The White House hasn't noticed the new labor movement in the US.

[undeterred]

They're looking for a way to "fire up the base".

Maybe they'll give us a .0025% tax cut.

Maybe they'll give us a new slogan.

Maybe they'll only slash half our social security.

Maybe they are just totally clueless and won't even notice the revolution...

[kenny blankenship]

1. No I think they are quietly doing their part

to screw labor forever.

[dennis4868]

5. I agree...

meanwhile in reality world.... President Obama will push for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act
http://www.eclectablog.com/2011/03/president-obama-will...

[walldude]

38. Dead link.. got anything else?

I'd like to see this...

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. Makes one wonder

if the White House even understands the challenges of labor. Much less approves of the movement.

[dennis4868]

9. i agree,,,,,

but in reality:

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka gave his blessing Sunday to President Obama’s handling of the labor standoff in Wisconsin.
http://weaselzippers.us/2011/02/27/head-afl-cio-goon-richard-trumka-praises-obamas-handling-of-wisconsin-labor-battle/

[Coyote_Bandit]

16. You refer to organized labor

I speak of all who toil.

Frankly, I think the President is either out of touch with their needs and priorities - or he just doesn't give a sh*t.

[dennis4868]

22. I agree....

but in reality....

President Obama will push for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act
http://www.eclectablog.com/2011/03/president-obama-will...

[Coyote_Bandit]

26. While I would like to believe that but

I know that this President has said he would do other things and then failed to make much of a effort.

He seems ignorant of basic principles of negotiation. Successful negotiations generally don't begin with concessions.

And a "bipartisian" leadership style does not lend itself to advocating for principle.

I'm not even sure "bipartisian" leadership qualifies as leadership. Seems more like choosing to play traffic cop with two partisian groups each having their own leader rather than taking the risk of trying to forge one's own path.

[dennis4868]

34. and this post my friends...

is the problem with the crazy left....this is Exhibit A!

[Coyote_Bandit]

36. Ummmm......

I notice you are more interested in calling me crazy than in refuting what I said. That's a waste of DU bandwidth - and everybody's time.

[bvar22]

37. I've seen Obama "push" before.

I'm not impressed.



Who will STAND UP and represent THIS American Majority?
Platitudes, Rhetoric, Empty Promises, and Excuses are meaningless now.

"By their WORKS you will know them,"
And by their WORKS they will be held accountable.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Successful movements come from the ground up.

This was true of the earlier labor movements, the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement, and others. The White House (whoever was in charge at the time) didn't do much until they were forced to by pressure from the people. This will be no different -- and it's probably better this way. It will be - like the others - a true people's movement, not politicized by the involvement of high-level politicians.

[sad sally]

14. You are absolutely correct.

It will take hundreds of thousands - maybe millions - of people marching in front of the White House to get the Administration's attention of the destruction of the American worker's rights. The longer a President sits in the seat of power, surrounded by all the necessary(?) presidential shields and trappings, the farther away from "the people" he (maybe someday she) gets. The only time the memory comes back is during the give-me-your-money, give-me-your-vote campaign.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. They notice it because they TOLD people to get out there and DO IT.

No ONE person can do it. The masses must do it.

[knowbody0]

6. i agree

Obama knows and has confidence in the masses. that's what democracy is, we do not need to play "simon says".

[undeterred]

7. The White House Told Labor what to do?

:rofl: I'm from Madison and I never met a single protester who was out there because of Obama.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. YOU are the change YOU are waiting for. n/t

[undeterred]

10. You've totally changed the subject.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. You missed the point. n/t

[leftstreet]

11. Nice SLOGAN but not the OP's POINT n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

13. Your tag-team attack is silly. n/t

[leftstreet]

15. So why do YOU think the Admin is ignoring the energy of the labor protests?

Odd indeed. Scratching their heads about 'firing up the base,' when all this is going on.

What do you make of it?

[BumRushDaShow]

19. You assume that only "you" are the "Legitimate Base™"

You see who is "fired up" in all of these states, don't you?

Capeche?

What do you make of that? See how silly your argument is?

[leftstreet]

23. So you're not sure why the Admin's ignoring the labor protests?

Wut R U talking about? I didn't say anything about myself.

Again, why do YOU think Admin's scratching collective heads trying to figure out how to 'fire up the base' - when there's an outbreak of labor solidarity across the US?

[BumRushDaShow]

28. So you don't understand what the quotation marks mean

with respect to the use of "you" (collective as opposed to personal)?

So you want to make it personal?

I saw and continue to see a "base" that has expanded, with hundreds of thousands, including those who endorsed the very repukes who are in power now, and who have woken up, and are fired up.

The point isn't about the one man. It's about waking up the apathetic people and that is slowly starting to happen.

[leftstreet]

30. So "you" don't know why they're ignoring it either

Yeah, it makes no sense

Especially given how this Administration is so focused on bi-partisanship. You'd think they'd see a real opportunity with "those who endorsed the very repukes who are in power now"

[BumRushDaShow]

31. See post 29. n/t

[undeterred]

25. Let me spell it out for you.

The movement is thousands, no millions of middle class American voters who are in danger of losing their economic security. They are already losing it. So they are mobilizing to take back control of State goverment, and once that's done they'll be in a mood to take back their Federal government too.

Any White House that is looking for a "fired up" issue that doesn't recognize the class war that is now underway is totally missing what is already happening.

Four years ago Barack Obama had great political instincts. From where he is now I'm not sure he can see things as clearly.

[BumRushDaShow]

29. How about being less condenscending

and thinking about what I wrote? What is happening is that people are waking up. No one is missing any point. The numbers who voted in 2008 were absent in 2010, busy watching American Idol and Survivor. If anything, the statement is pure hyperbole and targeted at a broad range of folks, not just those who are or feel they are oppressed.

We seem to go through this time and time and time again and people spin themselves into oblivion ("drama") rather than help to guide the process to get a long term solution and more "people" participation.

[Poboy]

17. Keychains and logos!

[sad sally]

27. Is "Winning the Future" the new logo you speak of?

If so, isn't it an ironic one in that Newt Gingrich's 2007 non-profit activist group was named American Solutions for Winning the Future. Seems the WH handlers could have come up with something more original...

[old mark]

18. We got a new logo and a vegetable garden. What did you expect? nt

[undeterred]

21. I thought Obama would teach my dog to do tricks.

http://ithoughtobamawouldgetmelaid.com/

[femrap]

20. Maybe they'll buy us

a basketball.

[erinlough]

24. I would rec this post if I could!

The whole "basketball pick-up games thing with President Obama gets to me. It is what brought us Arnie Duncan after all.

[socialist_n_TN]

32. I've tried to keep an open mind about Obama.........

all along, but things like this statement is what makes it difficult to KEEP an open mind.

You've got a NATIONAL movement of activists that are ALREADY fired up. They're left leaning to a fault and becoming MORE so the longer that this goes on. In Wisconsin this has gone on for a MONTH now with hundreds of thousands of people who are so committed they're actually in the streets consistantly. In Tennessee and Michigan you've got people that are so committed that they're willing to get ARRESTED for the cause. You've got support demonstrations NATIONWIDE. Yet the Obama administration and, I suppose, Obama himself is wondering what to do to "fire up the base"???? WTF?

My question for the Obama administration is a pretty simple proposition. ALL of these hundreds of thousands of people who are willing to get out in the streets and even get ARRESTED over a traditional Democratic Party cause, are they NOT your base? The hundreds of thousands who are out in the streets represent 60% or so of the population according to all the polls. Are these people NOT your base? Mr. President, they're ALREADY fired up. Where are you?

And if this 60% is NOT your base, who is?

[undeterred]

33. The White House also said that the Left needs to get over their anger

about not getting things like the Public Option. Like the only ones who wanted a Public Option were the Left... As if the Left is ever going to roll over and play dead.

Obama is the one who needs to change, not the masses.

[socialist_n_TN]

35. Agree. But if 60% of the population is NOT.........

Obama's base, then who is? And as far as anger goes, nobody's seen nothing yet. Keep trying to take away people's rights and you'll REALLY see some anger. I'm surprised things have been as peaceful as they have been up to now.

[LooseWilly]

39. "he is walking the right line by supporting unions without appearing unduly beholden to them,"

say aides... according to AP reporting (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CAMPAIGN_ENTHUSIASM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-03-15-06-33-15).

And there you have it... Obama "supports" unions... he just doesn't want to look like he, you know, is "beholden," which might be misconstrued to mean that he would actually do anything that would... support them.

:+

What's not 'firing up' about that? I'm won over... I "support" Obama... I just don't want to look like I, you know, am "beholden" to him... because that might be misconstrued to mean that I might actually do anything that would... support him.

I'm sure the White House will feel reassured if labor returns such hearty support in-kind. ;)

[undeterred]

When he's campaigning for president next year

I'm not going to talk about him or make phone calls for him or canvas or put on a button or a bumpersticker or even make a contribution to his campaign... because I don't want to do anything that would make me look like I am beholden to him.

Unless there's a better choice, I'll still vote for him though. It will just be my private business, just like his support for me.

[undeterred]

40. When he's campaigning for president next year

I'm not going to talk about him or make phone calls for him or canvas or put on a button or a bumpersticker or even make a contribution to his campaign... because I don't want to do anything that would make me look like I am beholden to him.

Unless there's a better choice, I'll still vote for him though. It will just be my private business, just like his support for me.

[JoeyT]

41. He super secretly supports them!

As long as it never requires him to do anything to actually support them.

I assure you, he's noticed.

[senseandsensibility]

42. LOL

At this point, I'd rather laugh than cry.