SEIU union boss Andy Stern Snags an Appointment from President Barack Obama to the newly created Deficit Commission
In a move that is sure to result in increased partisan acrimony, President Barack Obama today appointed longtime political ally and SEIU union boss Andy Stern to the new deficit commission that Obama created by executive order a few weeks ago. The new media left is predictably ecstatic about the Stern appointment, and the appointment is serving as a good pick-me-up after yesterday’s disappointing health care summit. Early leaks that Stern was in the running were met with consternation by many in the new and old media, and today’s announcement of the Stern appointment is sure to stir controversy about Stern’s qualifications to sit on such a board and questions as to whether the Stern appointment is simply a political payoff to the SEIU, a critical ally of the President who endorsed him in February 2008 at the height of the primary battle with Hillary Clinton.
Politico reports on the Stern appointment and OBama’s accompanying statement:
President Obama has appointed four members to the bipartisan deficit commission he established last week, an administration official said. The appointees are: Andy Stern, the president of SEIU; David Cote, the Honeywell International CEO; former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Alice Rivlin; and Ann Fudge, a former Young & Rubicam Brands CEO.
Obama said in a statement: “For far too long, Washington has avoided the tough choices necessary to solve our fiscal problems. I am proud that these distinguished individuals have agreed to work to build a bipartisan consensus to put America on the path toward fiscal reform and responsibility. I know they’ll take up their work with the sense of integrity and strength of commitment that the American people deserve and America’s future demands.”
Service Employees International Union (“SEIU) boss Andy Stern was the most frequent outside visitor to the White House, with 22 visits, as of the October 2009 visitor logs released by the White House. Conservative journalists have long attacked Stern as a corrupt operator at the head of the SEIU. Stern has also come under fire for inflammatory comments regarding the use of brute political force such as:
“We’re trying to use the power of persuasion. And if that doesn’t work we’re going to use the persuasion of power.“
Obama has previously unequivocally declared his strong ties to Stern and his reliance on SEIU to craft his agenda on such issues as health care:
“Your agenda has been my agenda in the United States Senate. Before debating health care, I talked to Andy Stern and SEIU members.“
With today’s appointment, Obama is demonstrating unequivocally that he considers SEIU and Stern one of his top political allies. In a political environment where the public’s approval of unions has sunk to historical lows, it will be interesting to see what effect, if any, the Stern appointment to the deficit commission will have on Obama’s standing with the American public. The Hill and Wall Street Journal notes early criticism of the Stern appointment:
Mr. Stern’s appointment to the panel triggered quick criticism from a conservative group. Katie Packer, executive director of the Workforce Fairness Institute, said in a statement that putting Stern on the panel “doesn’t pass the laugh test.”
“It appears we have moved from the state of the surreal to the land of outright insanity if our leaders are now taking advice from Big Labor bosses who have run their own programs into the ground,” Ms. Packer said.
