Book Review

Bill's Labor Secretary Tells All

"Locked In The Cabinet"

by Robert B. Reich

published by, Alfred A. Knopf, 338 pp. $25.00

reviewed by Jeff Burman

Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor during Clinton's first term, skewers the high and the mighty in this delightful series of journal entries.

In his own self-effacing way Reich struggles to "get in the loop," then stay in the loop.He boldly calls for social investment in a system determined to widen the gulf between rich and poor and for his efforts, he is accused of "fomenting class warfare."He reminds the mostpowerful men in America that "if the Democratic party stands for anything, it's the simple proposition that prosperity should be shared." For this he earns a scolding: market confidence must be maintained.

He struggles with conflicting roles as a cabinet member and as a father of two teenaged sons. As a former staffer for then-senator Robert Kennedy and as an academic, well entrenched at Harvard, he brings a fascinating mix of credentials to Washington. He becomes a lightening rod for Clinton's progressive flank. His "short jokes" are deft and raucous. He sees individual Americans through the lens of an evolving meaning of "work." He captures in their voices varying degrees of hope and belonging. He even boasts a few victories.

Inside Washington, With A Twist

To those familiar with the goings on inside the beltway, much of the cautiousness and pandering Reich describes will be like a pair of old shoes. But Reich has a marvelous ear for individual voices, and deliberately or not, we see Reich's slow progress at being able to work the system.

Reich renders the voices of many familiar players: the arrogant Lloyd Bentsen, the patrician Alan Greenspan, the methodical Dick Morris, the affable Leon Panetta, the double-checking Al Gore, the erudite but vulgar Lane Kirkland.

Reich And the AFL-CIO

Reich meets with Lane Kirkland, then president of the AFL-CIO, at Kirkland's favorite restaurant in Miami Beach. They eat stone crabs. Kirkland wants reassurances on striker replacement legislation. Reich is supportive. Ultimately the bill fails. NAFTA, of course, ultimately succeeds.

'What about the goddamn North American Free Trade Agreement horseshit?' He reaches for another crab.

'I take it you're not enthusiastic.'

Kirkland moves his head closer to mine. I get a close-up view of the area under his chin where the napkin failed to reach.

'A f-ing disaster. Even a Harvard professor ought to be able to understand that.'

'The president wants it passed,' I explain. 'But only if labor protections are built in.'

Reich believes that America is divided into two camps. The "Save the Jobs" camp and the "Let 'Em Drown" camp. Reich rejects these and envisions a third camp. Tomorrow's economy requires tomorrow's job skills. Reich calls it the "Get 'Em Across" camp. Implementing it requires an "investment budget:" retraining, low-income housing, child care, infrastructure investments. A massive injection of federal money. But Kirkland wants to protect his members' jobs.

Reich is so at odds with Kirkland's leadership, he and "B" (as Reich refers to Bill Clinton) attempt a coup, offering Kirkland an ambassadorship.

'Let me tell you something.' Lane squints his eyes, and his lips tighten. 'I love my job and I'm going to die in it.'

Such A Coup

In the face of Gingrich's "Contract with America" Reich, along with John Sweeney's newly energized AFL-CIO, leads a successful moral crusade for raising the minimum wage. And Reich, with the help of Kathie Lee Gifford, mounts a modestly successful campaign against sweatshops. But Reich's truly astonishing coup was to reduce a complex economic dynamic into a tight, righteous phrase: Corporate Welfare.

Washington, November 22, 1994

'My speech today to the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) is the first administration statement since the [midterm election] debacle. CNN is here, along with C-Span...

I did add two sentences which may raise a few eyebrows: 'Since we are committed to moving the disadvantaged from welfare to work, why not target corporate welfare as well and use the savings to help all Americans get better work? Ending corporate welfare is a worthy goal, made all the worthier if it frees funds for investments in workers.' These are fighting words, but I doubt anyone will pay much notice...

Besides, the DLC is about as conservative a group as you can find and still be in the Democratic party, and they agree. They've just published a list of unwarranted tax breaks and subsidies for particular companies and industries, totaling more than $100 billion a year.

A Parting Shot

Picture this. Reich and his wife Clare, and Bill and Hillary go to Kinkaid's, an elegant restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue. It's a good-bye dinner for Clare, who is going back to Cambridge with their two sons. Over dessert, Reich can't help himself.

'After all, we're balancing the budget and sacrificing public investment so that corporations have more money to invest. At the least, we should expect them to invest with their employees and communities in mind.'

There's an awkward pause. Have I overstepped the line?

'It seems to me,' says Clare, weighing her words carefully, 'that corporations are downsizing not only themselves but also a big part of the middle class.'

She's bailed me out. I want to kiss her on the spot. I throw caution to the winds and ask B, 'Would you be comfortable saying what Clare just said?'

'I have to keep myself from saying it everyday,' he says softly. 'I shouldn't be out in front on these issues. I can't be criticizing.'

And this is the rub.