The president-elect also gave his support for legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionize, but he said there may be other ways to achieve the same goal without angering businesses. And while many Democrats on Capitol Hill are eager to see a quick vote on that bill, he indicated no desire to rush into the contentious issue.
"If we're losing half a million jobs a month, then there are no jobs to unionize, so my focus first is on those key economic priority items I just mentioned," he said. "Let's see what the legislative docket looks like."
And Politico reports that GOP Senators start threatening the Solis nomination, saying EFCA would destroy the bipartisan tone Obama wants. The first line of objection is she's not answering questions--but Dems point out that cabinet nominees are often limited in what they can say (Bush's certainly were). Then we get to the meat:
With several Republicans having indicated that they'll vote for her, and Democrats holing at least 58 seats in the Senate this year, there is little doubt that Solis will get confirmed eventually.
But a hold on her nomination would signal that Solis can expect a contentious relationship with the GOP and would foreshadow the fight ahead over the card-check bill, a top priority for organized labor that would largely abolish secret ballots during votes on whether employees want a union, potentially leading to millions of new union members.
"It puts them on notice that this is going to be an explosive issue," one senior GOP aide said of the possibility of holding up Solis' nomination....
In some sense, thoroughly detailing her views on the controversial issues could give the GOP even more ammunition to block her nomination. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said that if Democrats try to force through the card-check legislation, it would squander the good will in the Senate. And the business community is launching an all-out campaign to quash its momentum....
Indeed, Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who sits on the committee, said if she made a declarative statement on an issue he finds troubling, he might oppose her nomination. Otherwise, he said, "The president should have the ability to choose the people he wants."
Roberts added that he was not concerned about her testimony and said that the two had a "good talk" during a meeting after she was chosen by Obama. In that meeting, Roberts asked Solis why the administration would want to push the card-check bill "and tear the place apart."
Perhaps if Obama resigned in favor of McCain, that would ensure bipartisan peace in the Senate?
