“Card Check” Is As Good As Dead; Binding Arbitration Lives – The Atlantic (7/17/09):

As of a few months ago, labor strategists could accurately claim as many as 58 votes in the Senate, just two shy of the magic 60 needed to avoid a filibuster. But even as President Obama and Vice President Biden dutifully praised card check in speeches, the White House did not put any political muscle into passing it, and they very clearly indicated to Congressional leaders that its passage was less important than health care, its economic stimulus efforts, its financial industry regulation proposals, and — did we mention, health care, where the White House still believes that engagement with the private sector will push health care over the top in the end.  

The jury may still be out on health care, but it was more important for the White House to pass a grossly undersized stimulus and completely whiff on financial regulation than it was to support organized labor. Obama is treating unions about the same as the GLBT community, and all because he’s using his political capital to enrich Wall Street. If you think this isn’t going to come back and bite him in the ass (nullus), you are very much mistaken.