Ever wonder how many MAGA-hat wearing Trump supporters at Trump "rallies" are former union workers out of their union jobs today because those jobs have gone elsewhere?
6
Another nepotist appointment made with the full intent to destroy labor protections-- just like the rest of the secretaries in trump's fetid cabinet of rot.
4
Where do these people come from? Do people really get into the best universities and law schools with their College Essays saying they think science is stupid and people deserve to suffer and work themselves to death to feed their kids?
6
Send the fox to guard the hen house.
4
What an affront to the working class. Good luck passing a living wage. The Trump sheeple do not even realize who they voted for and chant hate with. The joke (if you can get all it that) is on them.
3
I’ll bet the GOP has plans for the other 20 children of Antonin Scalia also. Excuse my sarcasm, but this is a travesty.
3
Trump "drained the swamp" to make room for his huge cesspool...
6
I can’t believe that I am saying this, but I really miss Jeff Sessions. William Barr destroys almost everything I stand for like justice for the poor, immigrant rights, oversight of the executive branch. At least Sessions had the decency to recuse himself. If and when asked, censured Barr simply scoffs.
Now Acosta is gone and sinister Trump has found ideological equivalent to Barr. At least Acosta dragged his feet when it came to implementing Trump’s unjust policies to tear away at worker’s rights and federal wage freezes. Eugene Scalia, like Barr, is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. His agenda from day one is crystal clear—advocate for corporate interests with draconian measures against blue collar workers.
In a few months we will all could be very well lamenting the loss of Acosta. His his past transgressions may fade in comparison to the systematic destruction of fair labor practices that Scalia is going to implement with impunity.
5
A philosophical clone of his daddy. Another example of political nepotism where the children realize the privileged life they lead is too good to give up for intellectual curiosity or honesty.
4
Emblematic of the Trump Administration: a top official goes out over deeply problematic issues, and a new one is proposed that might arguably be worse, considering the number of people that could be adversely affected by his policy views versus Acosta's.
4
" a member of the Federalist Society,"
Great. Another anti-union, pro corporation elitist. Just what we DON'T need as Secretary of Labor.
More "best people" that the fraud never heard of until the Federalists put the name in front of him.
9
As usual with Trump, foxes are hired to protect the hens.
7
Which laborers has this labor lawyer represented? I'm not sure the word means what some of us think it does anymore - asking for a friend
6
At 71 after reading NYT for 65 years and still remembering William Safire I am still shocked at the Newspeak in our daily lives. I am not upset with Gene Scalia's nomination it what I expect in a Kakistocracy . Scalia embodies all of the sophistry and deceit of his father and none of his father's redeeming qualities but I am not American and this is not my fight.
I am disturbed however with free market conservative. This is an unforgivable oxymoron. A free market is a liberal market that is what free market means it is a market where there is little authority.
Samuel Johnson wrote the first English Dictionary. Samuel Johnson was a conservative he believed in well ordered and overseen conservative markets. His foil Edmund Burke was a Whig member of parliament and a liberal.
3
Mr. Trump sure finds a lot of things in common with kids of famous people. Surnames matter a lot of him.
6
More nepotism from the Party that thinks the Constitution says we need a royal family.
How about picking public servants on their "merits," instead of family ties?
By the way, I am against the Kennedy dynasty and the Clinton Dynasty.
Whatabout the Constitution?!
3
I wonder if he will use, “Originalism,” like his dad, to substantiate any and all onerous statues and proclamations? Slavery, or child labor, come to mind. Rejection of modernism is a hallmark of modern conservatism. How dare we not believe in a God, or support the right of all human beings to healthcare? As if the founders were so smart they could look into the future and predict all science. That was never the point, it was always to suppress criticism, and to suppress labor.
6
Requiring multi-billion dollar corporations--Walmart, the 2nd largest private employer in the US, no less--to pay for employee health care? Extremist.
4
Mr Scalia defended Boeing's demand for a no-strike clause in a contract with its workers.
The task confronting the Labor Department is not suppressing collective bargaining but rebuilding its strength and enforcing worker protections:
• According to the AFL-CIO's statistics, in 2017, there were 5,147 workplace deaths among American workers, nearly a half-century after congress enacted OSHA legislation. [https://aflcio.org/reports/death-job-toll-neglect-2019].
• Two-thirds of the serious injuries from workplace accidents are suffered by female workers, only 10.2% of whom have union membership.
• In this era of radical income inequality, let's take note of these AFL-CIO stats: Unionized workers earn, on average, $204 per week more than non-union, and half of all workers would join unions if they could.
Our nation's unions did not give us Donald Trump as President, but if they could recoup lost membership, they could defeat him. The US labor movement is one of the great democratic movements in our history. But it is also one of the most falsely maligned, from 1886, when a general strike in Chicago's Haymarket Square killed and injured workers and led to death sentences for 7 union “anarchists” to the backlash against the Ledbetter Act of 2009. American workers need an advocate, not a union buster.
"Anarchists"--isn't that the kind of label tossed out casually these days, like the labels "socialists" and "left-wing extremists," at Trump rallies?
5
Congratulations union Trump voters. You now have a "labor" secretary who represents the bosses. Could have seen this coming. Who ever thought Trump, a wealthy businessman would care about the interests of the working man?
10
My father was a labor lawyer and I am more than certain he would not have worked for the Trump Administration. He had scruples.
7
I don't like this choice but as far as carpal tunnel syndrome is concerned, he isn't that far wrong.
In fact, studies have shown that the best predictive factors for developing CTS are psychological ones. The association between repetitive movements and CTS remains controversial.
Of course, that doesn't make CTS any less of a problem to those who suffer from it except in the eyes of the many Americans who think that any disorders related to psychological issues aren't "real."
So don't write that I'm dismissing CTS as a nonexistent disorder.
1
Maybe since trump has never done a days work in his life he doesn't understand what the Department of Labor does.
Scalia has never once fought for labor, he was once dubbed “the godfather of the anti-ergonomics movement.” for fighting against workplace safety rules for white-collar employees. But considering trump's past record on nominees no one can be surprised. I have no doubt his campaign will profit from this.
4
Well, are we surprised? Of course, Trump would pick an anti-labor, pro-corporate, greedy, and wealthy, guy for Secretary of Labor. And in spite of the Democrat's opposition, Mr. Scalia will be a shoe-in. My dear dad was a union man, a truck-driver to be exact. He is probably rolling over in his grave as I write this. His fee as a union member paled in comparison to its rewards...a home in SF, sending both children off to college, health care, and a pension to boot. Gone are those days, I suppose never to return. And with Trump and his minions, from the Secretaries of Transportation to Education to Health and Human Services to HUD and Labor - need I go on - these nails in the proverbial coffin are hammered in so tight that it will take another president, another Senate to wrench them out.
6
Nothing better than an anti-union/anti-labor corporate right-winger as Labor Secretary. I’m always amazed at how little seems to be known and appreciated about the historical importance of of unions in protecting workers from greedy corporations. Surely workers still deserve and need such protections today.
6
Trump is following the Republican tradition of appointing an anti-labor, union bashing ideologue to be Secretary of Labor.
2
There is no such thing as a free market conservative. It is an oxymoron if you believe in free markets you are a liberal or a Whig. Liberal is the opposite of authoritarian that is why we call America's economy neoliberal!
Regardless of what David Brooks teaches Burke was a Whig member of Parliament and no friend of conservatives like Samuel Johnson.
I am tired of Newspeak, conservatives love stability and regulated economies are conservative and when it come to redistributing wealth America is ultra extreme high octane liberal where the only thing sacred is financial insecurity for the many.
2
Here we go again. Another trump appointee that favours corporations over workers, sides with the wealthy over the middle class, and will do everything in his power to rid the country of those “troublesome labour rights laws” that protect workers and keep companies and CEOs from lining their pockets even more.
1
All the criticisms of Eugene Scalia expressed in the reader comments are accurate. But maybe the comments and the media are missing another reason for the appointment: Trump's desire to win even more votes from an important part of his base, conservative Catholics.
While evangelicals provide the most loyal part of Trump's base, conservative Catholics are also a key part of his base. If you look through some of the conservative Catholic organizations and websites, you will find that they are strongly anti-Pope Francis and very conservative Republican. I do not know exactly how and why it is that being conservative in church doctrine and being conservative Republican came together, but it is real. I think that the reason for the alliance go beyond opposition to abortion.
In any case, Catholic Republicans are extremely important members of Trump's administration in implementing some of his most shameful policies. The examples include Mick Mulvaney, GOP supreme court justices, Mike Pompeo, and more. Eugene Scalia will join that group. He will do his best to implement social and labor policies that are the opposite of the progressive Catholic labor tradition that goes back to Leo XIII's bull of 1892.
3
The Catholic Church has no more place in labor issues than they do in abortion. None.
I'm a liberal Democrat. It's a waste of time for Dems in the Senate to oppose this appointment. A president can choose a cabinet representing his views. Trump is clearly pro-business and anti-labor. He wants someone who can effectively dismantle the DoL as he has done with other departments. Senate Democrats should reject appointments like Ben Carson, as he has no competence in the field of housing (and I wouldn't let him touch my brain either). But, Scalia does know labor, even if he is an opponent. Don't waste your time on this one, Dems.
I will look forward to hearing him review his sources for his repetitive stress injury theories, and to explain his reasons for thinking the NLRB acted inappropriately in the Boeing case.
As someone who disagreed with his father's originalist views, I would find it very interesting to hear whether he thinks the Secretary of Labor should be someone who supports collective bargaining legislation and constitutional law.
Historically, Labor and Commerce have had a natural tension between their respective constituencies. It is clear that he is admirably educated and experienced, but not at all clear that his experience qualifies him to represent this department.
While I am highly suspicious of Scalia, Ann Rosenthal’s experience with him, and his own comment about having a different client, makes me take a wait and see stance on his appointment. I disagreed wholly with his father’s work as a member of the Supreme Court but his friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsberg indicated to me that he was a man of principle. Thus, I think his son should be given a chance to prove his mettle.
11
That's one vote for nepotism. Who else is in?
@AT
Why doesn't his friendship with her cast doubt on your perceptions of her?
Do you think any more of Kavanaugh now that Ginsberg has praised him as well?
@AT Now his client is Trump and those who put him in office.
Well, another 13 months to go. Just have to swallow all this for now but make sure to show up for votes next year, democrats.
2
This just fits the pattern of a his other cabinet appointees. Appoint someone who stands firmly AGAINST what the cabinet position is intended for. How cynical and negative can one party be!? No one disrespects America quite like the Republican party!
4
It makes no sense to put into the Labor Department somebody so alienated from that world. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, disinterested in the world of labor, and an ideologue to boot. His nomination can be seen as nothing more than shoving a thumb in the eye of the American worker.
4
The Liberals lose an election, and expect the reality to be different.
What did President Obama tell Eric Cantor? I forget.
1
Out of the pot, into the fire. Trump's anointments - appointments - keep getting worse, if that's possible.
3
Democrats. Take a page from the Republican playbook (Nancy Reagan's & Mitch's at least). JUST SAY NO! Say no to ANYTHING they want to do before the 2020 election. It'l drive the donald crazy (I mean, even crazier), and give Mitch and his posse a taste of their own sour medicine.
4
Confirmations happen in the Senate. "Mitch" has all the "posse" he needs, and therefore no need of "medicine."
Trump is certainly the one who hates America.
He is making the country in his greedy, selfish image, which by the way, is the same as that of Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.
He should take his own advice- If he doesn’t like it here, just leave.
Please.
5
Merrick Garland passed over again?!
2
Surely he’ll have some nice “Originaliist” concepts on Labor to keep Daddy smiling from the great beyond.
2
I am often critical of the Times' coverage of the president, and while I had tremendous respect for Antonin Scalia's intellect and rise to success from a very modest background, this article makes a very good case for why I would not want to see his son, Eugene Scalia as labor secretary.
We are where we are in politics in large part because of the decline of organized labor. That's partially the fault of our pro-corporate leaders in both parties, as well as the fault of union leaders who overplayed their hands for years, and CEOs who failed to make good long term plans, or to consider the fate of American workers.
Under any circumstances, thank-you NYT for keeping the focus on the issues.
4
Who is making all these decisions? Trump is too ignorant to come up with these ideas and appointments on his own. Is it Mulvaney? McConnell? Trump’s Mar a Lago buddies?
3
Why not bring Nixon back from the dead, too?
3
Perfect choice to replace RGB on SCOTUS when the time comes. Don't laugh. I'm sure Pence-Barr-Mulveny already have it penciled in.
1
A lovely choice by the maniac. The DOL will now have policies that favor white persons and discriminate against all others.
3
So the labor secretary nominee is Eugene Scalia, who has been active in republican issues and circles for decades and is going to work for someone who completely changed the republican party when he took office, because never before had republicans said, done, or believed anything that he said, did, or believed.
That's what you have to think to believe that the current republican party is different than the party in the 1960s onward. If that is what you think, you are ignoring history and embarrassing yourself.
7
Will this motivate every day people, workers-- unionized or not-- to vote for Democrats on November 3, 2020?
Will everyone prioritize voting next November, and VOTE Republicans Out Of Office?
Or will voters ensure 4 more years of debt-- soon to be utterly crushing-- on the middle class and poor, as rich and corporations enjoy much lower taxes?
9
@M The problem with the crushing debt is that among other things (like climate change and science in general), the base doesn't believe in cause and effect. trump party "leaders" know what cause and effect is, but they easily convince their voters that there's no such thing, and effect won't happen until a Democrat is in office, and it'll be the Democrat's fault, not theirs.
9
Fox guarding the henhouse. Again.
12
A perfect choice as labor secretary. Why not just rename the Department of Labor, the Department of Business and Corporate Interests and leave it at that? There will be no action by this administration that furthers worker protections or rights. This is another sham appointment.
180
@Patrick Stevens Yes, totally agree but you must admit Trump maintains a perfect record of replacing bad with WORSE!
54
@Patrick Stevens And yet, the vast majority of working individuals in Trump's base, unfortunately, won't care, to the extent that they even take note of this nomination.
4
@Apathycrat
Given that pattern, maybe people should have learned by now not to call for resignations at the drop of a hat. In Acosta's case, that seems to have been particularly unwarranted, given the culpability of the DOJ at the time, FL politics and not to mention NYC politics.
Gene Scalia, representative of corporations against employees to head Dept. of Labor.
This is the description of Dept. of Labor's objectives, from wikipedia.
www.dol.gov
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, reemployment services, and some economic statistics; many U.S. states also have such departments. The department is headed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor.
The purpose of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the wellbeing of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights. In carrying out this mission, the Department of Labor administers and enforces more than 180 federal laws and thousands of federal regulations. These mandates and the regulations that implement them cover many workplace activities for about 10 million employers and 125 million workers.
As with every trump appointee, we get the person that is intended to do the maximum damage to their area of responsibility.
“War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
― George Orwell, 1984
247
@Loyd Collins I couldn't agree more. His appointment is no better than having the Fox guard the Hen-house. I have dealt with corporate Labor Lawyers on two occasions as a rank and file member of a contract negotiations commitees. It is my profound belief that Corporations and their Labor Lawyers view labor not as people but merely a controllable commodity. To Have Gene Scalia in tandem with our Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is a nightmare of gigantic proportions.
"It is impossible for capitalists and laborers to have common interests."...Samuel Gompers , american labor leader
58
@Loyd Collins
I almost teared up reading the job description. I feel such nostalgia for the country that held that protective positive intention for our nation’s working class. We have fallen so far off the mark. Up is down now. We are lost and out to sea.
36
@Person
You mean the nostalgia of the Obama administration DOL that allowed Amazon to become the behemoth it is today, at the expense of warehouse workers who were/are being hauled off in ambulances on a daily basis?
That nostalgia?
Has he ever worked a job that required steel toes? a hardhat? gloves?
Was he ever employed in a union shop?
There are plenty of cabinet officers who represent management. Is it too much to have one who actually represents labor?
340
@Christopher B. Daly
Pls identify the Obama labor secretary who met your criteria.
11
@mbpman, sure Obamas second labor secretary Perez received his Bachelor of Arts in international relations and political science from Brown University in 1983. He covered the cost of attending Brown with scholarships and Pell Grants and by working as a trash collector and in a warehouse. Trash collectors were steel toed boots and it’s darn hard work. I know I’ve done it.
So there’s my answer to your insincere and duplicitous question. Why insincere and duplicitous? Because it ignores the intent of the comment through redirection. Obama’s choices advocated for working class labor throughout their careers, Trumps are shills for the plutocracy & Scalia’s spawn like his dear departed daddy is openly hostile to the working class.
No one in the Trump administration is advocating for working class Americans including the grifter in chief. A man renowned for his abusive and often fraudulent labor practices including the employment of numerous undocumented immigrants may be able to con a portion of my fellow Americans but his nomination of Scalia puts his dishonesty in a harsh and unpleasant light.
238
How about Frances Perkins?
1
Oh great, the guy hired by Wall Street to fight Wall Street reform.
Making America Great Again, for rich people. The swamp's getting a bit crowded, don't you think?
480
While it is widely hidden, revocation of the fiduciary rule should be of utmost interest in considering Scalia's approval. The fiduciary rule required that financial advisors worked in their client's own best interest. Instead Trump and Scalia revoked the rule in order to allow financial advisors to sell their clients junk investments in which the financial advisors were receiving a better commission.
6
Also, while at Labor, watch him try to mess with the Consumer Price Index so as to affect Social Security and pension COLAs.
As Dean Baker said: “The goal of the Trump administration is to redistribute as much income as quickly as possible to his family, friends, and people like his family and friends.”
...Is expected to bring Stability to the job. How many times have we heard this about a Trump appointed official?
How many times have we been disappointed by the results?
2
Maybe it would be better to change the name of this cabinet position to 'Secretary of Capitalist' so that we are honest about who is being served first.
Union participation is now down to what, 6% ? Almost wiped out from about 70% in those halcyon 1950's that our conservative friends speak so fondly of.
Do we really need another rich-kid lawyer beating up on workers? Because when a anti-labor attorney is hired as the Secretary of labor, that is all that will happen.
6
Here's all that needs to be known about the pending appointment of Scalia for the Labor Secretary post: Sen. Tom Cotton suggested his appointment to djt.
8
Unlike his predecessor's pro business approach, right? Another fox in the henhouse, another greedy robber baron looking to make the right richer at the expense of the working people. If John D Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie we're alive today they'd be overjoyed at having a government that protected their hundreds of billions of dollars instead of the workers who made their fortunes.
As the head of my local said at our November 2016 meeting, "I know some of you voted for this, and I don't want to hear it. When they take away your health insurance. When they come for your pension. When they dismantle your union. I don't want to hear it." Not like he's some great visionary or anything, this has been slowly happening for 40 years.
51
@Mike, at least Rockefeller and Carnegie eventually gave back to society. I see no signs of that among the trumpists.
1
Pro-business equals anti-worker. The Federalist Society as anti-union, anti-minimum wage and anti-regulation regarding workplace protections both physical and administrative (wage theft). The Federalist mindset is that workers should consider themselves fortunate to have a job and should be content with the crumbs they receive. How does this help workers?
7
What's important to remember is that Eugene Scalia isn't merely pro-business. He's also very smart and is intimately familiar with the workings of the Labor Department -- and how to manipulate it. That's a lethal combination, as far as labor is concerned.
That being said, you can't be a partner at Gibson, Dunn if you're not a sane person. So even Eugene Scalia may be too sane to last very long in the Trump administration.
4
What is it about the rich and powerful, even the ones that have done nothing more than inherit their money and positions, that allows them to believe that they are they are entitled to all of society’s benefits. Anyone who has to work for a living should be happy to serve great, mostly white, men and expect nothing in return - not security, safe working conditions, decent payment or benefits.
6
Drumpf real function:
To appoint Cabinet and Department heads that will work to destroy protections for the common American laborer.
7
I thought we had passed a law that there could be no more "Federalist Society" hires?
What gives?
4
If you don't like this appointment don't whine, Just work to elect anybody but Trump as the next POTUS who will be the person selecting the next Secretary of Labor.
6
Draining the swamp had a decidedly different meaning to very different people. Hey We The People - did ya’ll really think Trump was talking to you and your interests?
6
Really, Mr. Scalia, is this a position you want to add to your resume?? Given, I probably disagree with your policy leanings, but, judging from this article, you are a smart professional, which, in the Trump administration, is not a good fit at all---can't see you sitting around the conference table with Jared, Ivanka, and their Dad.
4
Drain the swamp by appointing the children of lifetime appointees? Hmm...
7
Wonder how long he will last. Five, four, three, two........ Of course, he can always make a soft landing at the law firm.
4
"A life of success" -- yet something must be deeply wrong if he's happy to join The Swamp Master and the most corrupt administration in the history of our country.
7
Eugene Scalia looks nice. He must be smart, whatever that is. But let’s not forget - lets hope Congress doesn’t forget or whimp out - apples do not fall far from their trees.
4
Got it.
Worked for Walmart.
Anti-union.
Recognizable name.
All slots filled.
And I won't even argue his monetary philosophy.
That's because there was another "recognizable name" that was in the news this week that explained everything there is to know about the economic philosophy of every Republican.
It was Rush Limbaugh.
On Tuesday, he got a call from a longtime listener.
CALLER: "In 2019 , there's gonna be a $1 trillion deficit. Trump doesn't really care about that. He's not really a fiscal conservative. We have to acknowledge that Trump has been cruelly used."
RUSH LIMBAUGH: "Nobody is a fiscal conservative anymore. All this talk about concern for the deficit and the budget has been bogus for as long as it's been around."
So, there we have it.
Trump is not a victim - it is all about the Benjamin's.
There is no philosophy. Trump doesn't WANT a philosophy, least of all from Scalia's kid.
So, since Republicans have no bottom line on economics, that it is all just greed, then I'm sure that what trump is expecting from "Scalia's Boy" is a brand new ORIGINALIST philosophy of economics that will fit right into the program of Walmart and anti-union, anti-Equal Pay, anti-OSHA regulations.....
You know, something that will fit right in with using killer-pesticides that the rest of the world has banned.
And, no one will be watching him because our eyes will be on Trump's pedophile buddies.
Welcome aboard, Sonny!
Take your seat on the Death Train!
7
The WH is getting flooded with privileged people who never had to work a day in their lives, never broke a sweat, have never known what it might be like to be a real US citizen. Of course, that is the strategy. We are such a shameful Kleptocracy.
6
If Schumer expects folk to vote Democrat in 16 months, then he's going to have to come up with something more invigorating than that silly-putty put down that this is a "missed opportunity".
This man is a corporate shill, a Federalist Society (which is a secret society that swears oaths to NEVER pass any law that goes against the needs of the Federalist Society. Yup. Cult.)
And the son of a man that made up legal philosophies.
What could POSSIBLY go wrong?
Wake up, Schumer.
This man is the ghost of Paul Ryan and he's still out to get Social Security.
Scream! Howl!
Organize "Moral Monday" on the steps of Congress!
This man is ANTI-UNION!
He's not a "missed opportunity" - he's a calamity!
5
Typical Democrat move. They drove Acosta out of government based upon dubious conduct not in any way related to his cabinet position and now they will get a real conservative Secretary of Labor. Well done! Will they ever learn? Doubtful.
Does Trump even know what the word Labor means?
7
Gene Scalia is a very smart man. I thought he was smarter than to get involved in the cesspool of this administration.
6
“Mmmmm, nepotism” *Homer Simpson drool*
3
Oh good. Another swamp monster from the White House.
6
Ask him if he would prosecute Trump golf courses for wage theft when they asked undocumented workers to work off the clock?
Ask him if he would prosecute employers who employ undocumented workers like Trump Golf Courses?
Ask him if would go after green card abusers who worked illegaly like it is alleged Melania did?
Ask him if he would go after contractors who renege on their agreements like Trump did?
So many questions that will never be asked or answered .
25
.According to a report.ny NPR in April of this year the number of people holding acting positions, combined between the Cabinet Dpt., other Cabinet level positions, and Government Agencies totals 15. His administration has had an unprecedented level of turnover. There is also the number of positions he has simply left unfilled, particularly at the State Department. trump has said he likes "acting" appointments because they give him more "flexibility", and it gives him the ability to move "quickly". I'm assuming that the primary reason for this desire for alacrity is due to the fact that these acting appointees can avoid the process of review and approval by Congress. Yet another end run around our system of government.This is indicative of his complete disregard, disrespect and lack of knowledge of the reasons why there are three separate components of the Federal Government. They provide a system of checks and balances on the others to prevent abuses of power. trump is a clever fool who fancies himself as a dictator and despot like his buddies Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, and Duterte. He wants to be free to do whatever he pleases without any accountability to our system of government and to the citizens of this country. We deserve so much better.
11
Yes. Obviously the most qualified person is the son of a powerful well connected person. Rampant nepotism is just another form of corruption and a sign of the "fish rotting from the head first." I believe that the system we have is beyond reform. It needs to be torn down and many of the architects and power brokers jailed. You don't reform a rotting fish. You throw it in the garbage.
10
Scalia is a classic Trump GOP appointee. He’s an industry hack who is chosen to destroy the very agency he heads. He is hostile to workers and a servile toady for employers.
Meanwhile, Trump’s deplorable base, many of whom are working class Whites, continue to lustily cheer for Trump as he continues to undermine their wages, safety and work standards, and ability to negotiate with employers for better treatment.
26
Another appointee who will try to undermine the Department he will head. A true corporatist.
The pattern is obvious. And yet Trump's core working class voters think he is on their side. The grief these fools will suffer later in their lives is well deserved.
28
There are so many questions to be asked when the Congressional hearings take place.
How would the appointee advance the rights of laboring workers, aside from supporting the ability to unionize? Does he think that workers currently have enough power to pursue their best interests?
What are his thoughts about a national minimum wage vs. a state-level minimum wage?
What effect do migrant workers have on the total work force of this Country? When he goes about his day to day life, is he aware of how many workers that he encounters in various roles might not be legal immigrants? If so, how is he aware of it?
Is health insurance a right or a privilege?
What is slavery?
Whom does the current federal tax system benefit? Has it ever benefitted the workers?
How can the costs of higher education be lowered? How can alternatives to higher university education be developed? How can middle-aged workers whose industries close/move to another location, be retrained? Is this a role for the government?
Does he value teachers? Why are teachers unionized? Does he value unions?
What work has he done other than pursuing his career in law? Has he ever been injured on the job? Has he ever had to go without health insurance?
Why does he wish to become the Labor Secretary in this current administration? If approved, would he allow his Department to become part of the current President's re-election campaign?
Of course, there are many other questions....
12
We need a law limiting the number of "Acting Appointments" that can be active at any one time under any administration.
I don't foresee a confirmation hearing in this gentleman's future. Do you?
It's our government and we're letting this "President" run it as a private social club. Enough already.
14
An excellent selection for the Secretary of Labor, Eugene Scalia is fundamentally committed to the men (and women) who work for a living, unlike Clinton's Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, who supported the "knowledge worker" over the laborer. Thank you.
5
@Southern Boy
I see you’re still in the confederacy.
10
@Southern Boy, you fail to understand the purpose of the Labor Department. You also fail to understand the meaning of "LABOR", as you think a laborer just digs ditches and doesn't think.
8
Have you spent a second learning anything about this man? He’s a labor lawyer who represented Walmart AGAINST the men and women who work at Walmart.
Wake up!!!
9
If Mr. Scalia is smart and honest, he will not join the Trump Administration. Its taint would hurt his soul, his reputation, and his fitness for honorable employment in the future.
17
The Federalist Society. Crowds should be storming the place. At the very least there should be an in-depth investigation of its funding and its very legality. It is de facto advocating an overthrow of the government.
10
I really wish the new Secretary of Labor could come from someone who has average and non distinguished background. At least, that person would understand the meaning of being an average America. Nothing against Scalia, but he is just so un-America with a distinguished father and a revolving door career.
8
“President Trump has again chosen someone who has proven to put corporate interests over those of worker rights,” Mr. Schumer said. “Workers and union members who believed candidate Trump when he campaigned as pro-worker should feel betrayed.”
Chuck Schumer is such a weak Minority Leader of the Senate. This is the best he can do?
America (and especially Democrats) need strong leaders who can speak out against special interest groups and corporations. Pelosi and Schumer are not strong.
8
How can any union member, or union, get behind a party renowned for union busting and right to work legislation?
A party proud of gutting workplace protections.
16
What did we expect? A few days of rhetorical forest fires, the smoke hiding the real headlines: a hired "anti-labor" gunslinger, moving to a new town to instill "labor peace" among the citizenry.
3
What did we expect? A week few days of rhetorical forest fires, the smoke hiding the real headlines: a hired "anti-labor" gunslinger, moving to a new town to instill "labor peace" among the citizenry.
2
If the chief is going to be "pro-business," why don't they call it the Department of Business? Or maybe the Department of Business As Usual?
Meanwhile, who's looking out for the interest of "labor," also known as "workers"? Nobody in the Trump administration -- that's for sure. I'd like to hear any working people raise a rousing chorus of "Send Him Back."
13
The amount of cronyism in this administration is sickening. Not to mention, the kakistocracy that has emerged because of it. After the Trump disaster is over, I look forward to a new Democratic administration which is comprised not only of the best and brightest of their respective fields, but also comprised of individuals from more than the same small, crooked handful of families.
7
What’s with the doom and gloom? It takes one to know one. Scalia 2.0 is intelligent and has the potential to make things better for our country. With great power comes great responsibility.
@Boomer, nice way to plagiarize famous speeches, but leave out any substance. The job requires one to work for labor in this country, not MAGA. Nobody can question the man's intelligence, just his allegiance to labor. His beliefs would work bettor as Trump's lawyer.
1
Justice Scalia's son nominated to a cabinet post. A great honor for Eugene and sign of respect for the late conservative lion of the Court.
When Justice Scalia passed, President Obama ordered flags be at half-mast for 6 days from the 14th of the month to the 20th, the day of interment, including the time the Justice laid in state. Yet for Justice Stevens who was on the Court for 35 years, Trump ordered half mast for only the day of interment, not for the days between including Monday when the Justice will lie in repose at the Supreme Court.
Why the difference, Mr. Trump?
11
Everyone when there is an accusation of racism—judge people as individuals, not their skin color. Everyone when a man is appointed to the Cabinet—judge him by the views of his father, not as an individual! Sickening.
4
Let’s all calm down. Every GOP president appoints a pro-business labor secretary. We can’t let Trump dominate our days and thinking. We just have to beat him next year.
VOTE BLUE. NO MATTER WHO.
19
Great! Let's just have the entire government be one long monarchy of family members.
8
The next democratic presidential candidate now has a major talking point in the heavily unionized Midwest.
6
Another member of this family in government "service" is something we do NOT need in this country.
9
"In a post on Twitter, Mr. Trump said Mr. Scalia 'has led a life of great success in the legal and labor field and is highly respected.'”
Trump's words of praise and admiration for every person he has "chosen" for a position in his administration have been shoveled into his mouth by someone else. They are not his own.
Trump is too vain/self-centered/narcissistic to have any but the most superficial awareness of any other person who is not a public celebrity or has not been a part of the very small pool of the ultrawealthy in which he sloshes around. He probably didn't know Scalia had a son until the day before yesterday.
14
Just what we need. A Labor Secretary who brings a “pro-business” approach to the job. Trump sells out his base again.
17
Yet another example putting the "fox in the hen house." Bet he hates the institution he is designated to head, just like the others. Another safe bet is that he will use an "originalist" interpretation of law as his father did, which means that he will just make stuff up. Another swamp creature. Not surprised. What would have been surprising would have been someone who was qualified and was an advocate for workers and unions. Vote Democrat in '20 as if your life depended on it, which it does.
10
If he is Scalia's son - that's a good enough qualification for me.
It helps that he also appears to be a seasoned lawyer.
The Labor situation in America today is all legal - as in lawsuits filed by the unions against any rules, regulations that the unions fear.
And the knee jerk reaction of Democrats to oppose this nomination tells me that he is well qualified.
5
@Neil
Parentage can be one facet in the assessment of a person's suitability for a given responsibility, but to state flatly that it is "good enough for me" is to blind yourself to any negative, disqualifying baggage the candidate drags behind.
Do you automatically assume someone always is guilty of a crime for the sole reason that they were arrested by the police? That's a quick and sure way to avoid being selected for jury duty: "Of course he's guilty. The police arrested him, didn't they?"
8
@Neil, your ignorance of current labor legal actions precludes you from making any comment inferring knowledge of the facts. I don't know if you're just a "red rubber stamp", but your bias toward labor is misguided and misinformed.
4
Do working class Trump supporters in the rust belt care that trump’s pick for labor secretary is anti-union? Is rationality dead?
8
So, I guess besides George Will there are no longer any of these so called conservative intellectuals left that don't kiss the brass ring of the President. And he's coming on board to bust unions at the peak (so far) of this administration's racism. What does that say about the Scalia family and Gibson Dunn, his law firm?
18
Why call him "pro-business" instead of anti-labor"?
25
Great choice! Will be nice to have a real conservative in that position.
11
Yes, Scalia is conservative. And with a record of 'pushing back' against unions, you can be assured that Scalia is a corporate shill who will not defend the interests of workers, or protect them. My goodness, why are Trump supporters so incapable of the slightest criticism against anything Trump does? The POTUS could have cared less about workers when in the private sector...
12
@Ryan
Well, anyone who works for living who's in a union or wants to be in a union is in trouble. If that's what you mean by "nice" you're kidding yourself.
Being a conservative is not a social policy it's an economic one, an offshoot of capitalism, it means to conserve your own capitol and make other spend theirs to enrich yourself. And by the looks of him he's the right guy to pick your pocket.
9
@Six Minutes Remaining The minute we start to feel critical of something Trump does, we read comment like these and realize the Left will reflexively condemn anything he does and the media will egg them on until it reaches peak TDS. Then we realize what we are up against and consider the alternative.
Apparently Mr. Scalia needed a summer job. I am surprised anyone even gives consideration to cabinet positions proffered by Mr. Trump. Just wondering, even if they serve for a few weeks, do they get a government pension? Perhaps positions in this administration should all be reclassified as "temporary" so we could skip the expensive benefits.
32
@Mary Melcher Holding the position of U.S. Secretary of Labor, no matter how brief one's tenure may be, adds prestige to one's resume in the circles in which Mr. Scalia moves. Upon his return to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher he will be the king of that law firm. Not to mention the various other perks such well-paid lectures and book deals.
5
The parade continues! Trump has run through more cabinet secretaries in two and a half years than any of his predecessors did in entire terms.Anyone who accepts a cabinet position now joins a list of people who could not stand to work for Trump or were crooked or incompetent.Trump never looks for outstanding candidates-just someone who will say “yes” to hm and be “loyal”.Mr.Scalia would probably be a better pick for Commerce Secretary if Wilbur Ross should leave.
9
A pro-business approach?
Doesn't business have the Department of Commerce already? Are there the other various agencies that support business and commercial interests from farming to mining to fisheries and petroleum? And currently aren't the Congress and Executive agents of commerce?
How horrible would it be to have one agency that looks after the welfare of people upon who's backs the rest is built?
20
Mr Scalia’s father was a brilliant and wonderful man. He also cared about what the law actually said rather than what he felt about the law. So if the younger Mr Scalia is anything like his father, he is a great choice.
11
@ehillesum
It would seem you have never read a Scalia opinion. His jurisprudence was self-serving, specious and in general more activist than any liberal judge has ever been.
Scalia would literally toss away hundreds of years of precedent in favor of his own interpretation generally never found support in the text of the Constitution. In fact, when the text of the Constitution dictated a result, the "textualist" would disregard the text in favor of his own words.
Scalia was a plague upon this country. His decisions will echo throughout time as someone who ensured he put his beliefs over the laws and well being of this country.
14
@ehillesum
Yes, hopefully he will be another terrific addition to the Administration like Barr. Great minds.
1
If he were anything like his father, he would think twice, three times about associating with this administration. And my question is this; when he says he has a different client, will it be the American worker, or the president?
5
So he was “relatively committed to protecting workers.” In 2003.
Relative to what?
Trump nominates appointees whose views are antithetical to their department’s mission. (Perry at energy, Voss at education, Pruitt at environment, etc.) I expect the same here.
33
Yes the son of the man who said that an employee can be fired for saving their own life instead of company property.
59
Because why would any worker in America ever want to have healthcare or be a union member? Who needs job security, or a 5 day work week? Why would anyone want to make a living wage?
Trump's looking to have us all work for free and trust our bosses to feed and clothe us with their cast off scraps.
It's well know Trump stops paying his workers when he feels he's paid them enough, regardless of any contract or agreement.
Kind of like 1860s America.
46
The 18.5M union workers - auto workers, teachers, machinists, construction workers, steel workers, nurses, plumbers, electricians, heavy equipment operators, transportation workers, service industry workers, postal workers, aerospace workers, coal miners, painters, sheet metal workers, fire fighters, municipal/county/state/federal workers, communication workers, long shore men, textile workers, pipe fitters and carpenters should be on high alert. Those that voted trump got what they paid for.
34
@DeAnnG. More than half of the 15 million union members today are government employees who have civil service protections on top of their union protections. This is why incompetent government workers are almost impossible to fire and in turn why the quality of government services is so often poor. And also why so many of us resist moving health care and much else from the private to public sector.
6
@ehillesum rich, when the top guy is beyond incompetent. Just slur some clerk or middle management type.
1
Would Italy accept the Scalia family if we "sent them back?" For a family that could not claim one ancestor who served our Republic in the wars that protected democracy, the Scalias have done a remarkable amount of damage to the country that gave them a new chance.
60
This guy is going to really look after working people. He’d never, ever! put the interests of corporations before people. No way!
17
Time for a nationwide strike.
36
I suppose if Trump can’t get an actual Pinkerton to crush worker rights then a Scalia is the next best thing.
42
Rest in peace Trump reelection, this choice will sink you.
14
Just look at his well manicured hands. All you need to know right there.
21
If he were smart, he would say thank you but no thanks! How many people’s lives have been destroyed working for Mr. trump. We will see how smart he is.
19
The plutocracy is continued. The country is now little more than a few hundred 'families' of the rich and powerful, currently being run by a conman. The rest of us are just plebes.
30
For a nation born of a revolt against hereditary rule, we sure have a lot spouses, offspring, and other relatives in position of powers.
57
I am not sure about how US fonction. But every high rank official seems to be son or daughter of somebody from previous administrations. It is like some criticized countries with the blame of family controled politics.
28
Yeah - He's pretty far to the right, but what would you expect? This is maybe the one person Trump will put in place who won't have a criminal record in the near future. Condolences to him for the loss of his father - he was a good man.
4
Scalia should refuse to work for Trump.
Many prospective appointees have turned Trump down because of his emotional instability and racism.
Scalia is shooting himself in the foot by accepting this appointment.
17
first - someone who actually has experience and background in the area to which he is being nominated? how unique for Trump!
second - just another "yes" man? Trump has been furious to defeat and disassemble what he refers to as the "swamp" and replace it with a "bog."
the difference? a bog has very poor soil, very little nutrients, and is made from decaying plants and other life forms. it is stagnant and in no way really alive!
9
We will all be working in coal mines in due time.
12
God help the laborers of the USA. A pro-business appointee to the Department of Labor is a sad day for the Americans who have worked their tails off to make lots of men billionaires.
26
Why is an attorney who represents management as a career referred to as a "labor lawyer"? Just as the Department of Defense is actually an euphemism for what used to be the War Department, Mr. Scalia's title should more accurately be "Secretary of Serfdom".
38
If Mr. Scalia is the person he is touted to be, why on Earth would he want anything, whatsoever, to do with the Trump administration other than picking up clients to represent who have been harmed by GOP/Trump policies of economic and social destruction.
12
"ergonomic regulation will force companies to give more rest periods, slow the pace of work and then hire more workers (read: dues-paying members) to maintain current levels of production.”
Did Eugene Scalia write that?
Or was it Josiah Bounderby or Thomas Gradgrind of "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens?
That's an outrageous statement in this century. Anybody who knows someone who has worked with their hands understands that carpal tunnel is real. It's like the Antonin Scalia and son have labored only in the rarefied realm of law schools, law offices, and judge's chambers with a lot of books, and no real work according to the physics equation,
Work = Force x Distance.
You apply force with your hands even a short distance hundreds of thousands of times doing work, the parts are going to wear out.
Just like the tread off a tire. Repetitive motions are not born of bad genes or recreational sports, they come from 40 hour plus workweeks, the same motion over and over.
Our society still has a lot of "Bleak House" in it, but Trump's base does not recognize it, much less literature.
24
My wife’s wrist carpal tunnel was caused by sports, horse back riding. She quit riding, got some steroid shots and it was gone. Not job related at all.
2
@Rich Murphy
What is the probability of carpal tunnel caused by horseback riding in the U.S.?
What is the probability of carpel tunnel caused by work?
We live in a quantum mechanics world where all reality is but a probability. Yours is the specious reasoning of an equestrian, a distinct minority.
22
@Rich Murphy
Boy did you miss the point. Glad your wife had health insurance coverage.
3
Democrats are getting a tougher litigator and corporate loyalist, and they will come to regret putting pressure on Mr. Acosta to resign. In this move, the rights of US workers will be further eroded. Will "the squad" and Pelosi be capable to out maneuver this experienced republican loyalist?
5
What is the role of the Secretary of Labor.
To represent the interests of workers
OR
To represent the interests of employers in restraining the demands of workers for higher wages and safer working conditions.
Which do you think Scalia will do.
24
@David
It is certainly not to be an adjunct of a labor union. Management retains the right to have its interests represented.
3
Business has the entire Department of Commerce, Congress, the President as well as various agencies to represent its interests. The people who actually work get none, or window dressing overshadowed by businesses interests?
Funny thing corporations expect, and get exactly what you say unions (people) should not. The government working as an extension of corporate interests.
WE the People.....
2
We already have one Commerce Secretary to represent management.
We don’t need two.
7
Well at least he appears to be well educated and competent to hold a cabinet position although those factors were likely not given any weight in Trump's decision to appoint him.
4
"Ms. Rosenthal, who has since retired, recalled telling Mr. Scalia that he had far exceeded her expectations. “I have a different client now,” he responded."
"The appointment is likely to be contested by Democrats and labor unions because Mr. Scalia has a long record of representing Walmart and other companies that pushed back against unions and tougher labor laws."
Lawyers represent clients. That is their job. Representing an accused murderer does not mean that one identifies with murder etc. etc. etc.
To contest Mr. Scalia's appointment because he did his job representing Walmart is ridiculous.
But then politics does not always revolve around an axis of logic.
11
@Joshua Schwartz Which is why criminal defense attorneys are picked to head US Attorney’s Offices all the time. Oh, wait, that doesn’t happen.
Guy focuses his practice on being an union buster, and we think that will have no impact in his new job? All the relationships he cultivated with ex-clients will suddenly be set aside?
21
@Joshua Schwartz builds an argument on the elitist assumption that the head of the Department of Labor must be a lawyer. Why should that job be reserved for the legal profession?
Many union reps with high school educations or less learn enough labor law to write up workers' grievances and, when necessary, to take cases to court. George Meaney, who united the AFL and CIO headed the union for many years, and was an advisor to seven presidents on labor issues was a high school dropout at age 16.
Understanding the dynamics of management-worker relationships is well within the capability of most American workers who have not been to law school. So touting Scalia's legal credentials and corporate law experience seems quite irrelevant to assessing whether he is the best person for the job, while questioning his concern for workers' rights is certainly relevant since his resume apparently does not offer that information.
Right, politics too often revolves around an axis of bias, not one of logic.
4
Never heard of him, but since Trump is nominating him, I assume he will do a miserable job and strive primarily to undo all the advances made by Labor secretaries thus far. This is just par for the course, everyone Trump puts into any position works to destroy whatever department they're leading.
47
Yup. I quite sure there was no nepotism involved in his rise. All merit based.
Probably born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.
24
What? We've run out of incompetents? There may be hope yet.
10
Tom Cotton recommendation....
A twisted individual. Retaking the Senate needs to be a focus of the election.
40
I'm not sure a Secretary of Labor ever has vast responsibilities but it is quite clear that no Republican Secretary of Labor in recent memory desired to exercise his responsibilities, vast of not. I imagine Scalia, an anti-labor lawyer for the corporate juggernaut, will be cast in that mold, though he is unlikely to have dirty linen in his past, as Acosta did.
20
@Frank McNeil The Sec. of Labor would be charged with enforcing human trafficking laws. I believe the President has a friend who may need some help in that area.
3
Eugene Scalia, Esq. is being vetted for Secretary of Labor now, so there is no Kavanaugh-type surprise embarrassment when Trump nominates him for US Supreme Court. Whether a further precondition for Trump's SCOTUS nomination is Scalia's voiding all US labor laws, including minimum wage, health & welfare benefits, workers compensation, Title VII, the NLRB, and right to unionize, remains to be seen.
30
Seems perfectly consistent for Trump to appoint cabinet positions that seem steeply inclined to destroy their respective agency’s mission. How else is America going to get great again?
(hand to face)
44
We are Rome, maybe around 50 A.D. I think our decline might be faster.
50
I went to high school with him. I didn’t realize how much he followed in his father’s ideological footsteps.
25
More nepotism.
42
@wyleecoyoteus
A miracle of inheritance of qualification.
5
I could wax indignant about how the malignant spirit of the father continues to live in the greed of the son, but I won't. Scalia - the very name screams ignominy - will be confirmed. Not much worse than the rest of the crew currently working for the charlatan-president. Let's just hope that his tenure is less than 2 years when he joins his future colleagues in the dustbin of history where they all belong. IF there is a god, Scalia's tenure will be no longer than that of the man who is nominating him.
72
When I look into the individual faces of Trump's audience at those MAGA re-election rallies, the faces of white working-class folks screaming in ecstasy for their Hero in the presence of their holy Donald savior, I have to wonder, how many have done the slightest bit of actual research, in the Fox or fake news or anywhere else, to uncover the details of how the GOP squad in Washington is in fact working 180 degrees against their actual interests.
99
Is this the son whose presence on the Bush II campaign created an irreparable conflict of interest for daddy which showed him be both unethical and lacking in judicial temperament? .... Send "him" back.
37
He’s another federalists society troll and apologist for corporate America. Perfect fit for the Trump swamp. Whenever you wonder about Mitch McConnell’s tolerance for Trumps buffoonish behavior just check the number of federalist society members in Trumps administration and judicial nominees. Shills for the plutocracy they treat the law like cows do farmyards, something to dump on. A clever lot, they’d make perfect lawyers for Oceania, Orwell’s version of America under Big Brother (or as we know him, Trump). Every CEO should have one, oh they probably already do. Sweatshops MAGA.
51
The best thought for all of us is...”lame duck” is not far off. The government’s currently run by temps (acting rather than confirmed cabinet appointees) or rank and file employees as so many posts are vacant.
10
The article says Acosta was mistrusted by conservatives, but this guy isn't. Does that mean people will think twice about opposing a Trump official (knowing that Trump may replace the official with someone even more objectionable), or is challenging Trump-appointed officials sort of like a dog chasing a truck (i.e., the dog will think about what to do with the truck if and when he catches it)?
3
During his stint with the Bush Administration, Eugene Scalia, whose degrees are in economics, business and law, and has zero expertise as a scientist or medical professional, was accused by Democratic Senators of being hostile to workers and criticized for his articles criticizing ergonomics.
Scalia also argued for the plaintiffs in Wal-Mart v. Maryland in July 2006, which invalidated a state law under which large companies with at least 10,000 employees would have been required to spend at least 8% of their payroll on employee healthcare.
This is just another of Trump's scalawags, whose avowed goal is to shortchange American workers, for the benefit of their corporate sponsors. Hopefully, Scalia won't do too much damage to the US Department of Labor.
71
Great, another "Legacy hire".
48
What? Someone who is qualified? How can that be?
8
Excellent choice.
9
....for Robber Barons.
58
@Kathryn Hill.... as long as you aren't somebody in the labor force.
10
As an attorney, Scalia can always represent those with whom he disagrees. But having a Labor Secretary who is so pro-employer and anti-employee, as the article suggests, is wrong.
78
Scalia is known for threatening workers who tried to join unions so he obviously is qualified to be Trump’s Labor Secretary. The blue collar workers supporting Trump are digging their own graves.
238
@DSD
"The blue collar workers supporting Trump are digging their own graves."
Exactly right. And Dems need to hammer home this message to win in 2020.
21
@Dawn and DSD, blue collar workers did not elect Trump. His base of supporters were and are solidly middle-class, with incomes and educations above the national median.
Democrats need to face this uncomfortable fact to understand who the target audience is for their 2020 platform. I suppose that is difficult to do when the opponents' lifestyles look suspiciously like our own. Facts, statistics (check it out), reality, truth! Self-delusion and scapegoating an alleged socioeconomic "other" is the road to losing again.
2
@Mary C. - I have checked it out. Repeatedly.
According to Nate Silver over at 538 (whose #s come from exit polls and census data), in key Trump electoral college states like WI and MI the difference in median household income for his voters vs. Clinton voters was 5-6K; that's it.
These are households with 50-60K incomes--not poor, but certainly not affluent.
The 2016 narrative that says Trump won on 80K or so disaffected voters in the formerly industrial midwest is mostly accurate.
Also, your reference to lifestyles that look like our own is a bit puzzling. My economic precarity--1st generation college graduate, son of a union welder (himself the son of a union welder), crippling student debt, ill-advised commitment to public service via low-remuneration teaching career, etc.--looks an awful lot like the working-class precarity of my midwestern neighbors. It's just that I know which presidential aspirants actually care about working people. None of them are Republicans or corporate Democrats.
1
As with the Trump pattern, nominate someone who does the opposite of what their post will be. In this case, a lawyer defended corporations against workers. Expect, if approved, to see virtually every labor protection to go by the way side.
Making America Great Again as Trump coninuest he march back to the19trh century.
63
So, Scalia takes over the job once held by Frances Perkins, the first woman Secretary of Labor. Perkins, a workers-rights advocate, was also the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. As a loyal supporter of her friend, Franklin D. Roosevelt, she helped pull the labor movement into the New Deal coalition.
During her term as Secretary of Labor, Perkins executed many aspects of the New Deal, including the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Public Works Administration and its successor the Federal Works Agency, and the labor portion of the National Industrial Recovery Act. With the Social Security Act she established unemployment benefits, pensions for the many uncovered elderly Americans, and welfare for the poorest Americans. She pushed to reduce workplace accidents and helped craft laws against child labor. Through the Fair Labor Standards Act, she established the first minimum wage and overtime laws for American workers, and defined the standard forty-hour work week. She formed governmental policy for working with labor unions and helped to alleviate strikes by way of the United States Conciliation Service. Perkins dealt with many labor questions during World War II, when skilled labor was vital and women were moving into formerly male jobs. My God, how far we have fallen!
305
@JerryV
Relax. The Times says he’ll bring a measure of stability to the department.
Just as Barr has brought a measure of stability to Justice.
13
@JerryV
We have into the bottomless well of Trump anti-government appointees. This guy will be anti-labor regs and anti-employee, much like Gorsuch and the Scalia clone, the incompetent Thomas.
23
@JerryV
A great history lesson. Will Scalia rise to the occasion?
Doubt it, he will just be another claquer at trump’s round table.
11
So happy to learn that Eugene Scalia, son of the late SCOTUS justice has been appointed to be the next Secretary of Labor. Lets hope his hearing is dignified and respectful and that democrats do not vote against him, or corrupt the hearing with outrageous accusations of impropriety, because of their animus toward his father or President Trump. No matter what you think of Trump, every candidate for government office deserves dignity and respect.
17
@Toni
I would hope that the fact that he is anti-labor would be sufficient enough reason to reject him for the job of Labor Secretary.
95
@Toni
Oh for sure, yes, it's obvious how much dignity and respect Trump and his supporters give to every candidate for government office.
After all, telling four women who are elected members of Congress to go back to the countries they're from and lying about them is a perfect example of the dignity and respect the Trump cult gives people.
I have no respect for nepotism, lawyers who worked for George W. Bush, and people who oppose labor unions and the rights of American workers!!!
92
@Toni, will it be dignified and respectful if it is pointed out that he will work against the interests of workers and in the interests of corporations?
51
From the same employment pool. No surprise.
Following his logic for appointments and involvement by his family in strategic positions, shouldn't he create a new department, United States Youth, headed by Baron Trump?
13
I think Gene Scalia represented George Bush before the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore (the case which gave the Presidency to Bush and, hence, the Iraq war to Cheney's company and 460,000 dead Iraqis to Iraq). It has not been noted whether in briefs or argument Gene referred to Mr. Justice Scalia as "poppa". Probably they kept it on the down low.
Corruption abounds. Nothing new to see here.
57
Theodore Olsen argued the case before the Court. I thought I found the brief to see who worked on it, but the link 404ed.
1
is there anyone in the Trump Administration who wasn't born on third base?
148
We are all preaching to the choir here on NYT but yeah Scalia would be not the best choice unless he was the last person on Earth and even then I wouldn't vote yes.
The Trump nightmare continues and I fear if there is a low voter turnout in the key states (I'm not a electoral college fan) next year we could be seeing four more years. We already know 40%+ of the population does not even bother to vote in the Presidential election.
43
"Mr. Scalia, who was a top Labor Department lawyer in the George W. Bush administration"
Funny, "top lawyer" would normally mean a really good lawyer but here it simply means "nepotism walked me to the top of the DC food chain ahead of more worthy people".
85
This is a perfectly consistent nomination. After all, our EPA guy was anti environment. Why shouldn't our Labor Secretary be anti labor?
This single nomination should send shivers down the spine of every worker and certainly every union member. But it won't. Because they have been mesmerized by the best con man of this century. It is pathetic.
114
@Bob Bruce Anderson
And an anti-public education Education secretary.
21
More of the same, but unemployment and US companies investing more in "friendlier" countries which would surely tag along with a "new" Democrat administration would lead to Republicans re-elected and supported by business interests.
Make no mistake, the no-longer-evil-Koch-brothers want exponentially increased immigration to drive down wages and raise their income.
5
Nepotism ,, if that’s his main eligibility
14
the big question is how long he is going to stay on his job, Trump Cabinet is a joke , our president is a joke, and Eugene Scalia is a anti Union person, it does not matter who comes and goes to Trump Cabinet, till we ha a new president than our country is going to look like a normal country
20
So Scalia was a scoundrel just like we thought. No one with any credibility would choose intentionally to work with Trump.
38
The Republican non-party needs to pretend that they have anything to do with what once was the legitimate Bush era politic.
Scalia screamed “pseudo-science” when the first wave of computer technicians were getting carpal tunnel and other legitimate repetitive, surgically necessary conditions that had been known to the factory floors in America for decades.
This is a fascist runaway train. Boycott any new Commander-In-Chief arrivals.
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@Anonymous How does an ordinary american boycott any new C-in-C arrivals? Get a grip. The only voice we have is at the ballot box, if any. You want to make a difference? Start by persuading your non-voter friends and family that they have to vote Democratic in 2020, in the big election as well as in local ones.
Don't like the Democratic candidate? Hold your nose and vote. Otherwise the excresence in the White House will continue for another four years, tearing down every advancement for ordinary folks, ruining the environment for the sake of lining the pockets of the Republicans.
Republicans, by the way, held their nose and backed Trump. Cf Graham et al. They know how to win elections. Lie like a rug to the voters and get behind whatever Republican is running.
Democrats can't seem to even want to work together. How else can we possibly win the Senate, State legislatures, and ultimately the White House?
Boycott Trump's picks? Stop whining. Start acting.
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@CP sowell
I vote, I donate, I advocate, I stump; I call and knock on doors. Take your vitriol out on a punching bag.
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At this moment in history Washington is extra rotten with corruption, jobs based on connections and who you know and nepotism. Of course,Trump wants an anti-labor lawyer to head the Labor Dept.
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I think once the working class wake up in mass they'll comprehend the con man behind all this, and things will improve.
The divide and conquer tactics used to divide working people is led by those who've never worked a day in their lives beyond white collar occupations.
Working class communities are being bamboozled and they need to wake up from false consciousness.
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the masses you describe get their so-called information from sources that will never allow them to believe that they have been conned. It is also very contrary to human nature to admit that you have been conned. Don't hold your breath on that one.
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To wit, America is doing so well at this time - across the board - that the stories of hardship concerns immigrants who are in the country illegally. They are the "victims" in today's America.
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@David H
Most Americans *aren't* doing so well. Half of all Americans can't afford a $400 dollar emergency and are a major illness away from homelessness you toad. The stock market is up and overheated, yet wages remain shockingly depressed (that is, unless you're paying attention and know that every point on the Dow is millions of dollars worth of labor stolen from the wages of the working class)
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Son of THAT Scalia ? For Labor Secretary ? Wow. Let's put Jeffrey Epstein
in charge of the Girl Scouts, and Kellyanne Conway as Director Of the White House Office Of Ethics Enforcement.
Seriously.
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@Phyliss Dalmatian
If your comment wasn't so painfully accurate, it would be hilarious. I can see SNL doing a bit about Epstein in charge of the Girl Scouts. Priceless line!!
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@Phyliss Dalmatian
It's beautiful -- Scalia Sr. was on the S. Ct. issuing right-wing approved decisions and now Nepotism Jr. can inflict right-wing policies on labor relations.
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Thank you. I am a known " smarty pants ". But even I couldn't make up most of this " stuff " they pull.
Seriously.
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Perfect! Don’t we have a college cheer team member heading Dept of Energy!?
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Only Donald could nominate him.
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"only the worst possible people"
The Republican Party and Donald Trump don't care if you're injured on the job....or injured period...and they definitely don't want Americans to have affordable healthcare to tend to their injuries.
Make Feudalism Great Again.
Trump-GOP 2019
Remember in 2020.
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@Socrates As demonstrated by their policy in moving that group of scientists out of DC. One is in cancer treatment and another has MS. The government says those are not hardships that would allow those people to stay in Washington. If they choose to to transfer, they lose their consistency of care. If they choose to resign, they lose their healthcare. What a great group of guys we have running the country.
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Others have noted that Scalia worked for William Barr in the 90’s. Unless he quit as a matter of conscience, I have to judge morally suspect.
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The Trump Cabinet really is pulled straight out of 1984—not the year, the Orwell novel. The education secretary is doing everything she can to undermine not-for-profit education; the head of the EPA is gutting environmental safeguards right and left; the head of HUD wants to decrease funding for public housing; the head of the Department of Energy famously doesn’t even know what his department does; and now we’re going to have a secretary of labor who’s intent on taking away what little rights actual workers still have left. At this rate it won’t be long before the Secretary of State is telling us we’ve always been at war with Eastasia.
Remember when Cabinet secretaries actually had a passion for their assigned field and wanted to use their expertise to make things better, as opposed to just slashing budgets and doing the bidding of Big Business? Those were the days.
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"1984—not the year, the Orwell novel"
They combine 1984 dystopia with 1684 bigotry.
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The hits just keep coming.
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Republican Labor Secretary. That makes me laugh. Just call it the Department of CEO's.
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@exmilpilot:
Hmm, I always wondered what Washington "DC" meant....
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It’s really the Anti-Labor Department, after all. Let’s just call it what it is and dispense with the political correctness that the right wing loves to rail against.
Those white, middle-aged working people who voted for Trump? The ones who benefit from workplace safety protections, decent wages, reasonable working hours? Too bad. That went the same place their healthcare insurance is going - straight into the garbage can. They are truly expendable.
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A few weeks ago I observed #45 acclaiming what he regards as his administration’s “great vetting.”
That is a false claim. To cite the fiasco of the Acosta confirmation which eluded his sweetheart plea arrangement with Jeffrey Epstein.
Or the failed nomination of Patrick Shannahan as Secretary of Defense that fell apart because of domestic violence.
Or think about the inability of #45 to replace Nikki Haley as the US representative to the UN.
Also recall the Cabinet members who exited under a darkening cloud based upon indefensible conduct: Tom Price and Ryan Zinke are standout examples.
The track record of #45 reflects his operational ineptitude in conducting the affairs of state.
A terrible president indeed.
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Pro-sweat shop, no rights for common people, rich vs poor, unsafe environments, freedom to drive us into the draconian abyss.
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@John. Sounds like exactly the kind of guy that Trump supporters would love in office even though it would ultimately hurt them.
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Eugene Scalia for labor secretary. No politicking there.
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This is certainly great news for big money interests. More so if Eugene is anything like his Dad, who after all had no problem selling his Supreme Court seat and constitutional interpretations relatively cheaply, usually for no more than a stay at some cushy resort, where he breathed his last. How much less for some Labor Department policy decision or enforcement inaction.
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@Edwin Scalia's dad was a master at that. Not only did he die while on sabbatical at his "sponsors" retreat, Scalia didn't bother to recuse himself when his sponsor's case was agreed before the Supreme Court. Guess this princeling won't fall far from the family tree!
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Did he run a sweat shop? As this would be in keeping with picking the worst possible person.
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Draining the swamp...directly into his cabinet.
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@Matthew He's expanding the swamp in order to grow more alligators. Trump is going into the luggage business when he retires.
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@William Burgess Leavenworth
Ha, and Trump's Swampland Luggage, as with all Trump merchandise, will of course be "Made in China"!
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Mr Scalia, you're about to sully your professional existence for the long hall. Good luck with it. The abyss is orange. Thought you should know that color as you take the plunge.
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@kipSully? what is there to sully? The Scalia family has a long history of being paid corporate flunkies.
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@kip It's no problem for him as long as he does what Trump would do.
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If a pro-business person hostile to the safety and interests of workers become Labor Secretary, shouldn't this be balanced by a union worker being appointed Secretary of Commerce? Fair is fair.
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Is wunderkind Jared Kushner too busy?
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@Pigenfrafyn He's solved the Middle East and immigration so far, maybe it's Ivanka's turn.
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has he 'labored' even one day in his life of privilege?
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What? Nepotism? In THIS administration? Well I never!
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The swamp seems to be draining.
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He sounds just about right for the GOP: previous appointment under Bush, currently at a big law firm. Not much evidence of concern for workers.
But on the plus side, he seems smart and experienced — in something at least labor-related. So not as bad as Ben Carson or Rick Perry.
The question is: why would someone with any sense agree to work for this administration?
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@Elizabeth A
access to information, power, influence; short stay is the norm and then back to the private sector.
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@Elizabeth A I don't know, ego maybe. I went to college with one of Antonin Scalia's other sons who became a priest. I thought to myself, now maybe this guy really wants to be a priest. Or maybe he wants to surpass his father or maybe he wants to impress his father. If your dad is a supreme court justice, ego-wise you can't do much in your career that will surpass or impress him. If he is a devout Catholic like Antonin Scalia was, becoming a priest would do both.
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Antonin Scalia worshipped the Koch brothers. That was his primary religion.
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Pro business but anti consumer. Why is the everyday person losing power with these business friendly appointments?
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@I have had it
That the everyday person is losing power is a feature of Trump's appointments and policies, not a bug. That's what he wants: to benefit the plutocracy while he throws racism and hatred to his followers to scream about while he takes away any hope for a better life.
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@I have had it
And you know all those Trump-loving blue-collar ethnics in the rust-belt states whose jobs are still disappearing will not change their vote in any way. Because...make amerikkka great again, right?
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