Naomi Klein dubs 2003 the Year of the Fake.
Author Archives: Josh Eidelson
Meanwhile, here in Philadelphia, the teachers at a local charter school voted to unionize and the board responded by rescinding their Christmas bonuses, cancelling the holiday dinner, and changing the locks. The teachers have filed ULP (Unfair Labor Practice) charges against the school. More power to them.
Good news from Britain, with headway on extending the minimum wage to 16 and 17 year olds. A victory for the minors who work hard and deserve full compensation, and for working adults whose bosses will have a harder time undercutting them by pitting them against a pool of lower-paid kids. What’s the opposition argument?
Matthew Knowles, of the British Chamber of Commerce, criticised the move, saying: “We are worried about business having their hands further tied by red tape when they should be looking after their customers.”
Damn that government red tape, standing (sometimes) in the way of sweatshop labor, child labor exploitation, indentured servitude, and other entrepeneurial pursuits.
Bush Approval Ratings: The long view.
Make of it what you will.
As Atrios points out, Bush made much the same argument Dean got in such trouble for about leaving it to the judges to render verdicts against the evildoers – and not a peep of outrage from the “liberal media.”
The National Council of La Raza offers a blistering and trenchant critique of Bush’s immigration reform proposal:
The President’s proposal is limited to creating a potentially huge new guestworker program for immigrant workers with no meaningful access to permanent visas or a path to citizenship for those working, paying taxes, and raising their families in the United States. Immigrants would be asked to sign up for what is likely to be second-class status in the American workforce, which could lead to their removal when their status expires or is terminated. Labor rights for temporary workers have historically been weaker than those afforded to workers in the domestic labor force. Under this proposal, workers would be vulnerable during their temporary status, and even more vulnerable when it expires, which would also have a negative impact on wages and working conditions for their U.S.-born co-workers.
That said, President Bush, by adopting the rhetoric of the left to advance a proposal unsatisfying to left or right, has created an opening for those concerned with true progressive immigration reform to hold him accountable for the failings of his proposal to live up to his rhetoric. Left advocates are effectively doing so – it’s time for left politicians to do so as well, particularly because this legislation will never pass without their votes. Let’s keep in mind that Bush pandering for votes by playing at offering more immigrants a path to legalization beats Clinton pandering for votes by throwing them off welfare eight years earlier. The difference has everything to do with the popular movements mobilizing since then for progressive change – and it’s those movements that will bring a reform far better than the one Bush offered today. As the Immigrant Worker Freedom Ride coalition argued today:
If there is any reform here, it is of “old” temporary worker programs, including the notorious and discredited “bracero” program…President Bush said our immigration laws must be “more humane.” But a policy that measures an immigrant worker’s stay in America in three-year increments is far from humane. Why buy a house or start a family, why open a business or put down roots in a community, why build up seniority on a job or train for higher skilled work, if you will have to leave it all after three or six or nine years? Why pull yourself up by your bootstraps only to have the boots themselves taken away when you’ve succeeded?
The IWFR Coalition will continue to work for comprehensive immigration reform based on the great American tradition of welcoming immigrants through an open door, not a revolving one.
Right now C-SPAN is replaying a National Chamber Foundation conference at which Newt Gingrich was invited to represent the Republicans and the Democrats were represented by – you guessed it – the DLC’s Al From. It’s a pretty painful exhibition of the two of them gloating about how much they have in common. True, insofar as Newt Gingrich’s Republicans represent the direction in which Al From would like to shepard the Democrats (his top three under-discussed goals for the Democratic party: eviscerating labor and environmental protections in trade agreements, scaling back the New Deal, and co-operating better with Republicans)…The most ridiculous moment however, would have to be From’s argument that they’re parallel figures in that Newt discovered a “New Republican” movement, and he discovered a “New Democrat” one. The difference, of course, is that Newt’s Republicans made a resounding victory in ’94 by mobilizing their base and Al’s Democrats inspired a new verb – “Sister Souljah” – for what they did to their base and bequeathed a statistical tie in 2000. Newt Gingrich has much more in common with Howard Dean than with Al From – which may be why he used his podium to lavish praise on From and castigate Dean, and may also be why Dean is so much more popular than From these days (for more on Newt as organizer, check out David Maraniss and Michael Weisskopf’s book)
The New Republic’s Presidential endorsement offers no surprises:
…in their righteousness, Dean and his supporters have embraced an analysis potentially even more damaging than that of the party leaders they seek to depose…The problem with Dean’s vision of the Democratic Party is more than electoral; it is intellectual and moral. And the candidate who offers the clearest, bravest alternative is Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman.
In other words, first choice: Joe Lieberman. Second choice: George Bush.
Guess whose deficits the IMF is worried about now?
Doubt we’ll see the US forced into a “structural readjustment” plan by the IMF anytime soon. Although when it comes to “austerity measures” – privatization, union-busting, anti-environmentalism, and the like – the Bush administration seems to be doing just fine on its own.
Dick Gephardt responded to Bush’s immigration plan today with a call for “comprehensive immigration reform that is fair to undocumented immigrants” rather than half-way measures. Here’s hoping other Democrats – including the others running for President – respond in kind.
Speaking of progress – India and Pakistan are having talks about Kashmir:
“History has been made,” said President Musharraf.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s statesmanship had made Tuesday’s agreement possible, the Pakistan leader went on.
“I would like to give total credit to his vision.”
Josh Eidelson 
