Mayor Marty Walsh moved one step closer to being confirmed as the next Secretary of Labor yesterday, as Democrat and Republican senators questioned him about the federal minimum wage, pensions, and the price of coffee at Doughboy Donuts. Peter Kadzis, GBH News senior editor and Adam Reilly, GBH News political reporter and Scrum podcast co-host joined Joe Mathieu on Morning Edition to break down what yesterday's “lovefest” at Walsh's confirmation hearing could mean for his future.
Walsh would be the first former union leader to become Labor Secretary in almost 50 years, which is key for winning support not just from Democrats, but also from a new brand of the Republican party, according to Kadzis. “One thing to remember is that Marty Walsh is an authentic blue collar guy, and the Republican base now is increasingly blue collar,” Kadzis said about the generally friendly hearing atmosphere. “The questioning was less about Walsh, but it did reveal a lot of the economic anxieties that people worry about.”
Listen: Can you feel the love? What members of both parties said at Walsh's confirmation hearing.
The compliments from senators started early, and Walsh upheld the amiable tone when Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, asked Walsh to name the cost of the last cup of coffee he bought in Boston. Walsh didn’t miss a beat, telling Senators he had recently purchased a $1.75 cup of joe at Doughboy Donuts — notably, not Dunkin’.
"Yeah, that was an incredibly smooth response. I think the senator might have expected him to say he bought the super-tall, skinny soy macchiato or whatever for $7. Obviously, that's not Walsh's speed."Adam Reilly
Reilly said that Walsh’s ability to deflect potentially dicey questions about minimum wage increases, challenges of small businesses, and the cost of living was a reflection of his time leading Boston. “Throughout his time as mayor, at least in my experience, he has always made himself available for questions,” Reilly said. “He doesn't always like it, and he didn't always answer the question, but he was always there, able and willing to meet the press and take whatever we threw at him. And I think that that paid dividends yesterday. He knows how to answer gracefully, he knows how to not answer gracefully.”
Watch: Reilly discusses Walsh’s performance at his Senate confirmation hearing.
With tens of millions of people out of work and a new jobs report that indicates sluggish economic recovery, Walsh would face numerous challenges as head of the Labor Department, if confirmed. Both Reilly and Kadzis said Walsh could be a powerful spokesman for working people and a bridge between business and labor.
“[Walsh] is very good at making the case that rules, regulations and provisions that are good for workers can also be good for business,” Reilly said. “I think that for him to be out there as a mouthpiece for the Biden administration, communicating that message again and again as the president and the Senate and the House move forward with legislation that affects American workers and American businesses, I think will be a real asset.”
Watch: Kadzis amplifies his own “wise guy-ness.”
