Montana’s “senior Senator” Max Baucus (D-MT) bowed down against party pressure Tuesday, as The Hill reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) “draws line against Keystone.” That headline in reference to the Keystone XL pipeline which would create jobs here in Montana.
The “senior senator” who chairs “the powerful US Senate Finance Committee” is apparently not that powerful, as The Hill reports:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he would not in any way help Republicans move Keystone approval across the finish line.
“Personally, I’m not — I’m not one of the conferees — but personally I think Keystone is a program that we’re not going, that I am not going to help in any way I can,” Reid told reporters. “The president feels that way. I do, too.”
Baucus, in a statement through his office, signaled Tuesday that he’s not inclined to insist on approval of the project in the transportation bill talks.
Meanwhile, it appears the AFL-CIO, one of the most powerful labor unions in the country, would rather their union members sit jobless on waiting lists than actually get a shot at a job.
On Wednesday, I noticed on Twitter how the MT AFL-CIO was all twitterpated with the Tester campaign and the Keystone XL Pipeline, even as Senate Democrats refuse to force the President’s hand and get the pipeline project up and running. So I asked the Montana AFL-CIO if the national AFL-CIO has even endorsed the pipeline. (Tweets pictured below) Their response- “the Building Trades Department of the AFL-CIO is actively supporting them.” How is that for some strong support for job creation out of the national AFL-CIO? Too in bed with environmental groups and a certain political party?
Well, you know what they say. False motivation is better than no motivation at all.
