Obama Labor Snub Has Unions Worried

'Inner circle' member will replace Christina Romer

(NEWSER) - Austan Goolsbee will succeed Christina Romer as the chair of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. The president made the announcement today at the beginning of his press conference on the economy; administration sources leaked Goolsbee's name last night. Goolsbee, 41, is a University of Chicago economist and member of Obama's "inner circle," the Wall Street Journal reports. He's also the chief economist for the Presidential Economic Recovery Advisory Board. More»

President expresses support for public option in speech to AFL-CIO

(NEWSER) - President Obama honored the achievements of organized labor today, pointing out that iniatives like the minimum wage and paid vacation “bear the union label,” the AP reports. Speaking at an AFL-CIO meeting in Cincinnati, Obama asked for union support in his push to reform the health care system, and he pledged to make progress on a bill that would make it easier for workers to join unions. More»

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s economic advisers are devising a new stimulus package that could top $1 trillion over 2 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. Insiders say the $500 billion plan considered last month is too cautious given America’s mounting economic woes. "Every day there's a new bad number" in the economy, one insider said. "And people's sense of what the appropriate stimulus is rises." More»

Granholm, Sebelius also rumored picks

(NEWSER) - A gay union leader is on the shortlist for Barack Obama's secretary of labor, the Wall Street Journal reports. Democratic officials have confirmed that Mary Beth Maxwell—who would become the first openly gay Cabinet member in American history if chosen—is being vetted for the position, along with Govs. Jennifer Granholm and Kathleen Sebelius, of Michigan and Kansas, respectively. More»

Plus: Guess who's the most popular president ever?

(NEWSER) - In honor of Presidents' Day, pollsters have ranked the most popular presidents ever—and it turns out George W. Bush is slightly more popular than our current leader, at least by one measure. Some 46% of Americans see President Obama favorably, and 49% have a negative view of him, marking a 3-point favorability gap. Bush has just a one-point gap, with 45% approving and 46% disapproving of him, Public Policy Polling reports. Indeed, Republicans despise Obama more than any other demographic hates any other president—12% to 84%. More»