Is the 'Enemies List' the New 'Death Panels'?

Associated Press
Elspeth Reeve 2,067 Views May 11, 2011

Sarah Palin weighed in today on what seems like a local business dispute with an impressive string of violent imagery, tweeting, "Boot on the throat of business in the USA. Here's another JOB KILLER that Obama idly watches, while freedom erodes." Palin's upset over the National Labor Relations Board having filed a complaint against Boeing, accusing the company of building an airplane factory to South Carolina to punish union workers who've gone on strike in Washington. The controversy started to go national during the first Republican primary debate, after Gov. Nikki Haley (pictured) urged the candidates to weigh in on the dispute, and Tim Pawlenty obliged. Tuesday, a dozen Republicans demanded President Obama intervene at a press conference Tuesday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Wall Street Journal's Melanie Trottman reports. The most explosive charge came from Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who accused Obama of having an "enemies list" with South Carolina on it.

"Mr. President, do you have an enemies list?" Paul said. "Is this decision based on the fact that South Carolina appears to be a Republican state, has two Republican senators? Is this decision based on the fact that South Carolina is a right-to-work state? Are they on your enemies list?" Sen. Jim DeMint was just as explosive, saying President Obama had "stocked [the NLRB] with his people," therefore he could do something about the fight, according to The Hill's Kevin Bogardus. The board's complaint is "thuggery" DeMint said, "something you would expect in a Third World country, not in America."

Outrage over the Boeing plant seems to be gaining steam on the right. If "enemies list" isn't the next "death panels," it's the next something. The Washington Post's Rachel Weiner wonders of South Carolina, "Could it be the next Wisconsin--a showdown between a prominent (and newly elected) Republican governor and national labor groups? Haley seems to hope so."

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