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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Mr. Palau who wrote (131241)3/11/2001 9:39:45 PM
From: Nadine Carroll  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 769667
 
Yes, there's no doubt that more people thought they had voted for Gore. The big unanswered question is how many actually did vote for Gore -- what would the ballots have said, had they been counted by impartial elections officials who thought it their job to actually count all the votes the first time around?



To: Mr. Palau who wrote (131241)3/12/2001 12:37:06 AM
From: rich4eagle  Respond to of 769667
 
Here's to ya Mr. Palau for setting it straight on the election, and someday it will be clear how the election of 2000 was stolen by the immoral majority



To: Mr. Palau who wrote (131241)3/12/2001 7:41:32 AM
From: Thomas A Watson  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 769667
 
Dear Mr. Palau, I'm glad to hear that you voted for President Bush, It's great being part of the moral majority. boortz.com Just think of the turmoil if he who hugged the greatest in his own mind, the rapist the thief, the liar, the cheat, the poster boy of pardons for pay were in. We in the majority who support honesty, kindness, decency would not have the most honest, kindest and decent President Bush with civil words and deeds attempting to bring back self respect to the scum or democrats. Yes the world, in particular America is a much better place now the President Bush, the president with the majority of support of American people (zogby, cbs, nbc, abc .....) is the White Hat in the White House.

tom watson tosiwmee



To: Mr. Palau who wrote (131241)3/12/2001 9:06:20 AM
From: Tom Clarke  Respond to of 769667
 
Message 15485786



To: Mr. Palau who wrote (131241)3/12/2001 9:08:28 AM
From: Tom Clarke  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 769667
 
GOP thumps Big Labor

March 12, 2001

BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

Last Wednesday night at an expensive Pennsylvania Avenue restaurant that Republicans favor, business lobbyists and congressional staffers calling themselves the Ergonomics Lobby hoisted their glasses in noisy celebration. They had just completed a two-day whipping of organized labor with far-reaching political significance.

Big Labor and its Democratic allies were caught by surprise. They were unable to prevent a suddenly monolithic Republican majority from overriding workplace rules imposed by Bill Clinton in his final hours as president. Relief from federal regulation will save American industry hundreds of billions of dollars. But the broader meaning is that it smashed AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.

Sweeney has become the toast of the Democratic Party for turning the sleepy labor movement into a mean, lean fighting machine dedicated to Republican defeat. But the transformation has been achieved at a high cost. By abandoning labor's traditional support for friendly Republicans, Sweeney exposed himself to humiliations such as he suffered last week.

Debate has been waged for years over whether government shall dictate how companies can prevent ergonomic injuries suffered by workers because of repetitive motions. Clinton tried to settle the issue by delivering an edict on his way out of office.

Senate Assistant Majority Leader Don Nickles quietly laid plans to repeal the Clinton regulations by using the 1996 Congressional Review Act, enabling rapid nullification of presidential edicts. President Bush approved. Last week, to labor's unpleasant surprise, the Republicans struck.

Democratic old bulls wailed in anger. Rep. George Miller of California, who never strays from the labor line, condemned "an unapologetic assault on some of the hardest working men and women in this country." Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin cried "disgrace." Rep. Henry Waxman of California shouted "outrage." Rep. Corinne Brown of Florida added the distinctive Black Caucus touch by assailing "this first attack from the Bush administration on the working people after the coup d'etat that took place in Florida."

But Democratic histrionics did not turn around their Republican colleagues. It was remarkable that only 14 House Republicans backed labor on the ergonomics vote, but it is absolutely inconceivable that all 50 GOP senators voted yes.

With the Republicans enjoying a Senate majority in name only thanks to frequent defections by moderates, their unusual solidarity this time reflects their abhorrence of Clinton's abuse of presidential power. But Sweeney also overplayed his hand in declaring war on all Republicans.

After the Senate vote, Sweeney could not contain himself, saying that "dishonest and disgraceful are not strong enough words" to describe what the Republicans did. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao called his rhetoric "very harsh" and "unnecessary."

"This is a different administration," Chao said. "So, I think organized labor, in expecting that their agenda is going to be carried out by this administration, I think is very unrealistic." Politely, she was telling Sweeney to come to grips with having lost the election.

The attitude toward Sweeney from elsewhere in the administration is harsher. If the AFL-CIO is going to wage all-out war in politics, it had better be prepared for the agony of losing. For all its success in getting out the vote last November, organized labor is viewed by Bush administration members as a spent force.

Bush's call for civility does not preclude defying Big Labor. Embarrassing investigations of unions by the Justice and Labor departments could be launched. The ergonomics surprise may well be the beginning of unpleasant times for John Sweeney.

suntimes.com