President Obama making recess appointments to labor board, again braving GOP outrage

Obama is set to appoint Sharon Block, Terence Flynn, and Richard Grifin to the board — something unions have made a big priority for them in the new year. Senate Republicans have opposed the recess appointments to the NLRB on constitutional grounds, but unions charge that Republicans are only interested in rendering the agency inoperative.

In a statement, Obama said that:

The American people deserve to have qualified public servants fighting for them every day - whether it is to enforce new consumer protections or uphold the rights of working Americans. We can’t wait to act to strengthen the economy and restore security for our middle class and those trying to get in it, and that’s why I am proud to appoint these fine individuals to get to work for the American people.

This is huge: Without these appointments, the NLRB would have been down to two members; it cannot make decisions without a three-member quorum. Republicans were determined to block Obama's NLRB nominations to shut down the board and prevent it from being able to pass rules like its recent moves streamlining union elections and requiring employers to put up posters informing workers of their existing legal rights.
Obama's decision to recess appoint both these NLRB members and Cordray to the CFPB doesn't just put qualified people into the government—it enables the government agencies themselves to function. That functioning, not the specific individuals, was what Republicans hoped to obstruct. It goes without saying that the GOP will be outraged all over again, despite the fact that the last three Republican presidents all made recess appointments to the NLRB. Kudos to Obama for braving the outrage and doing what needs to be done to keep government working.
12:27 PM PT: Send an email to thank President Obama for this important step to protect workers, as well as for appointing Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Originally posted to Daily Kos Labor on Wed Jan 04, 2012 at 12:20 PM PST.

Also republished by Occupy Virtual America: OCCUPY BEYOND WALLSTREET, Occupy our homes! and Daily Kos.

President Obama making recess appointments to labor board, again braving GOP outrage

Supreme Court Blocks Ban on Corporate Political Spending - NYTimes.com

Supreme Court Blocks Ban on Corporate Political Spending - NYTimes.com

"WASHINGTON — Overruling two important precedents about the First Amendment rights of corporations, a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections.

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Obama Arizona Memorial Speech: We Must Communicate 'In A Way That Heals,' Not 'Wounds'

The Republican Propaganda Machine uses hate, fear, and intimidati­on to silence The Profession­al Left; they promote violence, they motivate the insane to committee horrific crimes, they use terrorism acts to silence us. These people have become savages of the Wild West. As a result, there's no compassion­, there's no respect, and there's no love for our fellow American's­.
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Sarah Palin accuses opponents of 'blood libel'

The Republicans Are Insane, They Have No Compassion For
The Victims In Arizona's Shooting.

Sarah Palin Accuses Opponent Of Blood Libel

Jared Loughner Appears In Court, Giffords 'Still Fighting' (LIVE UPDATES)

I blame the Conservati­ves because they promote violence, and they talk about killing people who don't agree with them. I don't hear anyone on the Right condemning this shooting of innocent people, killing 6, and there's no companion for their families this is heartless. There must be some guilt here, their trying to say that he was a Liberal which is a flat lie, why are they trying to avoid this tragedy, like it had never existed. This is disgracefu­l, we need to better than this, we are all Americans.
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The Arizona Tragedy 9 Year Old Girl Shot Dead

The 9-year-old, who had big brown eyes and long brown hair, recently had been elected to her student council. She went with a family friend to see Giffords speak, a way to learn more about serving in government.


The Arizona Tragedy 9 Year Old Girl Shot Dead

The Republicans Are Using The Constitution To Take Away Our Civil Rights

The Republicans want to return us to slavery, and farm plantations.


Republican Plan To Take Away Our Civil Rights

The Republicans Plan For America Is To Rob Us All

olds our economy together. They want to inflict pain on the poor, workers, seniors, disabled, small businesses, and labor unions; they want to break us. They want to fill our prisons, they want to take away our freedom, and they want to enslave us.

  Committee On The Budget

The Man Who Blacked Out World Series Blames Politicians - Bloomberg

News Corp.’s Chase Carey, the man who oversaw Fox’s talks with Cablevision Systems Corp. during a two- week blackout, has advice for government officials who want to keep more TV channels from going dark: Stop meddling.




The Man Who Blacked Out World Series Blames Politicians - Bloomberg

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Bush tax cuts: Obama will negotiate - Nov. 6, 2010

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A door opened this week to resolving one of Washington's most divisive money issues: the Bush tax cuts.The White House indicated more than once that President Obama would be willing to negotiate with Republicans to ensure the tax cuts remain in place on Jan. 1.

Bush tax cuts: Obama will negotiate - Nov. 6, 2010

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Bloomberg Attacks Congressmen Who Can't Read, Don't Have Passports And Want To Start A Trade War With China

Michael Bloomberg went on an awesome globalist tirade at yesterday's C40 conference in Hong Kong (via gothamist).

Bloomberg Attacks Congressmen Who Can't Read, Don't Have Passports And Want To Start A Trade War With China

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Fed's Bernanke `Doesn't Understand' Economics, Jim Rogers Says - Bloomberg

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s decision to pump a further $600 billion into the economy shows his grasp of economics is weak, said investor Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings.

Fed's Bernanke `Doesn't Understand' Economics, Jim Rogers Says - Bloomberg

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Politics & Government: Tax-Cut Talks Would Include Dividends and Capital Gains - CNBC

President Barack Obama is open to talks with Republicans about extending all of the Bush-era tax rates, a spokesman said Thursday, two days after his party suffered big losses in congressional elections.

Politics & Government: Tax-Cut Talks Would Include Dividends and Capital Gains - CNBC

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Unemployment: The Ugly Truth About the Jobs Picture - DailyFinance

Investors are starting to get more confident about the outlook for the U.S. economy. Risky assets like stocks, for example, are seeing renewed interest.

But the painful unemployment situation in the country continues to hold center stage. The Republican Party registered big midterm election gains from an electorate frustrated by a lack of progress on jobs, among other things. And the Fed announced more measures to drive down interest rates in an effort to further boost the economy and increase hiring on Wednesday.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/bncbIt

Unemployment: The Ugly Truth About the Jobs Picture - DailyFinance

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Toxic Chemicals Deep at BP Oil Spill Site in Gulf of Mexico Raise Warning Flags

(Nov. 4) -- On the surface at least, the Gulf of Mexico appears relatively clean more than six months after the massive BP oil spill, but scientists say they've found toxic materials deep in the ocean at the site of the blowout, and some warn that all the environmental impacts of the gusher won't be known for some time.

Toxic Chemicals Deep at BP Oil Spill Site in Gulf of Mexico Raise Warning Flags

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US jobless claims jump by 20,000

Please use the link to reference this article. Do not copy & paste articles which is a breach of FT.com's Ts&Cs (www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms) and is copyright infringement. Send a link for free or email ftsales.support@ft.com to purchase rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/75c64d3a-e80e-11df-b158-00144feab49a.html#ixzz14KPsBpDT

Claims for jobless benefits climbed more than expected in the past week as the US labour market continued to be restrained by a sluggish economy.

Initial jobless claims rose by 20,000 to 457,000, the labour department said on Thursday. That was a bigger jump than Wall Street economists anticipated, leaving the four-week average for new claims up 2,000 to 456,000.

US jobless claims jump by 20,000

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Kimberly-Clark: Improved Business Conditions Mean More Jobs, Money for Conway Plant - ArkansasBusiness.com

Kimberly-Clark Corp. said that improved business conditions will allow it to invest more money in its Conway plant, according to a news release from the Conway Development Corporation on Monday.

Kimberly-Clark: Improved Business Conditions Mean More Jobs, Money for Conway Plant - ArkansasBusiness.com

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Fox obsessively hypes Palin's baseless claim that Alaska reporters "concocted" plot against Miller | Media Matters for America

On Fox News Sunday, Sarah Palin claimed to have evidence that reporters at Alaska television station KTVA were on tape "conspir[ing] to make up stories" about Alaska GOP senatorial candidate Joe Miller -- a claim that is entirely unsupported. Nevertheless, Fox has run with the story, using it to accuse KTVA of plotting to smear Miller.

Fox obsessively hypes Palin's baseless claim that Alaska reporters "concocted" plot against Miller | Media Matters for America

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Trade and Tea Party: Not exactly a happy couple - Nov. 1, 2010

FORTUNE -- Big business interests are hopeful that a Republican takeover of the House -- now looking more likely than not -- will thaw free-trade deals that have languished since President Obama took office. Those agreements are on a short list of priorities the White House has in common with GOP leaders.

Trade and Tea Party: Not exactly a happy couple - Nov. 1, 2010

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Michele Bachmann Not Willing To Commit To John Boehner For Speaker

Michele Bachmann Congresswoman (R-Min) money is her GOD; she has nothing for the workers in Minnesota, but pain, misery, and distress. She has her hands wide open for corporate contributions. These are her masters, this is what she worships, that’s why she’ll never have enough of it.
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