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.

[Making_Sense [Rob W. Case]]

I think it was Saul Alinsky that said that “the ends justify the means.” Betrayal is a bitter pill that is disastrously felt only after it is swallowed.

[hal ogen]

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

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.

[Fido969]

warned this week that the White House’s continued refusal to help is dampening union support for Democratic candidates

Bluff.

[Dr. Pritchett]

Well, screw you, labor union officials. You all screwed the rest of us pretty good trying to work out your own sweetheart deal. I hope it hurts.

[txrefugee]

Shut up, you union slugs. You’ll roll out to the polls and vote straight Democrat as all minorities do. You’re on the Big Government Plantation, and your masters aren’t at all threatened by your occasional whimpering.

[GSWarrior]

Obama has disdain for everyone. It’s only a matter of time before he gets around to offending everyone.

[usual suspect]

I didn’t leave the Democrat party...
The Democrat party left me.

Ronald Reagan

[liberalh8ter]

These labor union leaders need to comprehend that they have sold out their fellow Americans for a few lousy shekels. The betrayal they now complain of is of no concern to me.

[Navy Patriot]

Expecting something different were we?

[DoughtyOne]

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.

[RKBA Democrat]

“These labor union leaders need to comprehend that they have sold out their fellow Americans for a few lousy shekels.”

They didn’t even get 30 pieces of silver.

[longfellowsmuse]

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.

[NTHockey]

Sleep with dogs, wake up with fleas.

[Sivad]

This may not be a bluff. It just may mean that union members
will only commit to voting for Democrat candidates only one
time instead of 2-3 this campaign cycle.

[uncitizen]

“Union Official” are just covering their butts because they sold the Obamacare lemon to their members. which is not to say that the officials didn’t know it was a lemon all along.

[Repeal 16-17]

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.

So will these unions stop supporting Democrats? Will these unions call for the repeal of Obamacare? If no to both, then these unions are mere puppets of the Democratic Party and their words are meaningless.

[Dallas59]

[Col Freeper]

They signed a contract with the Devil and didn't read the fine print.

As everyone knows, the "Devil is in the Details".