needs of Pennsylvania voters. "It isn't Washington's prerogative to tell us what to do," Sestak insisted.

I asked him whether he'd been on the receiving end of establishment pressure -- from people like Vice President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell -- to stay out of the race, and he insisted, "I haven't heard from anyone."

While Democrats from the While House on down might be trying to keep the Democratic primary field clear for Specter, they might not necessarily mind the fact that, for the time being, Sestak is applying pressure on Specter to move left. By keeping the door open to challenging Specter in the Democratic primary, Sestak may serve to nudge Specter further than he might otherwise have gone. Yesterday, Sestak told Greg Sargent that if Specter "doesn't demonstrate that he has shifted his position on a number of issues, I would not hesitate at all to get in" to a primary fight against him.

Read more »

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Topics: Andy Stern, Arlen Specter, Barack Obama, Democrats, EFCA, Health Care, Joe Sestak, PA-SEN, SEIU, Senate, Senate '10, Twitter

Arlen Specter

SEIU's Stern To Meet Sestak Today

Brian Beutler | May 4, 2009, 9:16AM

SEIU president Andy Stern did the unusual yesterday and broke some news on Twitter: In Twitter-esque shorthand--unnecessary, as the message came in well under the allotted 140 characters--Stern wrote, "Congressman Sestak impressive on CNN. Visiting him tomorrow."

We'll try to learn more about the meeting once it's all said and done. Keep in mind, though, that it comes a day after Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) insisted on Meet the Press that he's not a loyal Democrat, and opposes significant aspects of the President's agenda. That outburst (unsurprisingly) hasn't done much to quiet calls from the left for Sestak to challenge Specter in the Democratic primary next year.

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Topics: Andy Stern, Arlen Specter, Democrats, EFCA, Joe Sestak, SEIU, Senate, Senate '10, Twitter