[lbo-talk] EFCA - in the bag?

[Doug Henwood]

Ed Hyman's guy in Washington, Andy LaPerriere, reports this morning  
that the AFL-CIO's top lobbyist now claims they've got the 60 Senate  
votes necessary to pass card check, once Al Franken takes his seat,  
which seems almost certain. The crucial vote is Arlen Specter, the  
only Republican to have voted for it before. His state is heavily  
unionized, but he faces a primary challenge from the right. There's  
also pressure on a few Dems, esp Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, the home  
state of Wal-Mart, to switch to the no column. But all that taken into  
account, it's looking more likely than not that it will pass. Or so  
sez LaPerriere, who warns that this will be a negative for equities,  
and could deepen perceptions among investors, already spooked by  
Obama's liberal budget, that he's not pursuiing market-friendly  
policies.

Doug