Trumka explains, "I think it's a tactic and a valid tactic to call attention to a problem. Wall Street is out of control. We have three imbalances in this country - the imbalance between imports and exports, the imbalance between employer power and working power, and the imbalance between the real economy and the financial economy. We need to bring back balance to the financial economy, and calling attention to it and peacefully protesting is a very legitimate way of doing it."
Richard Trumka marching on Wall Street in 2010. (photo: Mike Segar/Reuters)
AFL-CIO's Trumka Backs Occupy Wall Street
01 October 11
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FL-CIO President Richard Trumka was asked about the Occupy Wall Street protests this morning at an event at the Brookings Institution, John Nichols reports, and said:
"I think it's a tactic and a valid tactic to call attention to a problem. Wall Street is out of control. We have three imbalances in this country - the imbalance between imports and exports, the imbalance between employer power and working power, and the imbalance between the real economy and the financial economy. We need to bring back balance to the financial economy, and calling attention to it and peacefully protesting is a very legitimate way of doing it."
Hailing the power of street protests to shift the dialogue, Trumka said, "I think being in the streets and calling attention to issues is sometimes the only recourse you have because, God only knows, you can go to the Hill, and you can talk to a lot of people and see nothing ever happen ..."
Trumka responded to a questioner who asked, "I was wondering if you have an opinion on some of the AFL-CIO national member organizations, kind of beginning to take a role in that because I sort of think that that street demonstration activity is sort of forcing dialogue on the issues that you're talking about," by saying "I happen to agree with you [...] God only knows, I've done it thousands of times myself, and may do it again."
Trumka is not by himself able to offer the formal endorsement of the AFL-CIO, which is a federation of unions, each of which has a voice in decisions like that; accordingly, he doesn't offer that in these comments. However, he is the most prominent labor leader in the country, and with a number of unions planning to join in with some Occupy Wall Street activities, Trumka's public affirmation of both the target of Wall Street and the tactic of street protest is another step in the connections growing between the protesters and the union movement.
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Re. hope and change, OhBombAh's kicked us more than twice, so shame on him.
If he does veto it, my guess is that he is pretty sure his veto will be voted down and it will go on the books as Law -- to threaten us all until God himself takes this horrid Congress down. Where IS conscience in everything he has done in the past three years? And if he is indeed threatened, or in fear for his family -- not at all surprising -- then why does he not just say so and step down? Must he take America with him?
IMO, there's not a sincere bone in his body. Either he says he won't sign it but will, or will oppose it for the wrong reasons, (to make it worse) or to make himself look good (to the hopelessly naive) for awhile, so they can go back to sleep.
Don't buy any of this. Its a psy-opps, a distraction. The state wants these powers and its going to get it unless we give them something else to think about, (and no, not elections... sigh).
Thank you all for willingness to care to see through the garbage. With people like you amongst us, there's still hope.
NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN !!
NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN !!
This is a craven ploy, plain and simple.
Read Glenn Greenwald at salon.com.
According to Greenwald, Obama's objections have nothing to do with Constitutional issues over the rights of U.S. citizens.
Obama's argument is, essentially, that: it is not the role of Congress to legislate the President's authority to designate non-U.S.-citize ns AND/OR U.S. Citizens as terrorists or enemy combatants, to be detained indefinitely and without due-process by the military apparatus, because the President, without Congressional legislation, already has that authority.
His issue against this legislation, just as it would be for GW Bush/Cheney, is because of the idea that the President's existing executive power precludes -- or renders superfluous -- statutory authority, so he is making this threat as negotiating leverage for that concession.
Obama takes his blind, ignorant, apologist, fool supporters for granted.
He (and rightfully so) gives them no credit for intellectual capacity to realize the irrelevance of their opinions by standing by him and/or supporting (or not supporting) his decisions.
They are all mindless numskulls with nothing to say, nor do they stand for anything.
CTPatriot also uses a word that I have been meaning to use, but I keep forgetting -- to describe the Obama apologist's reaction to anything that triggers their Republican-fear ing (and I would say, lack of) sensibilities; the word is reflexive.
So even a Republican can occasionally do something correctly.
Or do you just so reflexively support him that you could care less about the actual meaning or outcome of his actions? If Obama does it, it must be good, right? How are you different from what we once called "Loyal Bushies"?
Not only do the GOP/TP want President Obama out of the W.H. BECAUSE he's a Democrat -- but there is no doubt in my mind that the GOP has racism in their agenda. Newt came right out and said he wanted to put the children in "those" districts (the working poor) to work as janitors helpers bc they have no role model! Other examples are clear.
When the African Americans fought for equal rights - they did not come in under "equal right protection" - but under something called "equal social right protection" - and you're smart enough to figure out the difference!
The war on drugs is designed to punish the black/Hispanic districts because I know white districts where the users/dealers are not told to empty pockets and even the drugs targeted by police are different (White = cocain) (Black=crack cocain)
Although we know the minorities have suffered more than other groups (e.g. jobs & houses especially) - they will not be the only groups to lose under GOP leadership - all of the 99erswill lose. That is 100% for sure because the GOP candidates have told us so. You just have to listen to them.
The GOP priority is not jobs
2012 - register early + mail-in ballots VOTE DEM VOTE OBAMA (BarbaraK)
Neither one of these corrupt parties is going to change that dynamic. The day you recognize that is the day you will stop spouting bullshit about "the art of the possible".
"It would require that terrorism suspects be held by the military, and either be tried by US military commissions or in some cases be held indefinitely.
The White House sees the provisions as a constraint on the administration' s ability to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to the United States, try them in civilian court, or even transfer them to foreign countries."
So they're blowing smoke, really. No veto for detention, just veto "if you don't play ball ABOUT HOW to detain" my way.
This passive-aggress ive stuff is what we have been used to getting from Obama. I saw the movie "Blow" last night for the first time, and it reminded me about how people in power play both ends against the middle, gerrymander their propaganda to look like they're gonna do something FOR the people, but...NAH...not happening.
Article a day or so again on RSN said it all: Obama' just not into us...for real.
N.
But the herd will buy anything if the $multibillion-p rofit news media says its so.
However this all represents hills and valleys of degree in the advance of the Police State -or Corporate ditto- it's all the same.
Ob's real test if he survives to be president with a decent majority, will be how he conducts his second term (Gawd forbid any of the current crop of chowder-heads on the right even comes close to being elected -but never underestimate the "Idiotocracy" quotient of the American once-every-four -years electorate!
Those who end their comments with 'Never Vote Republican' do not address the real problem. The real problem is and has been the uselessness and cowardice of the Democrats in Congress who are apparently just as corrupt as their G.O.P. counterparts. Only THREE Democratic Senators voted against the final bill here. The rest, including my own state's Boxer and Feinstein, voted with those who would throw away my constitutional rights.
I'm not voting for any Republican I can see at this point, but I am also never again voting for Democrats who betray our trust, and there are a lot of them.
"Sophistry" which Socrates used in his famous dialogues(writt en by Plato) to demonstrate the antithesis of Greek Ethics which is based on Universal Truth.
He's doing the daddy act. He's telling the country he can either make your life h*ll or he can give you paradise-and you'd BETTER choose the right side or he will punish you.
Obama is a slave that thinks he's the slavemaster.
Twenty dollars says there will suddenly be (Israel placed) an "uprising" here in America that makes obama reconsider.
Then he will drag this act back out, tell us we were naughty, and punish us.
Roosevelt,Kansa s City Star, May 7,1918
Remember who elected you and why.
We don't care if you're sincere or agree with us. We just want you to do the job you were hired to do. The repug party didn't hire you. We did. Do you want us to show up at the polls next year?
Stand OUR ground. This is bigger than you.
Nay IA Harkin, Thomas [D]
Nay UT Lee, Mike [R]
Nay OR Merkley, Jeff [D]
Nay KY Paul, Rand [R]
Nay VT Sanders, Bernard
Nay OR Wyden, Ron [D]
www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2011-218&sort=vote
When there is a clause, as was in this defense bill, that Americans can be held without charge or trial threatened one of our basic fundamental rights promised in our Constitution.
But should read: It would require that terrorism suspects be held by the military, and either be tried by US military commissions or in most cases be held indefinitely if desired by the captors, all without the (supposedly) Contstitutional guarantees of Due Process of Law.
Never Vote Republican.
Mr. President Veto this Bill.
If you don't want a complete police state then get over your anger at Obama.
Him staying in office and voting out the republicans in house and senate is our only hope.
Give the guy some credit for trying. He is our only hope.
You don't think one of those bozo candidates would be better do you?