This whole developing story seems like a gossip column.
As Jed says, the White House is saying, "We're sorry for punching the hippies." But it's not really the hippies - that happened when Obama strongarmed Kucinich out of voting against the health insurance reform bill. This time, Obama is punching his former employers - the labor movement.
Obama started as a labor organizer.
Folks know that he long ago left that behind. There are layers of distance from that first job out of college. Obama wrote about it in 1990:
Over the past five years, I've often had a difficult time explaining my profession to folks. Typical is a remark a public school administrative aide made to me one bleak January morning, while I waited to deliver some flyers to a group of confused and angry parents who had discovered the presence of asbestos in their school.
"Listen, Obama," she began. "You're a bright young man, Obama. You went to college, didn't you?"
I nodded.
"I just cannot understand why a bright young man like you would go to college, get that degree and become a community organizer." (my boldtype added)
Of course, by the time Obama wrote this in 1990, he was on his way to becoming editor of Harvard Law Review. After that, he added to his resume with stints at the law firm Davis Barnhill, as well as becoming a lecturer on Constitutional Law at University of Chicago on the south side. Obama ran, and won, a state Senate seat in 1995, and continued to volunteer actively with groups like Project Vote, Public Allies (actually, Michelle was founding executive director of this organization), and others. He wrote a book, Dreams from my Father, about politics and social change. And he ran, and lost, a campaign for the US House seat still held (as it was in 2000) by Bobby Rush.
But he's still a friend of labor. And he knows how to say the right things to tell them that he is. More importantly, Obama understands the political jujitsu necessary to leverage relationships and bring about social and political change. Ultimately, it's about changing perceptions, empowering individuals, building communities, and promoting specific action steps.
What's not true is that Obama is "in the pocket of organized labor". Obama is very bullish on business, markets, and American capitalism.
This recent "gaffe" by the Obama White House is a bit of kabuki theater, in my opinion, but it's going exactly according to plan. By making the "anonymous" comment, the Obama WH gets to distance itself from labor even while it makes a big deal out of it. (The anonymous comment will get more play than a press conference would, because it seems like a "gaffe" or "slipup".)
Then there's the kissing and making up, which shows even more that Obama is understating the degree to which labor has been screwed over.
Check out some of the comments on Greg Sargent's blog:
Honestly, if I were Labor I wouldn't accept this apology unless the unnamed official came forth with an apology. Otherwise its BS. Why have a "secret" meeting to apologize when the criticism was anything but? They are getting played right now.
Posted by: sgwhiteinfla | June 10, 2010 11:47 AM
Politics 101
One the night of the election, the primary winner congratulates their opponent, for their hard fought campaign, and looks forward to meeting with them, to address their concerns. Then they invite them to a unity breakfast, to make plans to work together to defeat the other party in the general election.
The political communications operations staff in this White House has to be cleaned out, and replaced.
Their stupid pissing on the unions, following on their clumsy and unsuccessful attempts to get candidates to stay out of two primary races, and their allowing the story to get legs, before they finally addressed the issue, says: Three Strikes. Your out.
They are politically tone deaf, and habitual screw ups. Time to bring in some seasoned political communications staff, who know what they are doing, or this crowd will make a mess of the general election campaign.
Posted by: Liam-still | June 10, 2010 12:16 PM
The unnamed official should be fired at a minimum. Demand a scalp. Otherwise, you will not be taken seriously.
Posted by: Hesiod_2k | June 10, 2010 12:28 PM
Obama is a pathetic, corporatist Democrat who will only take what the Republicans are willing to give. He is not a friend to progressives or to labor.
Democrats are not going to get the "Change" they were sold unless they stand up to the powers that be in their own party. If you need any reminder, just remember what Rahm Emmanuel said about the progressives.
Posted by: ram_lopez | June 10, 2010 1:10 PM
This mobilizes organized labor as an outside force, outside the Democratic Party. And that actually frees up the Democratic Party, DNC, OFA, and others to get itself out from the perception that OFA is just a "labor organizing group" or that OFA is made up of people who work with labor.
What this does, strategically, is differentiate labor from the Obama White House, which paradoxically gives labor more power because it gives them more autonomy. Those with the most freedom to walk away have the most power. And in an election year, Democrats desperately need labor groups to support them with time, talent, endorsements, and campaign cash.