To labor leaders, Obama makes pledge on economy: Not giving up, not giving in

[sabra]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is pledging a relentless fight to rebuild the economy as millions of families struggle.

Obama is telling union officials in Washington, "We are not giving up, and we are not giving in."

The president spoke in personal terms Wednesday about the plight of people who have not been able to find work in the deep, enduring recession. He spoke of spouses who must have uncomfortable conversations about not being able to afford their homes any more or not being able to save money for college funds.

The president spoke to the AFL-CIO Executive Council.

He alluded to the Republican administration of George W. Bush in saying that the government held an improper animosity toward unions for eight years.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-obama,0,838170.story

[county worker]

1. Prove it to me. Sponsor a vote on card check this week!

[katandmoon]

2. More empty talk from the emptiest Democratic president I've ever seen

[Sherman A1]

3. I am from Missouri

Show Me.......

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Balk up the talk with the walk, and I'll get onboard

[Stinky The Clown]

9. I totally fucked up that reply. "Balk" (???) should be "Back"

[nyy1998]

11. You turned a tough message into some sort of baseball quote

I think the runner is standing on 2nd now, lol

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Won't stop at breaking teacher and auto worker unions

He's going for the whole enchilada.

With a side order of slashing Social Security.

[Oregone]

6. So when will the NAFTA repeal/renegotiation come?

MR. RUSSERT: But let me button this up. Absent the change that you're suggesting, you are willing to opt out of NAFTA in six months?

SEN. CLINTON: I'm confident that as president, when I say we will opt out unless we renegotiate, we will be able to renegotiate.

MR. RUSSERT: Senator Obama, you did in 2004 talk to farmers and suggest that NAFTA had been helpful. The Associated Press today ran a story about NAFTA, saying that you have been consistently ambivalent towards the issue. Simple question: Will you, as president, say to Canada and Mexico, "This has not worked for us; we are out"?

SEN. OBAMA: I will make sure that we renegotiate, in the same way that Senator Clinton talked about. And I think actually Senator Clinton's answer on this one is right. I think we should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labor and environmental standards that are enforced. And that is not what has been happening so far.

That is something that I have been consistent about. I have to say, Tim, with respect to my position on this, when I ran for the United States Senate, the Chicago Tribune, which was adamantly pro-NAFTA, noted that, in their endorsement of me, they were endorsing me despite my strong opposition to NAFTA.

And that conversation that I had with the Farm Bureau, I was not ambivalent at all. What I said was that NAFTA and other trade deals can be beneficial to the United States because I believe every U.S. worker is as productive as any worker around the world, and we can compete with anybody. And we can't shy away from globalization. We can't draw a moat around us. But what I did say, in that same quote, if you look at it, was that the problem is we've been negotiating just looking at corporate profits and what's good for multinationals, and we haven't been looking at what's good for communities here in Ohio, in my home state of Illinois, and across the country.

And as president, what I want to be is an advocate on behalf of workers. Look, you know, when I go to these plants, I meet people who are proud of their jobs. They are proud of the products that they've created. They have built brands and profits for their companies. And when they see jobs shipped overseas and suddenly they are left not just without a job, but without health care, without a pension, and are having to look for seven-buck-an-hour jobs at the local fast-food joint, that is devastating on them, but it's also devastating on the community. That's not the way that we're going to prosper as we move forward.

http://www.cfr.org/publication/15604/democratic_debate_transcript_cleveland_ohio.html

[snot]

7. "Not giving up, not giving in" -- let me know when.

[Frisbee]

8. I'll believe it when I see it...

and I don't expect to see it any time soon. The best this administration seem to be capable of giving us is a watered down compromise with 80% of the input coming for repukes and large corporations. My expectations for this administration are fast approaching zero.

[Brickbat]

10. That's nice.

I'll believe it when I fucking see it, so he can just stop talking and MOVE.

[JDPriestly]

12. Then why is his State Department spending millions to train

workers overseas to do IT jobs that Americans could be hired to do? His words are inconsistent with his actions when it comes to our economy.

I am in favor of assisting development in underdeveloped countries.

But exporting jobs that could be done in the U.S., training people overseas to do jobs to provide services to people in the U.S. should not be permitted, much less paid for with our tax money.