Diary Entry - 12/02/1981

Finally the meeting with the whole AFL-CIO Board. Lane Kirkland led off with why they dont like our ec. program. To hear him it is responsible for the recession. Never let it be said that 211⁄2% interest rates last year, double digit inflation & factories closing down played any part in our troubles. It’s easier to blame a program which has barely started & already interest rates are down to 153⁄4—inflation almost cut in half & while there is great unemployment there are also 266,000 more people working than there were last Jan. 20th. He wants us to take back the Patco strikers & embark on a plan of government spending that sounds like the “new deal” all over again—and it didn’t work. He chided me for not communicating with labor. I politely reminded him of the approaches we’d made—all of which he turned down and I said, “Lane—you slammed the door, not me.” Met with farm leaders on the farm bill. There is division in their ranks. Lunch with our task force on private initiative. They are really up & doing and I’m optimistic they’ll get real private sector volunteerism going. Nancy went to Arlington to Tex Thornton’s funeral. Security said no to me. It seems Kadaffi has enlarged his hit list to include even Sen. Baker—but I’m still target No. 1.