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EFCA and the markets?
Ben Smith's Blog —
Some bravura spin from SEIU's Tim Tagaris: "Looks as if the market is responding favorably to the introduction of the Employee Free Choice Act."
Meanwhile, a Citigroup analyst downgrades Wal-Mart, citing the bill, but that stock is up anyway.
Which suggests that the markets have bigger things to worry about.
Citi Downgrades Wal-Mart over EFCA
TPM Election Central —
... My friend, Jane Hamsher, at Firedoglake has this gem today about a Citgroup analyst downgrading Wal-Mart because of possible passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Jane runs through all the idiocy of this moment. First, the law isn't passed yet. Second, it would give workers more purchasing power probably helping Wal-Mart sales. I'd just add that only 7.5 percent of private sector employees belong to unions. That's going to keep falling because of the loss of manufacturing jobs. So if EFCA could increase union membership in the private sector by 50 percent, which would be a ...
And so it begins
Political Animal —
... , "We have enough votes to pass the bill in the Senate. I'm not sure if we have enough votes to overcome a filibuster." There will be plenty of time for vote-counting; the measure isn't expected to reach the floor until May. In the meantime, we're also getting a sense of what EFCA opponents have in mind. Consider this jaw-dropper , from Jane Hamsher: Today Citigroup lowered its rating on Wal-Mart from a buy to a hold because of the Employee Free Choice Act, "citing concern that legislation intended to make it easier for employees to unionize would raise the retail giant's ...
Will Obama Get An Opportunity To Sign The Employee Free Choice Act?
DownWithTyranny! —
... of clout that either of the other two crooks do but both have managed nicely. Wall Street has bestowed $462,490 on Lincoln and $373,090 on Pryor; lobbyists gave Lincoln $376,771 and $321,009 to Pryor; Big Insurance gave Lincoln $440,030 and Pryor $205,690; Big Oil gave Lincoln $268,375 and Pryor $137,900; and BigPharma donated $386,749 to Lincoln and $92,650 to Pryor. This morning over at Firedoglake, Jane Hamsher asks the question many have asked before her... and for many years: Who owns Blanche Lincoln? ...
Shut Up, She Explained
JustOneMinute —
... of civil liberties. However, her view of legitimate dissent and free speech seems oddly cramped - apparently, equity analysts in the employ of Citigroup should not be allowed to express opinions contrary to the views held by Ms. Hamsher. Her attitude is mostly amusing, but depending on how influential these lefty blogs become or how widely shared her views are on the left it could be scary - here we go: Today ...
The Life and Times of EFCA, Part I
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right —
... as a "9.5" on a scale of 1 to 10, downgraded her assessment for the retail giant over fears that EFCA would pass, in spite of the political hurdles that any keen and honest observer of the bill might have perceived. ...
