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Ben Smith with Politico reported that a White House official called to tell him, "Organized labor just flushed $10 million down the toilet on a pointless exercise." in trying to beat Blanche Lincoln, Obama's candidate, in Arkansas. AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale responded, that, "labor isn't an arm of the Democratic Party," pointing out that they represent working people, period, and so will continue to support candidates who support working people over monopoly corporate interests. While trashing organized labor, the White House also just gave billionaires 25 billion by letting the estate tax lapse for 2010. A Texas pipeline tycoon, Dan L. Duncan, who died recently could be the first American billionaire to pass his fortune to his children and grandchildren tax-free. Forbes magazine estimated his worth at $9 billion and he would have been subject to a federal tax of at least 45 percent. Instead, because Congress allowed the tax to lapse for one year and gave all estates a free pass ...nada. Welcome to the land of the landed gentry and the multigenerational dynasty. Not exactly what the Founders envisioned.

Arkansas Senator Blanch Lincoln (D) grabbed a narrow victory in a hard-fought campaign from Lt. Governor Bill Halter. Many credit President Clinton's and President Obama's campaigning for her as the reason for her win, which means the idea that this is a "win for women" is pretty easily set aside. More often, Lincoln's victory by the same margin the polls showed she'd lose by is being called a win for the establishment, but that's only true if "establishment" means transnational monopoly corporations and big money. And apparently the Obama White House, with their call to Politico's Ben Stein trashing organized labor, is signaling just that. Similarly, Whitman's and Fiorino's wins aren't wins for women, but wins for millionaires and billionaires.

Comments

ProgressiveMews's picture
ProgressiveMews 12 years 41 weeks ago
#1

"Lincoln won with Clinton and anti-union message"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100609/ap_o n_el_se/us_lincoln_how_she_wonRight, in a "right to work" state. Just forget that Clinton's wins could have easily been attributed to labor's support!

osalomon's picture
osalomon 12 years 41 weeks ago
#2

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/opinion/09wed1.html?hp

Please talk about this Tom. It appears that the Supreme Court struck down Arizona's public campaign finance system. We are descending into plutochracy.

Salomon Orellana

bjanow 12 years 41 weeks ago
#3

A result of the Dems not being able to pass anything through congress.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/business/09estate.html?hp

polycarp2 12 years 41 weeks ago
#4

Obama's selections of economic advisors and his re-appointment of Bush's golden boy Bernanke to head the Fed gave the direction of the current Admin. A continuation of trickle down economics and outsourcing. It's the same basic neo-liberal agenda the Republicans support.

I'm still waiting for one...just one...progressive piece of legislation to be proposed by Obama or the Dem Congress. In order for Dems to pass any....they first have to propose it.

Retired Monk - "Ideology is a disease"

newtrev's picture
newtrev 12 years 41 weeks ago
#5

The Unions did use their money to fight a Republican...

Textynnn's picture
Textynnn 12 years 41 weeks ago
#6

Voter Lawsuit Filed in Arkansas' Blanche Lincoln, Bill Halter Senate Runoff

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/08/voter-lawsuit-filed-in-arkansas-...

ARKANSAS YOU'VE BEEN ROBBED. YOU HAVE BEEN ROBBED OR YOU JUST VOTED IN SEVEN GENERATIONS OF COTTON ELITE TO KEEP YOU IN YOUR PLACE.
Blanche Lambert Lincoln was born into a seventh-generation Arkansas farm family on Sept. 30, 1960, in Helena, Ark. Her father and brother run a farm that grows rice, wheat, soybeans, and cotton.

http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Blanche_Lincoln

Textynnn's picture
Textynnn 12 years 41 weeks ago
#7

Thom we can't give in on this. They stole the election. They've got all the money, all we've got is our votes and they're taking that too. We are nothing but slaves if we let this go. We cannot allow them to send us back to our seats like children that should be seen and not heard. They are treating us like children and taking our voice, stealing our country, and making us poor and their peasantry. This cannot go unsung if nothing else. We must make this an issue. The numbers are absolutely obvious that the election was stolen, controlled, and manipulated by a flase lying group of AR people controlling the state illegally. Lincoln is seventh generation cotton. That makes her family slave owners and she's still riding the wave of Cotton Royalty made wealthy by slavery.

http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Blanche_Lincoln

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/08/voter-lawsuit-filed-in-arkansas-...

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