Labor union officials say Obama betrayed them in health-care rollout

Washington Post ^ | January 31, 2014 | Steven Mufson and Tom Hamburger

[Second Amendment First]

Labor leaders who have spent months lobbying unsuccessfully for special protections under the Affordable Care Act warned this week that the White House’s continued refusal to help is dampening union support for Democratic candidates in this year’s midterm elections.

Leaders of two major unions, including the first to endorse Obama in 2008, said they have been betrayed by an administration that wooed their support for the 2009 legislation with promises to later address the peculiar needs of union-negotiated insurance plans that cover millions of workers.

Their complaints reflect a broad sense of disappointment among many labor leaders, who say the Affordable Care Act has subjected union health plans to new taxes and mandates while not allowing them to share in the subsidies that have gone to private insurance companies competing on the newly created exchanges.

After dozens of frustrating meetings with White House officials over the past year, including one with Obama, a number of angry labor officials say their members are far less likely to campaign and turn out for Democratic candidates in the midterm elections.

“We want to hold the president to his word: If you like your health-care coverage, you can keep it, and that just hasn’t been the case,” said Donald “D.” Taylor, president of Unite Here, the union that represents about 400,000 hotel and restaurant workers and provided a crucial boost to Obama by endorsing him just after his rival Hillary Rodham Clinton had won the New Hampshire primary.

Taylor and Terry O’Sullivan, president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, laid out their grievances this week in a terse letter to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), saying they are “bitterly disappointed” in the administration.

[matt04]

Exactly. The labor union leaders lied to their “ bothers and sisters” when they told them how great ObamaCare was going to be and hoped no one would notice.

[Repeat Offender]

They went on feeding the crocodile, hoping it would eat them last........

[SisterK]

Useful Idiots

[grundle]

Heh heh.

[headstamp 2]

A perfect storm brewing for a wipeout of Democrats in the mid-terms and the idiot RINO’s are playing with amnesty instead.

[GraceG]

[ First he betrayed Conservatives.

Then he betrayed the wing-nut Leftists.

Then he betrayed other fringe Leftists, he thought didn’t
count.

All the while he was betraying Blacks.

Then he started betraying the Unions.

Then his programs were so bad, they started to hurt the party, another betrayal of sorts.

Now he has betrayed the labor unions.

One can only wonder what other betrayals will be just over the horizon for Bath-house Barry. It could get very ugly.

When the Left has had enough of this dumb ass, they’ll be dropping the dime on him. The Right will be able to step back and get out of the way. ]

Danger Danger Will Robinson!!!!

The left when they tire of him will make a Martyr out of him one way or another....

Like JFK, RFK, etc etc....

Pray for the President’s Safety!

When Leftists “Drop the Dime on Someone” They play for permanent keeps.

I would rather Obama die of old age or something he picked up at the Chicago Bathouse than for some disgruntled leftists to cause an early demise.

First the Media would spin him into a Martyr and Second they would use it as an excuse to take away even more of your rights and advance the socialist agenda.

[DoughtyOne]

I agree. I never advocate or express a desire to see a Leftist cut down. They would be an instant Kennedy or a King, and would never be seen for who they really were.

If it looks like I’ve advocated for such, it was because I was intemperate. I don’t want it for a second.

[tcrlaf]

Exactly WHAT did these morons think “Cadillac Health Care Plans” meant, and WHO had them?

[SoFloFreeper]

[SoFloFreeper]

[Leofl]

And water is wet, your point?

[GOPJ]

Unions have been a major source of funding and ground-level efforts on behalf of Democratic candidates. “You can’t just order people to do stuff,” Taylor said. “If their health plan gets wrecked, why would they then go campaign for the folks responsible for wrecking their health care?”

Unions pushed for Obamacare because they thought it wouldn't be FORCED on them. They didn't care if they were sticking it to the rest of Americans. Also unions only back one party so they really don't have any leverage. My guess is they'll go crawling back to democrats...

[GOPJ]

Indeed, you are correct. My daughter is writing an essay this weekend on Orwell’s use of betrayal in his novel Animal Farm….perhaps the union bosses should reread this little ditty.

Good for your daughter...

[CPT Clay]

Betrayed huh, so what of it? Whacha gonna do? Vote Republican?