Does Bush side with business or labor?

In case anyone wondered where Bush's loyalties lie:

The Bush administration held a briefing for business lobbyists seven hours before seeking a court order reopening West Coast ports but provided no similar briefing for labor unions, administration officials said yesterday.

The briefing, held in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, could complicate efforts by President Bush's aides to portray him as a neutral party in the politically charged dispute. Bush hoped to avoid intervening but did so after intense lobbying from corporations and industry groups, many of them headed by Republican donors.

Initial reports are that the Teamsters and Carpenters unions, both targets of Bush's "outreach" efforts, were furious at the president. And, the political fallout could very well tip the elections in several close races:

The White House political office has invested vast hours in trying to build alliances with selected unions, and administration officials said they feared that invoking Taft-Hartley -- which labor leaders immediately branded as a favor to management -- could set back that effort. Worse, outside advisers warned Bush's aides that providing a rallying point for unions just before the elections could tip the result of some House or Senate races, especially in Rust Belt states where labor remains influential.

Posted October 10, 2002 08:08 AM | Comments (0)