This just in… Duckworth gets AFL-CIO nod

[wndycty]

This just in… Duckworth gets AFL-CIO nod

Tuesday, Jan 10, 2006

The Illinois AFL-CIO just a few minutes ago voted to endorse Tammy Duckworth for Congress. Duckworth is in a three-way Dem primary in the 6th CD.

No endorsement was made in incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean’s congressional race. Bean has angered unions with her support of CAFTA.

More details on other endorsements in tomorrow’s Capitol Fax.
-snip-

http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/2006/01/10/this-just-in-duckworth-gets-afl-cio-nod/#comments

[mopinko]

1. so what?

do you think the afl-cio endorsement means a damn thing to anyone who might support cegalis now? the endorsement from the union that endorsed ronald reagun ought to be a scarlet letter in the democratic party. the machine stamp of approval. yeah, that will bring new dems into the party.

[davsand]

2. Does Cegalis have any other Labor endorsements along with the Carpenters?

Carpenters are not part of the AFL-CIO any more. They would not have been part of that vote yesterday. Remember, there were other unions that pulled out of the AFL-CIO earlier this year too--so I am wondering if they have endorsed anyone yet...

I'm not slamming or applauding anybody, but very often the local folks (delegates from that district) carry a lot of weight in that vote to endorse.

Every Central Labor Council gets a vote (actually a delegate) every Building Trades Council gets a delegate, every Congressional District COPE Committee gets a delegate (Committee On Political Education), and each member of the statewide Exec. Committee gets a vote (made up largely of the Vice Presidents) and then each AFL-CIO member International gets a block of votes depending on the size of their membership in the state.

The motion to endorse is usually made by the Chair of the COPE Committee of that district (however, that can vary.)

Additionally, there is a questionnaire that gets sent out to candidates and a lot depends on how (or if) they answer it. It is all issue and legislation based--it is quite specific. I have seen candidates blow that questionnaire and screw themselves with Labor.

The bottom line--all things being equal and the questions answered acceptably--the campaign that works the local delegates the most/hardest ends up with that state endorsement.

I have seen it happen that a political power WANTED a specific candidate to be endorsed and the state AFL-CIO refused to knuckle under because that candidate was shaky with Labor. I have seen a screwed up answer on a questionnaire cost a candidate not only the AFL-CIO endorsement, but also a bunch of campaign money and volunteers.

Don't discount the impact of that endorsement, and please don't assume that it was just handed out without serious thought.


Laura

[mopinko]

3. well, since she has only been the candidate for a few minutes

i doubt that she went through any kind of a proper process. cegalis has been talking to everyone that will listen to her for 3 years.

[davsand]

4. You'd probably know better than most--who has endorsed Cegalis so far?

I haven't looked over her website or read any of her campaign stuff so I am in the dark here. I'm sure she has a list of endorsements already, however, I am curious about what Labor endorsements she has. Are they mostly from the guys outside the AFL-CIO? (Some folks view them as being more progressive unions, BTW) Are they the "hard" trades like the guys who build stuff or are they from the "Soft" unions--like SEIU or AFSCME?

The reason I ask this is, in the Senate primary last time (Obama and the rest of the merry band) there was a very real diversity in which unions endorsed which candidate. (My own household was even split on it--Kev was working with the Hynes campaign and I was working Obama!) Anyhow, the Building Trades all loved Hynes--with good reason--Dan is a nice guy and he's good with Labor. Obama was endorsed by AFSCME and UNITE--again, with good reason--Obama had an exceptionally good record on his Labor related votes as an Illinois Senator. BOTH were very strong Labor candidates and both were probably gonna be good Senators.

For our purposes at home, I went to Kev's stuff for Dan and I was open with Dan's campaign that I truly LIKE Dan, but I was working for Obama. Hell--I even helped serve food at a local Labor rally for Dan. Similarly, Kev went with me to the Obama events and he even helped me get stuff ready for the Obama event where I was on the host list. We BOTH liked the other guy a lot and we BOTH figured the other guy was probably gonna be good for Labor and a good Senator. However that Primary vote came out we were gonna be ok as long as it was either of the two. (Yeah--we ARE a strange household. I admit it.)

When the endorsement session came up for that Senate primary it really WAS impossible to predict in advance because both candidates were so good. There was some very real discussion of which International had how many delegates prior to that session. (Frankly, if I was managing or inside a campaign I'd do the same thing because you need to know BEFORE you walk into the room. You have GOT to know what you are gonna face because you NEVER send your candidate in without prepping them.)

I find it difficult to believe that Cegalis would be anywhere on a position that Labor would be uncomfortable with. Similarly, I think Duckworth probably has her positions pretty much in line with Labor's interests. (AGAIN--REMEMBER--I am not working either camp I live outside the district!)

Can anyone on here tell me how much groundwork was done with the local guys by either campaign?



Laura

[mopinko]

5. i don't know for sure

her website has the '04 endorsements, and i am very curious myself. i believe, tho, that many of the local labor people are behind her due to long family ties. i would expect most of the low to the ground support for her to only be strengthened by the pressure from above. i do not really know what is going on politically with local labor.
i think she has a message board, but i have avoided it as a possible source of addiction. mostly, i just send money and fight with windy. i should put in the time.

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. And apperentlay she couldn't make the sale after 3 years of work

Perhaps Dick Durbin knows something we don't.

[mopinko]

7. yeah, he knows which side his bread is buttered on.

are you just naive, or what?
unions are leaving the afl, since it has been selling out workers for the last 25 years. if i were christine, i would wear their snub as a badge of honor.

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. I'm sure that she will brag about not getting union backing in all

of her campaign speeches.

[Radical Activist]

9. You won't score many points in Illinois bashing Dick Durbin

He's one of the most reliable progressives in the country. Duckworth sound pretty progressive too. I'm really not buying this as an insider/conservative v. outsider/liberal fight anymore. Maybe we have two progressives in the race and one might have a better chance at winning than the one who already had a chance. The vitriol from Cegalis supporters regarding Duckworth is why I'm no longer backing Cegalis.

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. You mean to say that Durbin isn't a DLC/PNAC/DINO?

Could it be that Ms. Duckworth is gaining support from a broad spectrum of Democrats?

[mopinko]

12. I DID NOT BASH DICK DURBIN!!!!!!

i hope he is my senator for life. acknowledging the realities of politics does not make you dirty. i am not one of those kind of purists.
he is free to say, well, i like christine, but i am not prepared to piss off my dccc chairman. he didn't rob his kid's piggy bank for her, he wrote a common fundraising letter. i'm sure he is hoping that the best candidate will win, and is confident that either way, there will be a fine candidate on the ballot.
as far as i can tell, tho, duckworth is no progressive. she has made wishy washy statements on the war, and on choice. i don't see it so much as insider vs outsider as i do grassroots vs suits. maybe that is a distinction without a difference to some people, but not to me. it is also about growing the 6th district local parties. competing is fine. bulldozing the grassroots is not fine.
at any rate, i will be behind the winner.

[Ken Burch]

16. It doesn't bother you

that the big boys have piled into the 6th district race and are throwing their weight behind one candidate(in disregard of the convention that party leaders are supposed to stay neutral in primary fights)? Why should we just take their opinion on faith?
And what exactly makes you think there's anything progressive about Duckworth?

I have a lot of trouble getting past the arrogance and heavyhandedness of the leadership types. They'd have done far better trying to shore up Christine's campaign.

I can't see that anyone but people who own stocks in war industries will have anything to celebrate in a Duckworth victory.

[dogman]

11. Update as to how it came about.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sweet/cst-nws-sweet13.html
Snip>Wednesday, Duckworth won the endorsement of the Illinois AFL-CIO, which backed Cegelis two years ago. Illinois AFL-CIO President Margaret Blackshere told me Thursday that calls from Durbin to union activists helped Duckworth clinch the endorsement.<snip
Apparently DUers are not the only group meeting Chicago today. I was waiting to see how the weather came out today, not good for a trip in to the City. Hope you all have a good time.
Btw, John Laesch also reports the endorsement of AFL-CIO and the UAW. He says details will be posted on his website. Hastert should not be allowed to just pull DeLay's arm out of his butt and walk away. If he wasn't a puppet, he is guilty of negligence. I guess that is true of the Republican party in general. The bottom line is, are they stupid or ignorant. I've heard this asked about Bush, stupid implies lack of brains, ignorant is lack of knowledge. It's either one of those or it's outright lack of a moral compass and they should be prosecuted.

[dogman]

13. Forgot this.

www.john06.com

[LSK]

14. why?

[dogman]

15. It says Durbin.

I've read he was very impressed with her and set things in motion with Emanuel and Obama, who works closely with Durbin.