Happy Labor Day

I hope that everyone was able to enjoy their weekend. I also hope that for those of us who were able to enjoy today's holiday spent at least a few minutes reflecting on not just labor or unions but on the American worker and social justice more broadly.

Harold Meyerson has a good column in today's Washington Post that explores the status of the American worker in 2009. It's a stark reminder of the bleak outlook that many workers face every day and Meyerson puts the proper historical and political context in place. The current state of affairs for the American worker did not arise by unfortunate coincident. Indeed what American workers face today is the result of decades of concerted efforts by politicians to undermine the American worker to the benefit of corporate profits and favored industries.

On a somewhat more inspiring note I enjoyed this BookTV presentation on CSPAN2 earlier today,

Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW, and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century

Randy Shaw presents a history of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. Mr. Shaw contends that the UFW influenced future social justice movements and affected the state of American labor, immigrant rights, and the ascendancy of Latinos in politics. This event was hosted by Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC.

CSPAN2's website has the video up.

Don't underestimate the jesters

Our most trusted national newsman is a comedian so it's only fitting that Al Franken is apparently our most impressive Senator.

Okay slight, hyperbole but Franken is very good and the rest of the folks in the Senate are decidedly underwhelming.

Ritter and Romanoff dirty laundry gets public airing

After Michael Bennet's appointment back in January I wrote,

There was tension between Speaker Romanoff and the govs office as well, no matter how good of a public face they put on. Romanoff was very anxious to get some movement on education reform at the start of the 2007 session and the governor dragged his feet for months and months. When he did jump on board with the Speaker's agenda he took it over and slowed the process down by creating another commission (the P-20 Council) that took many more weeks to create. The governor essentially sunk Romanoff's legacy project. I can't imagine that there's not lingering tension in that relationship.

I'd say today's Denver Post article points to the lingering tension I noted above finally boiling over. Ritter and Romanoff did not have a great working relationship prior to the machinations described by the Post, it's now out there in the open for the public to see.

A few things jump out at me in this article:

1. I find absolutely none of this surprising or shocking, it fits right in with the outlines of the story that have been circulating for some time.

2. More evidence that neither the governor nor his advisers are particularly adept at political strategy

3. The story reads as though Ritter may have deliberately screwed Romanoff. I'm not entirely sure that's true but that's the impression that is left.

4. Does the LG want out or did Ritter and his staff want her gone?

5. Romanoff should run against Ritter if he's hell bent on running for office.

That's an idea

John Cole,

If all the wingnuts are pulling their kids out of school because the President is going to speak for fifteen minutes, can we teach evolution the rest of the day?

On the local ABC affiliate they interviewed a mother from Douglas County who was literally in tears at the prospect of the president giving a stay-in-school speech and her daughters over-hearing it. When they asked what she was afraid that they might hear she responded, "socialism."

I say if the mother is so worried about socialism she should pull her kids out of PUBLIC schools.

update: I see the Rude Pundit has a pretty good take, as usual.

My brain hurts

Sucky blogging from me lately (as RSB noted my Soros check hasn't arrived this month) but this made me laugh.

So awesome, so very awesome.



h/t Atrios

All day contract negotiations are brutal. Just an FYI to my loyal readers... both of you.