Clinton Wins Key Union Endorsement

AFSCME's Backing May Boost Democratic Front-Runner's Support, Organization

(AP)  Hillary Rodham Clinton won the presidential endorsement of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees on Wednesday, an important boost for the Democratic front-runner.

The union is the largest for workers in the public service sector with 1.4 million members nationwide. AFSCME represents government and private workers including nurses, bus drivers, child care providers, custodians and librarians.

The New York senator will officially accept the endorsement later Wednesday.

"I am honored to receive the support of AFSCME," Clinton said in a statement. "In my administration, America's working families will again have a partner in the White House."

Gerald McEntee, president of the union, said Clinton "will help rebuild America's middle class and make sure everyone shares in our country's prosperity."

The endorsement is a welcome boost for Clinton in the labor community. The 1.8-million member Service Employees International Union decided not to endorse a candidate on the national level, and SEIU's state chapters have been backing Clinton rivals John Edwards, whose pickups included the New Hampshire chapter on Wednesday, and Barack Obama.

AFSCME is expected to provide help in early-voting states, such as Iowa, where it has about 30,000 members, and New Hampshire, where it has about 3,000. AFSCME budgeted about $48 million for get-out-the-vote efforts in the 2004 election.

The union endorsed former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004. Dean lost steam after a disappointing performance in Iowa, and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry went on to win the nomination.

Union endorsements can be key in a primary campaign, not only for the money and publicity a union can provide but for the manpower it can throw behind a candidate in the form of workers to man phone banks and hand out leaflets.

"All of the candidates on the Democratic side of the ticket, they're all speaking our language," McEntee told The Associated Press this summer when asked about the presidential contenders.

McEntee has long made overhaul of the nation's health care system a priority for the union. President Clinton named McEntee to serve on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Quality and Consumer Protection in the Health Care Industry in 1997.

Other unions that have endorsed Clinton include the United Transportation Union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, both in August.

The AFL-CIO and its unions said in September they will spend an estimated $200 million on the 2008 elections, with the nation's largest labor federation devoting a record $53 million to grass-roots mobilization.

Former North Carolina Sen. Edwards has been endorsed by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, the United Steelworkers of America, the United Mine Workers of America and the Transport Workers Union, as well as about a dozen state chapters of the Service Employees International Union.

Illinois Sen. Obama has been endorsed by the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, as well as the Illinois and Indiana chapters of the service employees union.

Clinton also has been endorsed by the Transportation Communication Union, National Association of Letter Carriers and the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers in September.

Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut was endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters in August. The union's endorsement played a significant role in boosting Kerry's successful bid for the Democratic nomination in 2004.

[ziparmux]

I hear also that the Mafia, the Latin American drug cartels, as well as Communist China, also support Hillary Clinton.
Posted by One_American

Those groups don''''t care who is president, as they all are for sale, Both Dems and Repos, so what is your point?


Posted by brianbwb at 03:21 AM : Nov 01, 2007

The pandemic of global capitalism, is fast now changing not just the US in this respect, nearly everywhere all political movements are all of the same persuasion and colour. Corporations run this world now, period. Notwithstanding a huge catastrophic global event, then nothing is going to change either, as no president or leader of any country in the world no longer has any control over any particlar region of the world, that as previosly stated is now firmly in the hands of a very small number of individuals, who''s agenda has nothing to do with peoples freedoms or democracy anywhere in the world, only greed for more power and money to create the world they want.

[signof4]

Wonder how long it will be before she wins the Chinese Laundry Union vote? Hey Hill, have you given back the $850K like you said you would?

Didn''t think so.

[gunownerdan]

We don''t need anymore corporate-controlled warmongers like Hitlery Clinton in the white house.

[jack3213]

The change that most want is to feel positive about the government, wouldn''t you say? There seems to be an enormous amount of animosity that stems from having a blind eye to what is better known as survival of the fittest. If you don''t think that the military is saving your sorry A-- than you live in a dream world. There WILL be more to this WAR than "you''all" think and it will continue well into the next presidency, so better start to learn to accepting that. A Democrat will certainly promote more fear in you than you already have today, so just imagine that! Unfortuneately untill people get their blinders off they will think it is all a Republicans fault. This did NOT start with BUSH, by the way, it started with the CLINTONS!!

[jack3213]

SKY K- Beating someone( as you say ''over and over'') is not the point, it is based on whether they deserve the position or not, which is the point, not that they achieved more votes from stupid people who do not understand that they are STILL not right for this country. Stupid is as stupid does.

[xlib]

Now would that be the Chinese dishwashers union?? I know madame chang chi clinton got big bucks from dishwashers in NY city''s China town, many of whom did not speak English (maybe she resorted to pseudo-Chinese the way she went into pseudo-Baptist?). Then again, you libs wouldn''t know ahout that, would you. NO negative coverage here on the clinton broadcasting system website.
Say, since she''s so tight with the chi-coms, maybe she can do something about the tainted stuff from China?? After all, it does affect women and children, her main concern (as long as she maked big bucks from them).

[jsilver2th]

These people didn''t even let the leading candidate STEVEN COLBERT speak...

WRITE IN COLBERT FOR PRESIDENT
ALL PRIMARIES ALL STATES
IT''S A MOVEMENT

[brianbwb-2009]

I hear also that the Mafia, the Latin American drug cartels, as well as Communist China, also support Hillary Clinton.
Posted by One_American

Those groups don''t care who is president, as they all are for sale, Both Dems and Repos, so what is your point?

[one_american]

I hear also that the Mafia, the Latin American drug cartels, as well as Communist China, also support Hillary Clinton.

[usaprophet]

I agree with Dr. Paul about the issue of illegal immigration. The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked. Ron Paul has a plan: (1.) Physically secure our borders and coastlines. We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals. (2.) Enforce visa rules. Immigration officials must track visa holders and deport anyone who overstays their visa or otherwise violates U.S. law. This is especially important when we recall that a number of 9/11 terrorists had expired visas. (3.) No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That''s a lot of people to reward for breaking our laws. (4.) No welfare for illegal aliens. Americans have welcomed immigrants who seek opportunity, work hard, and play by the rules, but taxpayers should not pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and social services. (5.) End birthright citizenship. As long as illegal immigrants know their children born here will be citizens, the incentive to enter the U.S. illegally will remain strong. (6.) Pass true immigration reform. The current system, and those proposed by ALL other candidates, is incoherent and unfair, and would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country.

[usaprophet]

Ron Paul represents a different Republican Party from the one that Iraq, deficits and corruption have soured the country on. It''s ironic that other GOP candidates are scared to death of his message, BECAUSE his is more conservative than theirs. Being anti-war IS conservative. Another key difference between his message and the others is that he is a strong defender in The Constitution, which protects our civil liberties. The other Republican cadidates, who are mostly NWO Oligarchs, want to erase your liberties. They''ve tried hard to exlude him from the spotlight, along with the mainstream press. In late June, despite a life of antitax agitation and pious churchgoing, he was excluded from a Republican forum sponsored by Iowa antitax and Christian groups. Ron Paul does not represent your Father''s style of Republicanism. He represents your Founding Father''s style. He stands for a certain idea of the Constitution; the idea that much of the power asserted by modern presidents has been usurped from Congress, and that much of the power asserted by Congress has been usurped from the states. Though Dr. Paul acknowledges flaws in both the Constitution (it included slavery) and the Bill of Rights (it doesn%u2019t go far enough), he still thinks a comprehensive array of positions can be drawn therefrom: against gun control; for the sovereignty of States; and against foreign-policy adventures. His message draws on the noblest traditions of American decency and patriotism.

[jowand]

If you support illegal immigration like Clinton you support wage busting of the American worker, what a dumb union.

[jowand]

He was once a pious Lutheran, but now attends a Baptist church. He never travels alone with women, and once even dressed-down an aide for using the expression "red-light district" in front of a female colleague. I support the 2008 candidacy of Congressman, Ron Paul for President of The United States. Candidates with the high level of personal integrity and track record of adherance to The Constitution Ron Paul always demonstrates only come around once in a lifetime, if we''''re lucky. Go Ron!

Posted by USAProphet at 11:03 PM : Oct 31, 2007

Order me a Chef Ron Paul double SPAM Jihad Whopper Special, but hold the Kr*p

[usaprophet]

You get the sense that the country is desperate for someone to show us the way. Not the old way. Not the same way, but a NEW WAY. Think about this for a minute. What if we pulled all of our troops out of South Korea? They''ve been there for 50 years. Tens of thousands of them. What if we quit worrying about Iran, but instead, realized that its having a nuclear weapon will not mean the end of the world? What if we pulled all of our troops out of Iraq, and brought them all home? What if we realistically addressed the National Debt, and paid attention to REALLY DOING SOMETHING about stopping illegal immigration? These are the ideas Republican Presidential candidate, Dr. Ron Paul. He''s a ten term Congressman and a physician who has delivered over 4,000 babies. Ron Paul has been married to the same woman for more than 50 years, which means he doesn''t come to the race with the sort of baggage some of the other candidates for the White House do. Paul is given to mulling things over morally. He was once a pious Lutheran, but now attends a Baptist church. He never travels alone with women, and once even dressed-down an aide for using the expression "red-light district" in front of a female colleague. I support the 2008 candidacy of Congressman, Ron Paul for President of The United States. Candidates with the high level of personal integrity and track record of adherance to The Constitution Ron Paul always demonstrates only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky. Go Ron!

[skyk-2009]

As a fiscal conservative I am delighted that Hillary is coming out the front runner for the democrats.

She was the only candidate that had absolutely no hope of being elected in a national election.

Its an honest shame that the democrats cannot produce a candidate that we moderate republicans could stomach.

Most intelligent people understand that neither political party should be in control for to long.


Posted by didntinhale at 06:10 PM : Oct 31, 2007
+ report abuse

Well sure you are!! LMAO Anyone, even a 6 year old can see through you. Not only can she win, she WILL win.. The Right can''t bet the Clintons... haven''t and won''t. The American People should have given you losers a message the last witch hunt you went on with the Clintons. You do remember that don''t you? You clowns came on with your Ken Starr and with every passing week their APPROVAL Numbers continued to go UP! Now most intelligent people would understand that your NOT defeating them with mud and slime, you have NO issues and you have a leader who has the support of little more than 1/4 of the public.... can you say Madam President? LMAO

[skyk-2009]

Regardless of any current or future endorsements the facts still remain: The Clintons are LOSERS.


Posted by jack3213 at 04:31 PM : Oct 31, 2007
+ report abuse

Yep... the FACT that they have NOT lost yet has nothing to do with your reasoning huh? Kinda out of touch with reality aren''t you? The Clintons can and HAVE beaten the Radical Right and it''s attack machine OVER and OVER again.

[skyk-2009]

The CFR has hijacked the foreign policy of both parties and their main goal is to destroy American soveriengty and our constitution leading to the formation of a North American Union with Canada and Mexico.
Dr. Ron Paul is NOT a member of the CFR and he is the only anti-war and pro-liberty candidate running for president.
ronpaul2008.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by gunownerdan at 05:13 PM : Oct 31, 2007
+ report abuse

RON Paul is a RADICAL Right Winger.. even more so than Bush and Cheney. HE want''s to terminate Social Security, not fix it. His idea''s are so far out and distructive he hasn''t even a chance to win...

[skyk-2009]

Wake up Dems - take the party back from the Loser Faction and nominate somebody who is NOT hated by 50% of the voters, who is NOT a puppet of lobbyists, one that has ethics, honesty, and a commitment to ending the endless NEOCON wars. There are many good choices, but Conniving isn''''t one of them.

.


Posted by VastR-WCon at 06:25 PM : Oct 31, 2007

Didn''t you clowns say the EXACT same thing about a John Kenndy? You know people wouldn''t elect him because of his Religion? It''s strange how Con''s have always been against Change and years after it''s taken effect and been PROVEN to be the right thing to do, guess who''s on board?? I hardly think YOU, those who gave us the WORST in US history, are folks we should be listening to as to who should run for President.

[usaprophet]

Most Americans just don''t seem to care that our nation, along with the Constitution upon which it was founded, is being flushed-down the NWO toilet by our nations'' ruling elite. While the Oligarchs warn and insite fear in the sheeple about the prospect of terrorism, they at the same time leave our border wide open, and fund and conduct illegal wars overseas that do nothing but encite the terrorism which their Draconian Laws like the Patriot Act and The Real ID Act pretend to protect us from. Think about it. What would you do, if someone invaded the U.S. for no reason, and took over. You''d be mad as hell, and you''d be making trips to their country in order to give a little payback. Wake up America! It''s not about protecting you from terrorism, or saving our planet from Global Warming, or any of that fear-mongering garbage the tube feeds you 24/7. It''s about feeding the military industrial complex and facilitating the ruling elite''s ability to ratchet-down control over the American people, placing us into a total control grid where they can surveille, track and control everywhere we go and everything we do. It''s the groundwork for totalitarianism. I weep for my country, and for those of you who are so distracted, dumbed-down, or outright brainwashed by mainstream media, which endlessly regurgitates scientifically-crafted streams of information aimed at keeping your eyes closed to the realities of the world around you, that you fail to recognize this. Go Ron Paul!

[jacksteen1]

Too bad "didntinhale" has been skipping his meds lately.

Thinking for a moment that the Republiscum Party''s sweetheart and favourite plural marriage proponent Willard Romney has a White Salamander''s chance in Hell in the election!

Get serious!

He''s got the same chances a fourteen-year-old girl at a Salt Lake City barn dance has of escaping without dancing with every drooling eighty-year-old stake bishop at the event...which is to say - - Z I P P O !