There’s a rather misleading headline over at the Huffington Post:
Ben Nelson Opposes Employee Free Choice Act
"I’m not in favor of the bill as it — I haven’t seen exactly what was put in, but if what was put in is the same as it’s been described, I’m not in support of that," he said.
Yeah, except nobody cares whether Nelson supports the bill or not–as Markos explained this morning, Dems Don’t Need 60 Votes–what people care about is whether he’ll vote for cloture:
Nelson was asked by a reporter if he would vote for cloture even if he ended up eventually voting against the bill. But Nelson wouldn’t commit to such support.
"We’ll have to see whether there’s adequate debate. There are a lot of questions that remain about what the process is long before we have to make a decision about the cloture vote," he said.
According to Steny Hoyer, the underlying bill will be the exact same bill on which Nelson voted for cloture the last time around. So he hasn’t said anything he hasn’t been saying all along, and if he votes for cloture again and opposes the bill when it gets to the floor, it’ll be just fine. Good Ben. Hysteria levels need to ratchet down several notches.
I’d be a lot more worried if I was NAM or the Chamber, who were blasted by Nelson for running deceptive attack ads against him earlier in the year. He concluded, "These folks shot themselves in the foot. While aiming."
Meanwhile, what about Mike Johanns, who got money from unions representing the firefighters, teachers, rural letter carriers, active & retired federal employees, plumbers and pipefitters, painters, laborers, air traffic controllers and electrical worker? He was happy to take the money of working people for the important task of getting himself elected, and now he wants to screw them on Employee Free Choice.
He also joined in the Republican stunt to oppose the stimulus bill that is bringing over $380 million to the state of Nebraska. Anyone receiving unemployment benefits, or anyone who cares about traffic signals working. . . or potholes being filled. . . or Nebraskans having jobs to provide for themselves and their families as times get tough owes no thanks to Mike Johanns.
If you’re from Nebraska and you’d like to write a letter to the editor in your local paper, letting them know that Mike Johanns is not really interested in helping working people in Nebraska get through tough economic times, you can do it here. But so far, Ben Nelson is doing what he needs to do.



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Thanks Jane!
As long as Nelson (NE or FL either one) votes for cloture, I don’t care how they vote on the final bill (as long as it gets 51 votes for passage)
Sorry to go off-topic Jane, but have you read this piece over on DailyKos?
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..703/705113
Jim Kramer, short selling, and the Mafia all wrapped in together. No wonder Rush Limbaugh loves Jim Kramer! Spit.
******************
Here’s what Maine workers in the teacher’s Unions are doing here to save their colleagues jobs:
http://www.seacoastonline.com/…..S-90308014
Pretty noble if you ask me.
Gotta admit, i was getting caught up in the hysteria. was plenty peeved at the wsj article today. thanks for talking me down as somebody says. i’m, still not comfortable.
dak, I think Bill Nelson is reliable on this.
I think you’re probably correct as he isn’t near as conservative as Ben of Nebraska.
But just in case, since he does waver to the right occasionally, at some semi-weird moment
AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
Thanks for this post Sister Jane…I have been wonderin’ for a long time about why One Hung Harry Reid couldn’t get his DINOs ta vote cloture and then cover themselves with a vote against the bill itself. In addition, with Franken to be seated before the EFCA vote comes up, there may be time ta get more’n 2 or three fascist fellow travelers ta vote cloture. And it jest seems ta me that the two Arkansas potted plants are jest sittin there for Reid ta muscle if that’s all he’s gotta worry about.
Now I know old LBJ is chillin’ out in the last circle of Dante’s hell with a pope or two but couldn’t we thaw out his spirit for 15 minutes and give Reid an enema with it…the EFCA wouldn’t be held hostage by a couple a two bit Arkansas shills, I guaranfuckintee you!!
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION AND KEEP YER EYES ON THE TARGET!!
Jane, any thoughts on what to do about Citi downgrading Walmart because of its susceptibility to EFCA? I assume this is the initial salvo of what may well become a favored corporate tactic as the debate over EFCA heats up. Is the rating change something banks “always do” when business environments change, and therefore no bad faith intended? Or is it merely another way to use taxpayer dollars to fight EFCA?
I’m all set to write my senators and tell them to do *something* over this, but the question is…what?
Jane from this morning on the downgrade of WalMart
Jane, please explain “and if he votes for cloture again and opposes the bill when it gets to the floor, it’ll be just fine. Good Ben. “
Why is it ‘just fine’? WAY too many legislators ‘push this broom’ “I haven’t seen exactly what was put in, but if what was put in is the same as it’s been described” to let ANY of them have a break.
Someone pointed out that this is going to be a brutal fight. WalMart et.al. will be fighting to the death. Optics aren’t going to matter to the corps., they know how the game is played with cloture votes and they’ll be watching. So, I’m not sure how anyone will vote on cloture but I do know that we’ll be able to determine who’s been bought. I’ll admit it, I’m not confident. They need to wait for Al to be seated.
Thanks Jane.
digg is open.
Yeah watch out, there is no shortage of Republican propaganda arms willing to do their part on this front.
Things are looking pretty good. That Citi downgrade this morning was a sign they’re panicking, if you ask me. That was truly desperate.
Rich people sure look out for each other, huh?
We just want an equation that gets it passed. No use pissing Nelson off like NAM and the Chamber did when all we need is his cloture vote.
In a perfect world, yeah. But we’re not in one…yet.
;)
Just saw a clip on 1600 Pennsylvania with the head of CofC who is throwing 10 million into advertising against EFCA. Is the C of C a union?
http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/3315
Slightly modified from my diary :)
weierd he is. unpredictable. don’t know if he is a co-sponsor of efca this go ’round. he was lasty time and the story was being shopped then tyhat he wouldn’t co-sponsor.
Rich people sure look out for each other, huh?
Sure do. It would make me so happy to see the other side pour a gazillion $$$ into this and lose. I’ll relax when Obama signs it.
Actually, I don’t believe Obama can do this. He is CiC of the armed forces but the Congress still controls the purse strings and would have to fund an operation of this type. And it won’t do so.
Because Congress is so tied into the local military installations is why they had to have the numerous rounds of the Base Re-Alignment and Closure Commissions (BRACC) from the late ’80s through the ’90s. It took it out of the Congress’s hands into theoretically independent commissions.
If the MSM will not get behind us on the issues lets hit them with FCC rules about one major media in a market. Thats one radio station, cable channel, newspaper tv station etc the Chicago Tribune has radio, TV, a cable channel and a newspaper, Fox News has Cable, regular TV, newspapers etc in several markets and he only became a citizen to buy more media.
The purpose of the Citizen rule is non citizens should not control our America media for Obvious reasons the purpose of that rule is not that the only way for a foreigner to control the American Media is to become a Citizen.
Forcing Fox News to sell its holdings now in this market is a death sentence if we make noise about it and crack the whip/enforce the law Fox and the Trib will get in line.
Bush got great coverage from those hacks by letting them expand quid pro quo we have cause and effect just not a confession.
Jane, I don’t lie te talk i’m hearing about changing EFCA, e.g. replacing arbitration with mediation and only after impasse. Not good in my view.. Are the Senate Dems up to getting this through as is? I just get the feeling sometimes that a few of these guys (Ben Nelson, Spectre) want to be power brokers just for the sake of being power brokers.
Jane, I don’t like the talk i’m hearing about changing EFCA, e.g. replacing arbitration with mediation and only after impasse. Not good in my view.. Are the Senate Dems up to getting this through as is? I just get the feeling sometimes that a few of these guys (Ben Nelson, Spectre) want to be power brokers just for the sake of being power brokers.
Bush moved Afghanistan money around to get ready to invade Iraq once the money is approved by Congress Obama can do what he wants short of declaring war or not paying army expenses incurred.
We are not closing the bases just moving most of the troops who spend money in the economy elsewhere.
There is some flexibility in moving funds around within a Major Force Program (MFP) but there is not that much extra flexibility. The money between Iraq and Afghanistan was already available to CentCom and the move was within the normal levels of re-programming.
Closing Ft Knox or Ft Benning or Ft Campbell or Ft Bragg because Obama is p*ss’d at McConnell, Bunning, Chambliss, Isakson, or Burr, is not going to happen.
Because it would set the precedent allowing the next R president to do the same thing to Patty Murray or Akaka or Inouye or Kennedy and Kerry or any of the other Dem senators.
Think ALL the way through these types of proposals and you’ll find that most of the retaliation proposals just aren’t going to work. For where do you stop?
New post: Talking Economic Accountability With Rep. Alan Grayson
TPM thinks that the Arkansas duo are the weak spot, because Wal-Mart has them by the throat and that it won’t be enough for Wal-Mart if they vote against the final but vote for cloture.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094226/quotes
Sometimes you have to hit a bully on the nose and sometimes you have to hit him until he stops moving.
Rosemary Watson does it again! She shows us how Citibank customers are feeling at the moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4f-FCm_EGk
Voting for cloture and not necessarily voting for EFCA is a interesting question for Senator Ben Nelson.
As he is my Senator. And I have no choice but must claim Senator Johanns as well.
Sen. Johanns has a great Nebraska career. During his term of mayor of Lincoln. He ran for Governor, won the election and left his Mayor postion early. As Nebraska Governor, he left that position early to work for the Bush Adm. Then he left his Bush Adm position early and returned to Nebraska to run for Sen Chuck Hagel’s seat. Will Johanns leave the Senate seat for a better opportunity for himself? If you get my drift?
Then there is Senator Ben Nelson. A Democratic party Senator in a very red Bush, McCain, Cheney, Palin Joe the Plumber state. Except for a small Island district of Omaha that actually gave a electoral vote from Nebraska for Obama’s election. Boy, was the rest of this state upset and embarrassed.
Nebraska’s Chamber of Commerce, Busness Association, Association of Manufacturers, Brotherhood of CEO’s, Superior Race Management, labor are slaves Group, have all been out in force here. In the papers, on the local radio. They are on the move to stop EFCA at all costs. Seems the Chamber of Commerce wrotin the paper that EFCA is bad and that it is really bad and it will interfere with Nebraska’s “Right to Work” laws.
I don’t think Nelson will vote for this. I am positive Johanns will not vote in favor. Both these guys werre Nebraska Governors. Nelson might consider in favor. I just think the pressure here will be too hard on him to resist.
One of my biggest disagreements with my sSenator Nelson of Nebraska was voting in favor of confirming Sam Alito to the Supreme Court.
There are some unions here in Nebraska. I work in one of them. The Labor Dept is really the Corporate enforcer. As I transfered here from California years ago. I find people in my work place with union, actually very disapproving of unions. No, they won’t go and find one of those “Great” NON union jobs when I urge them to.
Appreciate the split decisions you expressed between Johnns and Nelson.
Our House of Representatives are all Republican. Cheney wingers. They cried of the Stimulus but want the money and slipped in some earmarks in the omnibus. You know, like Lindsey Graham.
Wish I could shed some light on Nelson voting for cloture. If he feels on display back home. He won’t vote for the cloture. My uneducated opinion, mind you.
Senator Nelson has some positioning to do on the EFCA. Nebraska is not only a Right to Work State. It is a ignorantly proud right to work state.