The SEIU Picks Obama - MoJo

[WillyT]

<snip>

The national executive board of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) endorsed Barack Obama Thursday evening. The members of the board voted electronically following a conference call scheduled for 6 p.m. The official announcement will come at a press conference on Friday. An email from the union confirmed it will make a "major political announcement" tomorrow.

The SEIU has stayed neutral in the national contest until now, allowing its state affiliates to endorse any candidate. Many of the state organizations backed former Sen. John Edwards. But Edwards dropped out of the race shortly after a poor showing in South Carolina, where where he was born.

The SEIU's endorsement comes at a crucial time. Hillary Clinton, who has lost eight straight contests since Super Tuesday, is leading in the polls in Ohio and Texas, two delegate-rich states that will vote on March 4. Wins there could conceivably help her narrow the lead Obama has recently opened up in the delegate count. But the SEIU endorsement could alter the balance.

With nearly two million members, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America. It is also perhaps the most politically influential. A November 2006 National Journal ranking (PDF) placed the SEIU first among 20 major national interest groups in terms of political clout. The candidates the union supported had a win-loss record of 10-4 in "competitive" races during the 2006 election cycle. It registered over 4 million new voters and its members knocked on 10 million doors during the 2004 election cycle. It has won battle after battle organizing janitors in Texas, gaining 5,300 members in Houston alone in the past two years. And it has about 27,000 members-cum-potential-door-knockers in Ohio and around 100,000 total in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. That's a lot of political action.

The endorsement could also have an effect on SEIU members from demographics that have been voting for Clinton. The union likes to trumpet the fact that it is the "most diverse" union in the United States. Fifty-six percent of SEIU members are women, and it represents more immigrant workers—who are often Latinos—than any other union in the United States. Its members also include many working-class whites. All three groups—women, Latinos, and working-class whites—have tended to vote for Clinton this year. If the SEIU's political muscle helps turn those groups toward Obama, especially in Ohio and Texas, this endorsement could prove decisive.

<snip>

Link: http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/02/7234_breaking_seiu_e.html

Yeah Baby... That's MY union!!!

:bounce::woohoo::bounce:

[southern_dem]

1. Excellent! n/t

[KaryninMiami]

2. Yowza! That's way cool!!! NT

[GarbagemanLB]

3. Awesome! Go Obama!

[yeswecan08]

4. Proof that Obama can protect the interests of laborers as well as business owners

[TeamJordan23]

5. Great pickup. nm

[Colobo]

6. Gobama!

[stevenleser]

7. 'We are the Union! The mighty, mighty Union!"

Welcome aboard SEIU!

[TexasObserver]

8. Great. This will help in Texas and Ohio.

[WillyT]

9. Yep... A Lot Of Organizational Power There !!!

:bounce:

[IndianaGreen]

10. K&R

Obama will beat McCain in the Fall in a landslide!

[TexasObserver]

12. a landslide

[FrenchieCat]

11. They stated earlier on that they wanted to go with a winner this time round......

And by God, I think they meant it!

[K Gardner]

13. Holy Mother of Unions, Batman ! The national board.. Edwards didn't even get that..

Head em up... move em out ! :dem:

[FrenchieCat]

27. This will certainly help him on his already excellent ground game!

[Danger Mouse]

14. Workers of the world, unite!

Sorry...thought that might rankle the red-baiters! :P

[psychopomp]

15. {{[BOOM]}}

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Good news!

[ellisonz]

16. HUGH!!!!

[jenmito]

K&R! Great news!

Thanks! :bounce:

[thoughtcrime1984]

17. SEIU is you, UFCW is me- Two fine endorsements

I'm not sure how much these endorsements will gain the Obama camp, but they never hurt, that's for sure!


Edit for fat fingers

[WillyT]

19. Organization On Top Of Organization...

Phome banks, ad buys, door to door canvasing...

It's ALL good!

:bounce:

[Barack_America]

18. Awesome, WillyT...n/t

[WillyT]

21. Yeah Baby !!!

:hi:

[Sultana]

20. woohooo

:headbang:

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[IndianaGreen]

22. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union voted Thursday to endorse Barack Obama (OH, TX, PA).

February 14, 2008
Major union nod for Obama
Posted: 05:01 PM ET

(CNN) — One of the country’s biggest unions — the United Food and Commercial Workers Union — voted Thursday to endorse Barack Obama.

Obama’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, had also hoped for the union’s nod.

The union, which has more than a million members, is very active in Ohio and Texas — both contests the Clinton campaign is counting on to help her regain momentum in the Democratic presidential race.

It is also very strong in Pennsylvania, another major contest looming on the horizon, and is a major force in voter turnout in all three states.

The union represents workers in the meatpacking industry, in supermarkets and food processing.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/14/major-union-nod-for-obama/

[WillyT]

23. Woo Hoo !!! - Yeah Baby !!!

More Big Mo For O!!!

:bounce:

[IndianaGreen]

24. The O-man is on a roll!

Meanwhile in Hillaryland....

[FrenchieCat]

26. The sound of

clap, clap, point, point!

[WillyT]

25. Kick !!!

:kick:

[WillyT]

29. One More !!!

:kick:

[NMMatt]

28. Good score

This will go a long way to closing this election out in WI, TX, OH and if not then, PA.

[catgirl]

30. Big smile!

and a big kick!!!

[workinclasszero]

31. Awesome!!

SEIU:yourock:

[Hope And Change]

32. Kick!

[Tatiana]

33. Labor is starting to move toward him. Populists like Jim Hightower are moving toward him.

He is really eroding Clinton's base. Let's see if this plays out in Texas.

[Scurrilous]

34. K & R

:thumbsup:

[GumboYaYa]

35. I have worked with SEIU on several campaigns.

They have the best field organization of any union there is, bar none. Their phone banking equipment is state of the art.

This is a giant endorsement in terms of the ground game.

[Califooyah Operative]

36. Great News! nt

[WillyT]

37. I Think So Too !!!

:bounce:

[WillyT]

38. Last Kick !!!

:kick:

[KittyWampus]

39. almost forgot about this!

[CorpGovActivist]

40. .