“The rush to recess gives Democrats little time to pass any major laws. That's why there have been signs in recent weeks that party leaders are planning an ambitious, lame-duck session to muscle through bills in December…
“In the House, Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told reporters last month that for bills like ‘card check’—the measure to curb secret-ballot union elections—‘the lame duck would be the last chance, quite honestly, for the foreseeable future.’
“Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, chair of the Senate committee overseeing labor issues, told the Bill Press radio show in June that ‘to those who think [card check] is dead, I say think again.’ He told Mr. Press ‘we're still trying to maneuver’ a way to pass some parts of the bill before the next Congress is sworn in.”