Yesterday Obama proposed a two-year freeze on raises for federal employees, apparently in some sort of concession to the reality of the midterm elections. It’s little more than a symbolic gesture, as the American Spectator’s Philip Klein illustrates:
But hey, it’s a start. Maybe that’s why libs are protesting. As Don Surber puts it, “Liberals fight for the highest-paid employees.” He has a roundup of reaction from the leftosphere:
President Obama’s call not to give federal employees a cost-of-living raise for the next two years (they will continue to receive longevity — step — increases and bonuses) has set off the Lefty Bloggers like nothing since the 2000 Florida election.
From TPMDC: “The early reviews of President Obama’s plan to freeze federal worker pay are in — and it gets a resounding ‘F’ from just about everybody outside of GOP leadership. Michael Linden, a budget expert at the liberal Center for American Progress, said the plan is small potatoes that risks driving away valuable civil servants with little budgetary upside.”
Oh no, what will we do without our valuable civil servants?!? And:
From Steve Benen: “For all I know, this might poll well. The public in general may like the idea of freezing these workers’ pay, and the move will likely generate at least tepid praise from congressional Republicans. But it’s exceedingly annoying anyway, and I wish the White House wouldn’t do stuff like this.”
All the more reason to enjoy it. Don’s got more, and here’s one of his theories about why this upsets them so:
They do not like the freeze. They do not say why. They simply want federal employees to get more money, more money and more money.
One reason is that lefty bloggers serve a federal employee audience. Wonkette showed the Statue of Liberty crying. Yes, liberty is all about continuing COLA raises for people who already receive double the average pay and fringe wages of the American worker. The American Left today is so Establishment that it is scary.
Oh, and by the way:
P.S. Ed Morrissey: Pay freeze the beginning of Clintonian triangulation strategy?