Obama's Wisconsin Power Play

Is it legal for a president to lobby a state legislature? I guess so, but the constitutional implications are a bit worrisome.

Obama's "political machine worked in close coordination" with Wisconsin labor unions to organize protests there and in other states, according to the Washington Post.

Their cause might be just, opposing cuts in benefits for public employees, but the proposed bill in the state legislature has nothing to do with the federal government. The Constitution's Tenth Amendment supposedly reserves power over this sort of issue exclusively to the states.

You'd think Obama's troubles with Congress keep him busy enough without picking on a state legislature.

Craig blogs daily for CQ Roll Call

 

 

 

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Comments

[DS7]

02:24 PM on 02/19/2011

"The president's political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to get thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals. "

Proof please. This sentence just disturbed me in that the author wrote it so non-chalantly.

Even if this does turn out true, how many times has the Republicans used their corporate political allies to stage protests and gather demonstrators. I'm thinking of the tea party's buses and free donuts!

[IceFire9]

10:58 AM on 02/19/2011

I really don't see the problem, if people didn't feel strongly about it, they wouldn't have turned out even if OFA asked them to. Organizing for America can only harness a movement, not create one.

[Oldchef]

10:54 AM on 02/19/2011

Craig, this is about the Republican party's nationwide attack on unions' right to collectively bargain for their members. Republican governors across the country are mounting attacks on public employee unions' ability to influence debate. Not only requiring more contributions from the employees, but the sneak attack on collective bargaining. If the unions can't bargain for their members then they are useless. Financial problems have traditionally been worked out with collective bargaining to mutual benefit, but if unions can't represent their member's wishes, workers will be and are being run over at will by a big old Republican truck.

[eternalscorpio1]

08:20 AM on 02/19/2011

the president has every right to protect the rights of american workers, in fact the president needs to speak out more forcefully and to do whatever else he can to try prevent the out of control governer of Wisconsin from destroying middle class families.......

[mommadona]

08:14 AM on 02/19/2011

"RED-BAITING" FOR THE #GOP AGAIN I SEE, CRAIG? Remember why you are not invited onto .@MSNBC ? ~ yeah, that.

[JLSR]

05:39 AM on 02/19/2011

Where did you get this information? Who is your source? Where are the facts? In order to write a real article, it should answer "who, what, when, where, and why." This tells us something about Obama, but there's nothing to back it up.

[Paperless Tiger]

04:38 AM on 02/19/2011

"...the proposed bill in the state legislature has nothing to do with the federal government."

The political initiative that produced the bill is a national Republican initiative against organized labor, involving more than one state.

[Michael Sandy]

02:47 AM on 02/19/2011

It isn't the cut in benefits, as bad as they are, that sparked this protest. It is the loss of collective bargaining. The loss of the right to have a collective say, with the strength of the voices of one's fellow workers beside one.

We have a Republican governor who created this crisis, possibly for the very PURPOSE of reducing union power, for the very PURPOSE of enriching a whole bunch of corporate fat cats with tax cuts and other policies.

Look, this is part of the Republican playbook. "Starve the beast" in order to cut spending. Well, the first step to "starving the beast" they have taken is to deliberately send their states into bankruptcy by giving lots of benefits to their friends, so they can cut the benefits of their enemies.

Enemies like teachers and nurses. You know, people who actually work for the benefit of the people.

[RabidRightRebel]

01:29 AM on 02/19/2011

This would not even be question for Republicans. Why is it that every time an important issue comes up people think that Democrats should fight it with one hand tied behind their back.

Perhaps its because they want the Democrats to lose!

The problem seems to be that money matters more than people to most pundits.

[Maggie2122]

12:56 AM on 02/19/2011

I would be more worred about the constitutional rights of the people to organize collectively to bargain and negotiate. If the people lose this, it will usher in an age of neo-feudalism.

[Jay Haney]

12:39 AM on 02/19/2011

What affects Wisconsin is ultimately going to affect the whole country, Mr. Crawford. Strawman arguments like this completely ignores the organic nature of the protests, the unwillingness of the governor to cooperate, and the out of state Tea Party horde that will be dropping by tomorrow.

[Javalation]

12:25 AM on 02/19/2011

America is under siege by a Party representing corporate & wealthy special interest intent on gaining complete control of government and relegating workers to the status of replaceable machine parts, with no worker rights, except to quit. Unions should be credited with most of the worker rights that we have, creating a middle class, instead of being blamed for the disaster created by the theft by wall street. If the Republicans are successful in their effort to make illegal the few unions we have left, they will have effectively eliminated one of the few remaining backers of the Democratic Party, making their power grab complete.

Concerned about the Constitution? Well, where in the Constitution did corporations get so much power in running government, since they aren't mentioned at all?