March 5, 2009 3:48 PM

Biden To Labor: Let's Dance

By
Brian Montopoli
Topics
White House
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Vice President Joe Biden gave a warm and well-received speech to the AFL-CIO Executive Council at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida today.

"And old joke…you go home with them that brung you to the dance," the vice president said, according to remarks put out by the White House. "Well, you all brought me to the dance a long time ago. And it's time we start dancing, man. It's time we start dancing."

Biden noted that the National Labor Relations Act "explicitly says this nation's policy is to encourage -- encourage -- collective bargaining, encourage unions."

He said he backed so-called card-check legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionize. Many business groups oppose the legislation.

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The vice president added that "what is news here is you now have an American president and vice president, and the speaker of the House and the majority leader who agree with everything [AFL-CIO President] John Sweeney (left) said."

Biden said that in the Obama administration "it will not take divine intervention" for union leaders like Sweeney "to get invited to the White House," arguing that "you can't have a middle class without a strong labor movement."

In a separate appearance, the vice president also announced that $8.4 billion from the stimulus package would be made available for public transportation infrastructure. Joined by Secretary Ray LaHood and Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, he noted that the Miami Intermodal Center was an example of a project that received that funding and said it represented "the wave of the future."

"Investments in public transportation put people to work, but they also get people to work in a way that moves us towards our long term goals of energy security and a better quality of life," LaHood said in a statement.

The vice president and AFL-CIO have come under criticism from some on the right today for not allowing cameras into the event. AFL-CIO representatives responded by saying that executive council meetings are usually not open to the press at all and that print reporters were allowed in this year, reportedly at the vice president's insistence.

But that explanation didn't satisfy Republican critics: The Republican National Committee this morning sent to reporters a CNS News story claiming that the White House ordered no cameras be allowed at the resort hotel.

As that story points out, the Fontainebleau "has 1,504 rooms and suites, 22 oceanfront acres, 11 restaurants and nightclubs including three signature name chef restaurants, a 40,000-square-foot spa, and a 'sophisticated poolscape' with private cabanas."

Add a Comment See all 48 Comments
by 209flyboy March 7, 2009 11:52 PM EST
I'm a little confused! With the unemployment rate climbing and so many people out of work, why is the government bailing out people like GM? If people don't have the money to buy a car now, what good will it do to produce more cars or any other product if no one is willing or able to spend any money? If the government wanted to do something positive, they should pay off everyones mortgage which would fix the housing mortgage problem and would cost a lot less that astonomical 1.3 trillion dollars this inept set of government thinkers have bestowed upon our future.

We as a people have lost control of our government and they are shoving an socialistic way of life down our throats and we can't seem to get rid of the cancer.

If any of you care about our future, let these elected servants know in 2010 that we've had enough.

Disgusted in California.
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by pepperwood2 March 7, 2009 4:19 PM EST
Biden To Labor: Let?s Dance.........?And old joke?"

Similar comparison - Nero fiddled while Rome Burned! Its enough to make you puke when you look at what these Elite are doing to America to flame the fire.
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by craigh9 March 6, 2009 10:59 AM EST
Unions in this country are a HUGE part of the problems we face. The fact that the government long ago took on the majority of the role from the unions (workplace safety, hours regulation, etc.) they are only left with one single focus - COMPENSATION. This has resulted in the economy being tunred UPSIDE down by the likes of the UAW, civil service groups, and education unions. Since ALL THE UNIONS FOCUS ON is compensation they push way outside the envelope and timid management and political figures looking for union support/dollars have given the store away to the point we can no longer afford to pay the freight.
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by bobnjersey March 6, 2009 10:13 AM EST
[2. The checks and ballances I was referring to was the ones that keep our government from becoming a tyranny. I made no mention of the SEC. But since you did, I will remind you htat McCain tried to investigate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the primary source of the subprimes that became the Wall Street meltdown). But Barney Franck and Chris Dodd (and others) fought him off. No matter what you believe about fault on this one, neither side would look into either side. In fact, Dodd and Frank were getting pay off favors at the time. ]
[Posted by McHineguy at 3:26 PM : Mar 5, 2009 ]

yea ... republicans passed everything 'they' wanted for six years and bush signed it all ... but dodd and franks stopped this one single handedly.

i know you won't have any capacity to explain this ... since you're just repeating what you've been told ... and what you've told is a lie ... but tell me how two members of a minority party can stop legislation allegedly desired by the party of deregulation ... when the party of deregulation had total control of the federal govt at the time?
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by Mr_Mr2258 March 6, 2009 10:05 AM EST
Biden has took sides with the devil. Now he will pay the price.
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by DavidLBlake March 6, 2009 9:35 AM EST
Unions comprise 8% of the workforce in the private sector and about 13% overall. Back in the 1950's it was about 35%. The financial sector is non-union and they are 40% of the US GNP. Whenever the President or Vice President give and appearance, the press can be kept out. That applies to both Democratic and Republican Presidents. Go to a Presidential Library and see the records and you'll see what I'm writing about. Blaming unions for our economic mess is wrong. Afterall, unions actually try to protect their workers. I don't see a crime in that. CEOs make so much more money and options in the US than in other countries. They made the decisions that ran their companies into the ground such as Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and they still got bonuses and private jets. GO FIGURE. Sweeney I don't believe has a private jet.
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by endurorob March 6, 2009 8:59 AM EST
He said he backed so-called card-check legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionize.


Actually what it will do is remove the secret ballot and make it easier for the unions and union advocate workers to coorce others into to signing the cards.
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by wvu74621 March 6, 2009 6:44 AM EST
Put on your shoes and daaaance the blues. Milions and are already dancing the blues with milions and millions more to follow. Hey JOE can always get a job with David Bowie as a groupie.
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by wvu74621 March 6, 2009 5:57 AM EST
Since when is it "required" that private companies / unions are forced to allow the media into their meetings?
Posted by hungry1968

Probably since they received millions upon millions to in taxpayer money to bail out their industries, unless your a blind follower that does'nt care what is done with your tax dollars. Oh thats right Obama was pre-destined to work out all of our problems and miracuously solve all your problems in one fell swoop. You have to ask yourself, why would the Whitehouse order no cameras allowed in the RESORT Hotel...not the confrence rooms...but the entire Hotel. Makes you wonder what JOE-JOE and the AFL-CIO were up to. Transparency my foot!!! More like tinted transparency. What a crock. Those two are only fooling the voters that are still guileable enough to beleive that the Whitehouse knows what they are doing. Maybe we can get Timothy Geitner to explain it to us, that is if he can get that clueless , deer caught in the headlights look off of his face. Go ahead keep following blindly without asking questions.
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by wvu74621 March 6, 2009 1:44 AM EST
...you know what? if you don't like the stimulus plan and you don't like the way billions are being being spent then you should have been complaining louder when the last administration was in office....thing is, the vast majority of the complainers are the people that put that administration in office (twice!:?)
Posted by shurch4truth at 5:06 PM : Mar 5, 2009
+ report abuse + permalink

I guess you have a case of selective reading and listening. The last administration was just as crticisized as this new cluster F@c#. Now that they are no longer around don't get PO'd because your messiah is being criticisized. I have never seen so an administration as clueless as this one dead set on running this country into the ground. One would think that the new Prez had cured cancer or found the answer to the meaning of life. Prepare yourself for the worst. Evidently you voted these people in...be prepared to reap the rewards. Rewards are'nt always pleasant.
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