Tomorrow, a few days before he ducks out of the country for a quick trip to Burma, President Obama is scheduled to meet with CEOs of several major corporations to discuss that pesky fiscal cliff looming on the horizon. Many expect the atmosphere to be tense, but if the meeting goes anywhere as well as today’s meeting with union bosses and progressive activists, it should be smooth sailing.
Today’s meeting was closed to the press, so we’ll have to go by the accounts of those who were invited, including representatives of SEIU, AFSCME, the AFL-CIO and the NEA, as well as officials with MoveOn, the Center for American Progress, the Common Purpose Project, the Center for Community Change and other progressive groups.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called the meeting very positive, though we’re not sure if he copied and pasted Obama’s campaign speech into his tweet or if Obama borrowed Trumka’s “fair share” line for his campaign. Who’s up for some “shared sacrifice”?
Very positive mtg w/ the President, we'll make sure there's shared sacrifice & the rich pay their fair share so middle class dont get soaked
— Richard Trumka (@RichardTrumka) November 13, 2012
https://twitter.com/theonlyadult/status/268465983654592512
Yes, don’t let the media spin the meeting to which they weren’t invited. With that out of the way, who’s ready for another campaign? AFSCME is still fired up and ready to go.
After WH mtg, Lee Saunders of @AFSCME said, "What we're going to do is keep our members mobilized…We're going into another campaign."
— Shawna Thomas (@Shawna) November 13, 2012
MoveOn also seems confident that the president will let the Bush tax cuts expire and force the rich to pay their fair share.
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MoveOn says Obama today "strongly reiterated his steadfast commitment" to ensuring Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest end Dec. 31.
— Patricia Zengerle (@ReutersZengerle) November 13, 2012
https://twitter.com/owillis/status/268437743573557248
So, what was a group like MoveOn doing at the White House, aside from being reassured by Obama that everyone in attendance will get they paid for this term?
Obama a week ago: I want to work with the other side v. Obama today: I agree with MoveOn and am not compromising. That lasted long.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) November 13, 2012
Amazing: Obama can meet openly with leaders of special interest groups from the AFLCIO and NEA and no one blinks. If it were oil companies!
— Burn, Democrat-Run Cities, Burn! (@NolteNC) November 13, 2012
https://twitter.com/resnikoff/status/268476409733844992
Strange times? More like scary times.
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