Labor Unions "Thrilled" with Obama's Choice for Secretary of Labor

[RollWithIt]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/18/solis.labor/index.html

(CNN) -- Labor unions Thursday praised President-elect Barack Obama's selection to head the Labor Department, Rep. Hilda Solis.

Rep. Hilda Solis is viewed as a strong advocate for working men and women by organized labor.

A Washington-based labor official for a major union told CNN's John King that the California Democrat was Obama's choice for labor secretary.

Obama is expected to officially announce his nomination of Solis during a press conference on Friday. Obama is also expected to name Illinois Rep. Ray LaHood as his choice for secretary of transportation.

Obama has enjoyed the support of organized labor since the campaign season, when the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor organization, endorsed him for president, calling him "a champion for working families."

As a senator, Obama co-sponsored the Employee Free-Choice Act, which was designed to make it easier to create unions in the workplace. Supporters of the plan, including the AFL-CIO, said it would increase the number of union members in the United States and lead to better wages and benefits for workers.

If confirmed, Solis would be the third Hispanic to serve in Obama's Cabinet, along with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who is Obama's choice for secretary of commerce, and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar, who Obama tapped to be secretary of the interior.

Obama had been criticized by some Latino groups, who said Hispanics were not being picked for key Cabinet positions after Richardson was passed over for secretary of state. Instead, Obama picked his former rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, to be his top diplomat.

Solis, a four-term congresswoman from Los Angeles, is considered to be one of the most liberal members of the House.

[CTLawGuy]

1. But

Obama is EEEEEEEEEVILLLLL!!!!!! HE is a bigot, he hates liberals! :eyes:

[Unsane]

2. Obama is a homophobe though.

We can't trust him now.

[CTLawGuy]

3. oh no

he is going to appoint Rush Limbaugh to the Supreme Court. didn't you hear...

[Jackeens]

8. LOL

[CTLawGuy]

4. no ones cares

you can't get outraged about it. You can't foam at the mouth and piss and moan about "betrayal", so no one will care that he appointed a friend of labor to be secretary of labor.

[RollWithIt]

12. Wow, I guess so....

DU is becoming transparent?

[rockymountaindem]

5. This is good

It's nice to see an avowed liberal getting a nod here. Hopefully she will be a countervailing voice against whatever Lawrence Summers has to say.

[McCamy Taylor]

6. I am thrilled, too. Obama is the man! The middle class will rise again!

[rurallib]

7. Elaine Chou is another evil incarnation that should have a posse after her

on Jan. 20th. Her maneuvers for Bushco have been criminal.
edited because my spelling stinks.
Go Hilda. You have a ton of work to do.

[bread_and_roses]

9. How ridiculous you (posts 1-4) are. I care deeply, am pleased with this appointment, and criticize

others. I am particularly pleased that she is someone who not only votes to support workers but has a record of supporting green jobs. That's like a two-for-one, in my book.

I think some other appointments are far less progressive (practically reactionary, in fact), and as likely to impede/sabotage the agenda I support as to promote it. I will be happy to be proved wrong.

And I think the prayer guy is a despicable choice, and antithetical to Obama's own stated goals.

There is a political calcualtion to each and every one of Obama's choices, and each and every move/decision he makes. That's not a criticism, it's a recognition of the nature of the office. He's a smart man - he expects us to criticise, that's part of the calculation, and it suits his purposes. I can understand that and still understand that as an informed citizen it is my job to criticise, and that if I - and many others - don't,that will be seen as a sign of weakness of our convictions and, more emportantly, our demands. Which would mean our demands going to the bottom of the list.

And of course criticism will generate more discussion than accolades. This is a discussion board, after all, not Our Dear Leader Overground. And some of us put issues, not Obama, first.

edit to clarify subject

[RollWithIt]

10. Reason seems to be overlooked....

Sadly

[Honeycombe8]

11. Maybe the Warren thing was to deflect attention from this appt., which is sure to anger the pubs.

Especially in this economic climate, with pubs trying to use the auto makers' plight as a tool to break the unions. And here Obama appts a union-related person in the top chair.

What better way to deflect attention from that than to do something that is even MORE shocking, that the pubs will surely love, but which is mainly symbolic (although symbolism matters....still, it's not like being appted to the cabinet)?

Just wondering, since I'm having trouble figuring out his thought process in that strange Warren choice for the invocation.