In today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary Alexander Kazan reports:
The labor union mutiny against the Affordable Care Act expanded Thursday with a letter to President Obama from the head of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, which represents more than 500,000 workers in construction and other industries. Echoing a similar appeal by three top union chiefs the previous week, union president Terry O’Sullivan wrote that ObamaCare will have “destructive consequences” for health plans that cover millions of workers and their families . . .
Most union leaders are clamoring for more federal involvement, not less, so it’s unclear how much common ground they will ultimately find with Republican opponents of the law. But it’s telling that many now share the same battle cry.
Immigration “Reform”
Gary Bauer at Campaign for Working Families reports:
“We Are Going To Force It Through!”
Organizing for Action, the remnants of Obama’s reelection campaign, held an event last night for hundreds of hard-core left-wing activists. President Obama addressed the group as did House Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democrat Harry Reid and Cecile Richards, the president of the pro-abortion Planned Parenthood.
But what got my attention were the remarks of Jim Messina, OFA chairman and Obama’s 2012 campaign manager. Referring to the Senate’s quasi-amnesty legislation, Messina told the audience of liberal activists, “We are going to force it through the House!”
It’s obvious why Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Messina are so desperate to force amnesty through the House. A Pew poll of Latino illegal immigrants finds that they would “vote Democratic at an eight-to-one clip.”
What is less obvious is why any Republican would go along with them. According to the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll, only 32% of Americans want the House to vote up or down on the Senate’s quasi-amnesty bill. A majority of Americans (53%) want the House to break up the bill and consider it in separate pieces.
A recent National Journal poll found similar results. When asked how the House should handle the Senate’s bill, only 29% said the House should pass it “as is.” Clearly, the Obama/Reid/Pelosi approach to immigration “reform” is not all that popular.
Also from Gary Bauer: — Obama Hits New Low
President Obama’s approval rating is at a post-reelection low. According to the latest Marist poll, just 41% of registered voters approve of Obama’s overall job performance and only 37% approve of his performance on the economy. Perhaps that is why Obama is planning yet another major speech on the economy tomorrow.
If Obama’s approval ratings continue on this trajectory, his political capital will quickly evaporate and he could well become a liability for Democrat candidates in next year’s critical mid-term elections.
The Washington Post/ABC News poll found that support for Obamacare is down too. A year ago, the public was evenly divided on Obama’s signature legislative accomplishment, but now just 42% of the public supports Obamacare, while 49% opposes it.
Even worse for the White House, the Post poll found that some Democrats are “steadily turning against Obamacare.” Among “ideologically moderate or conservative” Democrats, support for Obamacare is down 11 points to 46%.
This may not seem like a big deal right now, but if Obamacare’s implementation continues to experience major problems, it could become an albatross around the necks of vulnerable Senate Democrats seeking reelection in 2014.
R Mall
