A glimmer of "true grit" is emerging in the U.S. Senate, where Republican lawmakers are refusing to adjourn the Senate for the year, because while in session they have the ability to prevent confirmation of Obama appointments.
In doing so, this will 'neutralize' President Obama from making any "recess appointments," thereby thwarting the confirmation process, particularly with the now very controversial National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
This is an important development, as the board now has just two sitting members (of five), rendering it unable to achieve a quorum. So, if Obama is prevented from "installing" at least one more member, the board will effectively shut down--most likely for the remainder of 2012.
The "Acting" (unconfirmed Obama appointee since July 2010) General Counsel is Lafe Solomon, a career NLRB employee, who became famous for having filed a lawsuit against Boeing Co. this past summer--raising the ire of GOP lawmakers and business leaders everywhere.
The Machinists' Labor Union in Washington state claimed that Boeing violated labor laws in having built a brand new, expensive, manufacturing facility for their new 787 Dreamliner aircraft in South Carolina, a popular "Right to Work" [non-union] state, as retribution against them for striking in the past. The plant located in North Charleston would provide 1,200 high-paying jobs for the state, lowering unemployment and stimulating the economy.
While the company maintained that their actions were motivated strictly by economic considerations, GOP Congressmen and leading business groups charged that the NLRB suit was extraordinary, because if the board prevailed, it would result in the shuttering of the brand new plant and delay order deliveries significantly.
However, on December 9, 2011, the NLRB suit was dropped, as the Boeing and the Machinists' union reached a new four-year collective bargaining agreement--staving off an expensive legal battle that would no doubt have gone all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
This is just another example of the GOP combating a dangerous irony manufactured by the Democrat party--even though the Obama administration has adapted a very public, confrontational attitude toward business in America--they mindlessly continue to whine publicly about our jobless recovery.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Jeffrey Klein
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