Unions, other liberals rallying around Solis

Just as I was expecting, labor unions, women's groups, and Hispanic organizations are starting to rally around Hilda Solis's nomination to be Secretary of Labor. They are starting to put pressure on Republicans.

Good for them. Republicans are using her husband's tax problems to stall her nomination. That's fine, they should take time to find out what they need. But not too much time. The longer her nomination stalls, the more of a symbol Hilda Solis becomes.

What Republicans really, really don't want to admit is that they are terrified of her. They are scared of her because they are afraid that she'll rally the troops. They're worried that she will give hope to the marginalized and oppressed, and they will fight that much harder to join unions.

Of course, they have every reason to be scared, because that is exactly what she intends to do.

Fear is making the Republicans irrational. They have not yet come to terms with the fact that there are going to be some battles that they are going to lose, because there are some very important battles that they have already lost.

Let it go, guys. I don't know why the Republicans in Congress aren't listening to me on this one. This should be obvious. A bunch of white guys in suits take on a Hispanic woman, guess which one looks like the underdog? GOP senators are wasting political capital on this, and unions et al. are building up theirs. Never underestimate the stupidity of the GOP when it comes to dealing with the oppressed who have suddenly become powerful.

Tax problems for Hilda Solis

Another Obama nominee has tax problems. Hilda Solis' husband has a body shop that apparently had some old liens against it. This could be a problem, but it sounds manageable. This is, hopefully, qualitatively different from Daschle's problem of being driven around in a limo and forgetting to pay taxes for it. A body shop in LA is not exactly an elitist accoutrement. You don't get much more blue collar than a body shop in LA. It's also a trivial amount of money, $6,400. It also sounds like it was an honest mistake on his part. Some of these liens date back to the early '90's. It sounds like something that could happen to a business in the normal course of things. It doesn't sound like a deliberate effort to evade taxes. Also, it's her husband's business, not hers.

Trapper John at Daily Kos thinks this is no big deal, and Republican efforts to make it so "ought to be mocked." I wouldn't go that far. I think this should be taken seriously. If Obama decides that she should stay, and I think he should, he should also explain exactly why, and what is different about her case, as opposed to Daschle's. We can't expect every public servant to have a perfectly unblemished record. There has to be room for forgiveness. I think some is in order here. Tim Geithner and Tom Daschle were members of the elite who made egregiously stupid errors that they really should not have made, and from which they clearly benefited financially (at least until they got caught). Their mistakes gave the impression that the elites were being treated differently.

Solis' husband's problems are more of the down-to-earth, could-happen-to-anybody variety. The total value of his business is apparently between $50,000 and $100,000. That's a small business. This sounds like a paperwork snafu, rather than elitists gaming the system. Solis should be confirmed as Secretary of Labor.

Hilda Solis on hold - fight coming

Greg Sargent, formerly of TPM, now apparently running his own blog at whorunsgov.com, asks a very of-the-moment question about the Hilda Solis nomination for Labor Secretary. Some Republican Senator has an anonymous hold on her nomination. Greg's question is - why isn't either Obama or any unions fighting for her to be confirmed? The question about unions was answered by a comment in the thread - they are starting to make noise. I'm sure that Obama will push for her if he feels it's necessary, but since Democrats have strong control of the Senate, I don't think he's worried.

If I were Obama, I would also let the Republicans hang themselves with this opposition. Solis is the only Hispanic woman in the cabinet. Opposing her makes Republicans look racist and sexist. I don't think there are a lot of people paying attention to this issue. But the ones who are paying attention have got to be pissed. They aren't just holding up her nomination - they are disrespecting her, and the people that she represents. That will not be forgotten.

Never underestimate the ability of Republicans to be stupid and self-destructive when it comes to issues of empowering the poor and oppressed. They are fighting Solis because this is the opening salvo in the fight over the Employee Free Choice Act, which businesses are terrified of.

Too bad. Obama has enough political capital that he can spend some on this if he has to. (And I have enough artistic and intellectual capital to end a sentence with a preposition if I choose to.)

Unless she has some weird financial problem, which looks unlikely at this point, Hilda Solis is going to be confirmed at Secretary of Labor. Republicans are sending a message by holding up her nomination. Fine. Message received. As if it weren't already perfectly clear.

What's stupid about Republicans holding up Solis is that they don't get anything out of it. They send their message, but their opposition to EFCA was already well-known. Are they rallying their troops? That's possible, because goodness knows their troops need rallying. But they are also stiffening the spines of their opposition, who are holding all the cards already.

One of the stupidest things anyone can do in politics is confirm their opponent's negative stereotypes. Never a good idea. But that's exactly what Republicans are doing - dissing a Latina. Of course, I'm pretty sure there aren't any Latino women among the Republicans in Congress. So there isn't anyone to explain to them just how stupid they are being.

Not that they would listen.

Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor

Obama has chosen Hilda Solis as his Secretary of Labor. She is currently a US Representative from East LA. I haven't been commenting much about Obama's cabinet picks, partially because they've been coming fast and furious, partially because I pretty much agree with them.

Solis' nomination is notable for me for a couple of reasons. First, obviously, she comes from LA. Second, at a moment when the UAW, bastion of white American male manufacturing prowess, is in deep trouble, there is something telling that Obama chose a Secretary of Labor about as from the UAW, geographically and demographically, as possible. That deserves a deeper look, but not now.

Harold Meyerson, former executive editor of the LA Weekly, wrote a nice piece about Solis in the LA Times. He compares her with Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor. He also provides some explanation for why Solis was chosen, and what it means for the future of labor. The labor movement is alive and well in LA, and is, in some part, being driven by Latinas. The head of the LA County Federation of Labor is Maria Elena Durazo.

But the most important thing about Hilda Solis, as far as I am concerned, and the best possible indication of her future greatness, is that she has a Master's degree from the University of Southern California!

Barack Obama's cabinet is finally complete - gotta have a Trojan in the house!



On a personal note, this is my 7ooth post.