CNN: Democrats blast unions' pressure tactics on trade

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/03/politics/president-obama-democrats-unions-trade/index.html

By Deirdre Walsh and Eric Bradner, CNN
Updated 10:27 PM ET, Wed June 3, 2015

Washington (CNN)The Democrats who support President Barack Obama's free-trade push are growing increasingly concerned about organized labor's hardball tactics.

The AFL-CIO and other leading labor unions have made defeating trade promotion authority -- which greases the wheels for Obama's massive Trans-Pacific Partnership by guaranteeing it an up-or-down vote with no amendments -- their top legislative priority.

"Labor is going a little overboard and I think there is some potential backlash for how far they are going," said Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Democrat, on Wednesday.

The measure has already cleared the Senate, and it's expected to get a vote in the House in the coming weeks.

FULL story and video at link.

[Phlem]

1. WTF!

Democrat's are blasting unions on "Free Trade" bullshit?

this is Orwellian.

The Dem's have sunk to a new low.

But, not unexpected.

The times they are a changing my friend.

[daleanime]

2. What is this?

The people answer to politicians?

[840high]

3. ....

[hedda_foil]

4. This reeks of DLC values.

One of their goals was to lessen the political power of unions. The name may have changed, but the melody stays the same.

[olddots]

5. hey people its CNN

TVs have been changed from Fox to CNN for various reasons and now CNN is almost Fox .As for Dems blasting unions ? yeah some dinos get airplay on the new Fox which is something that has to
be dealt with .

All these flat screens beaming bullshit are pissing off even the wingers where it goes next is a real puzzle because businesses are cutting their cable too .

[PatrickforO]

6. I wonder why these Dems aren't thinking this one through. I mean,

there's a REAL COMPELLING reason unions are so against the TPP. Why don't they listen instead of criticize?

These are their people, their constituents - the ones they are SUPPOSED to act in the best interests of.

[cui bono]

7. Labor is NOT the group who is going overboard.

Goddammit. WTF Obama? Fucking stop this stupid shit. Turn it off. Now.

How far labor is going? It's you asshole DINOs that are going to damn far and way overboard now just STFU already!!!


Jesus fucking christ. Idiots. Go join the Republican party already.

[socialist_n_TN]

8. Quite frankly, this is not surprising. The Democrats ARE a bourgeois political party.........

and, as such, they will support whatever the capitalists want them to support. The only time this will even be challenged is if there is a massive outcry from the people.

[Starry Messenger]

9. Really disappointed in Bera

Labor supported him in a race that was for a seat that was rated one of the most vulnerable in the whole country. I have a picture of myself outside his campaign office, and there were other union t-shirts in the office too. We were phone-banking. Me and my friends drove up to Sacto from the Bay Area.

I'm lucky Rep. Speiers, my own rep, is opposed to TPP. I'm glad Labor is digging in its heels.

[Cheese Sandwich]

10. It's the same playbook Clinton used to pass NAFTA

If anyone wants to go back and read the news around the NAFTA debate, when labor started fighting back, you had Clinton and the Dems and the media calling labor unions a bunch of bullies, entrenched special interests, etc.

Not that the business interests pushing for TPP are anything besides very narrow special interests.

[ctsnowman]

11. Should read

neo-liberal Democrats blast unions'.

[Cheese Sandwich]

12. Reminds me of when they were voting on NAFTA

This headline could have come straight out of the past. It was the exact same thing.

Clinton and his allies turned on labor and called them "special interests". For a few weeks the whole debate became about whether Clinton and the Dems would have the courage to stand up to the powerful special interests who want to block free trade.