Specter delivers death blow to labor union bill

[cali]

By Kevin Bogardus
Posted: 03/24/09 02:30 PM
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced Tuesday he will oppose card check, giving an apparent death blow to the most important congressional issue to organized labor.

Specter made the dramatic announcement in a floor speech. His opposition means Democrats can count on a maximum of 59 votes to move the bill forward, one short of the 60 required to clear Senate rules.



Winning 59 votes would require Democrat Al Franken to beat Republican Norm Coleman in the still-contested Minnesota Senate race. Democrats also would have to count on holding the rest of their votes, and several centrists have raised doubts about the bill.

In his floor speech, Specter noted that Franken’s likely win could give him the 60th vote required to make the bill law.

“If so, the decisive vote would be mine,” said Specter, who told The Hill last week in an interview that his would be the decisive vote.

<snip>

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/specter-to-oppose-cloture-on-card-check-2009-03-24.html

dog, I loath Arlen.

[msongs]

1. working people, get the names of dems who vote against efca nt

[LearnedHand]

2. Tell me again, please ...

WHY couldn't the Dems do this when they were out of power? Hmmm?

Edit to clarify what the HELL I meant: Why couldn't Dems use these procedural moves to block repuke legislation?

[cali]

5. They did do it. Over and over. Why people here don't know that or

purposefully ignore it, is beyond me.

[muntrv]

3. Let 'em filibuster. The image of the economy tanking while the pukes read

the phone book into the record will not sit well with the public.

[mainegreen]

4. Fine. Lets seem them filibuster. Call them out on filibustering that one.

Will only help us win MORE senate seats next time around.

[Mike 03]

6. I can't believe I actually used to respect this man.

Now I put in him the same category with Mitch McConnell, Jon Kyl and McCain.

Disgrace.

[Mojambo]

7. Conservatives to working people: "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck YOU."

This will get a lot of the Blue Dogs off the hook, because without 60 there's no way that fucking wimp Harry Reid will ever even bring it up.

We'll never even get to find out which of the Democrats would have voted against it.

[Luminous Animal]

8. WTF! You do not need 60 votes to pass a bill in the Senate!

This is how the Republicans neuter our power. And I don't mean the Dems in office but every citizen's power to hold their elected representatives responsible for their actions and words.

You need 60 votes for cloture. Not 60 bills to pass a bill. I understand why the corporate media continues to peddle this lie. I don't understand why so many Democrats pass it off as the truth.

Let the fuckers filibuster if they are so dead set against this bill.

[madrchsod]

14. no one get`s that do they...

i guess the democrats are just a bunch of dogs that whimper at the sound of thunder on a rainy night.

harry needs to grow some and tell the republicans to start talking.

[New Dawn]

23. Exactly!

[backscatter712]

9. Looks like Specter doesn't want to be reelected.

The unions in Pennsylvania were offering to back Specter if he backed EFCA. Since he's not, they won't.

So Specter first gets to face a rough primary challenge from Toomey, so either he stays in the middle and loses in the primary, or he drifts hard right to win the primary, but gets spanked by the Democrat in the general election.

Have fun with that, Specter...

Unfortunately, we may have to wait until 2010-2011 for EFCA - when we get a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, but Specter just guaranteed that we're going to take his seat.

[sam sarrha]

10. i cant stand his face... either one of them

[MiniMe]

11. PA is a strong union state. A mistake for Specter imho

[xchrom]

12. let. them. filibuster. nt

[amborin]

13. this is an outrage; what can be done?

[madrchsod]

15. get reid a set of balls....

[amborin]

18. what do you recommend

Reid do?

[madrchsod]

24. force them to filibuster the bill

[deaniac21]

16. Secret ballots suck.

[ogneopasno]

17. I hope PA unions put their money where their mouths are and withhold endorsements, donations, and

shoeleather from this asshole. Labor needs to start calling candidates on what they say and how they act.

[Fire1]

19. Contrived, contrived, contrived.

[DemoTex]

20. Fight for the flag! What flag? This fucking flag:

DemoTex
Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) - AFL-CIO

[steelmania75]

21. My state better kick him out of the Senate in 2010.

[SmileyRose]

22. God forbid workers get the choices instead of the company.

Right now the company holds ALL the cards regarding how or if a vote for unionization will ever take place. All the Employee Free Choice Act does is take that choice away from the company and hand it over to the employees. The employees choose how or if a vote on unionization takes place. If they want secret ballot fine, if they want card check fine, if they want pick straws in the nude out in the snow, fine. The company has no say whatsoever regarding workers voting for a union.

The company still has plenty of cards. They can refuse organizers entry to the premises. In many states they can fire any worker for any reason at any time (as in fire them for talking about unions at work). They can refuse to allow meetings or voting to take place on the premises. They can shutter the business rather than be unionized (like Walmart did). They can still sic their pals in government on those pushing for unions. They can still send out the goons in the dead of night to scare the shit out of female workers, wives and worker's children and parents. They can canvas the street where workers discussion unions live and ask their neighbors if they know anything about "Joe" molesting children. All perfectly legal.

All that's being asked is that the peons have just one card. Just one.


God forbid.

[FVZA_Colonel]

25. I fucking knew EFCA was the reason Coleman would drag this shit out.

It's not going to matter now, but I knew this was the reason. I fucking hope they just use the nuclear option on this, I don't care any more.