Yesterday I wrote of my attempt to get the Obama team on the record to reaffirm its support for the Employee Free Choice Act after Rahm Emanuel demurred on the question when asked. Team Obama has now responded:

An aide to Barack Obama reaffirmed the President-elect’s support for the labor movement’s chief legislative priority in a one-word statement issued to the Huffington Post on late Tuesday.

Asked if Obama’s support for the Employee Free Choice Act remained as strong as his public proclamations suggested on the campaign trail, transition spokesman Dan Pfeiffer responded, succinctly, "Yes."

The reaffirmation may not seem like a political breakthrough on its surface. But in the current political climate, in which the Obama team has steadfastly refused to comment on various legislative priorities, it does signal that the President-elect is not shying away from progressive pledges made during his campaign.

Moreover, it clears the air of some confusion that was prompted by a statement from Rahm Emanuel in late November.

Kudos to the Obama team for clearing that up. I would have been happy to have gotten that such a statement when I asked for one, and would have printed it. The statement is not exactly a response to the question I asked, but it does help to clear up any mixed signals that got sent in the wake of Rahm Emanuel’s comments.