Has there ever been a President that was as blatantly pro-union as our current one? The lengths he and his administration will go to curry favor and to return favors is staggering. Right now there is an Executive Order about to be released that will require companies to disclose when they make donations to independent organizations for political purposes. (h/t: Glenn Beck.com)
This executive order is in response to the SCOTUS’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC that allowed free speech rights to corporations as well as to unions. Shortly after the decision, Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tried to pass a bill that would close many of the loopholes granted to corporations with his Disclosure Act which nothing more than an intimidation tactic
Disclosure my sound nice, but the real point is to put companies on notice that their political contribution will have, well, consequences. When the Disclosure Act was before Congress, New York democrat and co-sponsor Chuck Schumer made clear the bill was designed to “embarrass companies” out of exercising the rights recognized in Citizens United. “The deterrent effect should not be underestimated,” he said.
Exhibit A was last year’s campaign against Target Corp. When the retailer donated $150,000 to an independent group running ads in the Minnesota governor’s race, MoveOn.org smeared the company as antigay, threatened a boycott, and said Target needed to be made an example of or such donations could be “the tip of the iceberg.” Target stopped donating to that group. (Source: Wall Street Journal On-Line)
The left must know with an increasing awareness that they are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of most Americans. Facts and logic are overcoming emotions at the ballot box (remember Nov 2010?). So now they have to resort to guerrilla type (both visible and behind the scenes) tactics to win. Visible would be the protest such as in Wisconsin and the attempts to make the Tea Party out to be a violent group. Behind the scenes would be attempts like this to curb the right of free speech.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the Oval Office during a conversation between President Obama (BO) and a union chieftain (UC) when this idea came to pass
UC: Say Mr. President, I have a great idea how you can stay in our good graces.
BO: Chief, as you know, I’ll do anything to you want. By the way, would like some green tea?
UC: Not today. I had that the day before yesterday and you served me coffee yesterday. I’d like some change.
BO: (moving to the side bar) I’ll get you a soda. Say, would you like to hit the links this afternoon
UC: The soda will be fine and I don’t have time for golf, I’m too busy screwing the American people for that foolishness. Now back to the matter at hand. I know the government is going through some cost cutting measures and it is quite possible that the unions will have some stiffer competition for government contracts.
BO: True, although not etched in stone yet. We have the spin-center working overtime to make Ryan look like he is the worst person in the world. Oh, yeah, say hi to Keith when you get a chance.
UC: Will do and keep up the good work. My idea to over come this stiffer competition is to make the companies who bid for the contracts to reveal who they donated to during the previous election cycle.
BO: how will that help? Especially if the unions have to do the same thing? Plus, don’t the companies already have to details on their political contributions?
UC: Yes, everyone who bids on a government contract has to provide information on whose political campaign they contributed too. However, if they give money to independent groups, they don’t have to disclose the donations. Here is my kicker. You have already agreed to not require the unions to meet the health care mandates when you gave us all those waivers. So why not just not include the unions in the donation requirements? I mean, it really isn’t a dark secret that we already give you and you dem buddies nearly 90% of our political money whether is through direct contributions or via these independent groups.
BO: So again, how does that help you?
UC (impatient sigh): Look, I know you’re just a community organizer so I’ll explain this to you slowly. When the bid packets come in you instruct your folks to look for the packages that don’t have political donations revealed and then you’ll know who to give the contracts to. Simple as pie.
BO: I like simple and I like pie. But wouldn’t that be unconstitutional or something? I mean the Supreme Court has already said their piece about disclosure rules when they heard Citizens United v. FEC. Plus, when we tried to get laws passed in Congress, my dem allies ran for the hills. Doesn’t the Constitution say something about Congress shall pass no laws abridging such and such? You know, I was a constitutional lawyer at one time.
UC (under his breath): yeah, for about a week.
BO: What, I didn’t hear you.
UC: Oh, nothing Mr. President. Not to worry, all you have to do is deem it by Executive Order. It’s not like you haven’t done that sort of thing before. That avoids the whole pesky Constitutional issues. Congress isn’t doing it, you are!
BO: You’re right, I’ll do it. What better way to be the post-partisan President than skip all of the democrats and Republicans in Congress? Now where did I put those pens? Oh, right, I gave them all away when I signed the health care bill.
UC: OK, good and you can use my Diamante! Now let’s talk about those anti-Tea Party laws I mentioned when I was visiting yesterday.
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