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Deal in the works on EFCA?

Keeping with his new found tradition of lining up to support President Obama’s major legislative goals, Senator Arlen Specter suggested to a group of labor leaders last week week that a new version of the Employee Free Choice Act has been hammered out, and will be passed sometime after the enactment of health care reform.

Many Democrats are skeptical that the president can accomplish both of these goals this year, but I think we are much closer to votes on key legislation than the conventional wisdom holds. People should realize that health care reform is largely written and been passed through committee. While it still has a long way to go, it is further along now than President Clinton’s proposal ever was. Once that passes, it will be possible for the labor reform bill to also make its way through Congress.

Casting these key votes will be very important for Specter; in fact, I believe his “Aye” votes on health care reform and EFCA will be nails in the coffin for Joe Sestak’s campaign. It is easy for progressive activists to rail against Specter now. He’s famously independent and untrustworthy, and supported much of the Bush Administration’s policies. However, Specter is making all the right moves since becoming a Democrat, enough for many liberals to begin getting comfortable with the idea that the elder statesman may finally be finding a comfortable place in the party of the new American majority. Specter’s negatives are in the past, and there’s no doubt they are many, but if his future is anything like his present, he probably has a bright future in the Democratic party establishment.

September 21, 2009 at 8:29 pm

--Adam Schwartzbaum

Tags: Arlen Specter, Card Check

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