Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, criticized President Obama's policies and rhetoric today, demanding that he "step up to the plate" on jobs.
Trumka said he urged Obama during a recent meeting to “propose what is necessary” in a speech on job creation next month, and “not what is possible.”
“If he falls into nibbling around the edges, history will judge him, and working people will judge him,” he said.
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Trumka said today the AFL-CIO is considering its role in the convention and a decision will be tied to Obama’s job-creation proposals. “We want to see if he is going to step up to the plate,” he said.
Trumka meets regularly with Obama to discuss labor’s agenda, and serves on a White House advisory board on economic recovery and jobs. Trumka dismissed the notion that labor is a major influence the president’s policy from his role on the board. “That’s a business panel,” he said.
Bloomberg
Mr. Trumka offered some hard-hitting critcism of the Presdient's policies and rhetoric about deficit cutting in lieu of creating jobs.
"This is a moment that working people and quite frankly history will judge President Obama on his presidency; will he commit all his energy and focus on bold solutions on the job crisis or will he continue to work with the Tea Party to offer cuts to middle class programs like Social Security all the while pretending the deficit is where our economic problems really lie," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told reporters at a breakfast roundtable hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.
Trumka dismissed Obama's recent job creation proposals -- an extended payroll tax cut, patent reform, free trade deals -- as "nibbly things that aren't going to make a difference," and said the AFL might sit out the Democratic convention if he and the party don't get serious.
"If they don't have a jobs program I think we'd better use our money doing other things," Trumka said.
TPM: AFL-CIO Pres: Obama Aligned Himself With Tea Party To Cut Middle Class Programs
I think a message was sent today. I hope it was heard.
Labor has been a backbone of the Democratic Party for a long time. To have so alienated organized labor is not an accomplishment; it's a policy failure. My hope is the President responds with a jobs plan and we all can work together for his re-election and for a better America.
Update I: More about a key problem. The Republicans have controlled the agenda for a year.
‘If you only propose what you think they will accept, they control the agenda.’ I urged him to propose what was necessary to solve the problem, and I hope he does.”
http://thehill.com/...
It's time to take control and I believe this President will.
Update II: And yesterday he said this, so don't think that Trumka does not support this President's re-election:
"Barack Obama's a friend," he said, "and when you place him in the context of those who are running against him right now, he is a giant."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
But sometimes you have to tell a friend hard truths. I think Mr. Trumka is trying to do that.