TPMDC
Mark Pryor

Obama And Hu Vow Cooperation, But Produce Few Deals
At their press appearance today, President Obama and Chinese President Hut Jintao promised greater cooperation between the two countries on issues such as climate change and nuclear disarmament. During their appearance, however, Hu pointedly called on Obama to reject protectionism -- the U.S. recently imposed tariffs on Chinese-made tires and steel pipes -- and Obama called on China to relax controls that keep their currency artificially weak on the world market.

Obama's Day In China
President Obama participated in a welcome ceremony in Beijing at 9:45 a.m. local time (8:45 p.m. ET last night). He held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao at 10 a.m., and an expanded meeting at 10:45 a.m. They made joint press statements at 12:15 p.m. Obama toured the Forbidden City at 1:20 p.m. He met with U.S. Embassy employees and their families at 2:55 p.m. He held a bilateral meeting with Chairman Wu Bangguo at 5:55 p.m., and attended a state dinner at 6:30 p.m.

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Topics: Barack Obama, Blanche Lincoln, China, Jeremiah Wright, Joe Biden, John McCain, Mark Pryor, Roundup, Sarah Palin

Ben Nelson

HCAN Targets Lincoln, Pryor, Nelson Ahead Of Key Health Care Votes

Brian Beutler | November 13, 2009, 9:43AM

The reform campaign Health Care for America Now is running ads in health care swing states Arkansas and Nebraska, pressuring key Democrats (and one Republican!) to support the Senate health care bill.

Arkansas:

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Topics: Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, HCAN, Health Care, Mark Pryor, Mike Johanns, Senate

Health Care

Pryor: Reid Has Tried To Find The Middle-Ground Among Dems--But Has He Succeeded?

Brian Beutler | November 5, 2009, 5:38PM

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) hosted a meeting of moderate Democrats this afternoon, including Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Kent Conrad (D-ND), to compare notes on health care legislation. But, as is becoming a common theme around these parts, they say there's not much to discuss until they can see the bill with a CBO score.

After the meeting adjourned, I asked Pryor whether he and fellow moderates had sympathy for the idea, articulated most frequently by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had found the correct middle ground in his caucus by including a public option in the final bill. "I know that Harry Reid has tried to find the center of the caucus. I don't know that he has, I'm not saying he hasn't. But once we actually see this bill and know what's in there, we'll talk about it as a caucus," Pryor said.

Pryor suggested that there may be some number from CBO early next week, but was careful to note that those were merely rumors. If he's right, though, we will know plenty more in the days ahead.

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Topics: Blanche Lincoln, Harry Reid, Health Care, Kent Conrad, Mark Begich, Mark Pryor, Mark Warner, Maxine Waters, Senate

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

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

Mark Pryor

Dem Sen. Pryor: "Activist Judges Have No Place On The Highest Court Of The Land"

Eric Kleefeld | May 26, 2009, 12:15PM

Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), has released this statement on the Sotomayor nomination -- expressing some possible skepticism from the relatively conservative end of the Democratic caucus:

I would expect President Obama, a former constitutional law professor, to select a high-caliber nominee who shares a deep respect for our Constitution and the rule of law. Indeed, Judge Sotomayor has impeccable credentials and an extraordinary American story. It is also critically important that she possess the proper judicial temperament and the ability to be fair and impartial. I believe this criterion is essential; activist judges have no place on the highest court of the land. That's why I plan to carefully review Judge Sonia Sotomayor judicial record and philosophy as the Senate confirmation process advances.
U.S. Supreme Court nominees deserve a high threshold of review. I believe Judge Sotomayor's confirmation hearing should be rigorous, but fair. I am encouraged that her earlier nominations to the bench - by both a Democratic and Republican president -- have received strong, bipartisan support. It is my hope the Senate can carry out its constitutional duty in a similar fashion with good-faith and civility, and not allow rhetoric to cloud the confirmation process.

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Topics: Mark Pryor, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court

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."