John Nichols: Kucinich Helps the AFL-CIO Prove a Point

[marmar]

from The Nation:


BLOG | Posted 08/08/2007 @ 09:51am
Kucinich Helps the AFL-CIO Prove a Point
John Nichols


When the AFL-CIO organized a presidential debate at Chicago's Soldier Field, leaders of the labor federation quietly went out of their way to make sure that Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich would be on the stage.

While some debate organizers have talked about excluding so-called "lesser" candidates -- those like Kucinich with low poll numbers and small bank accounts -- from the debates, the AFL-CIO wanted progressive populist from Cleveland front and center Tuesday night. Why? Because leaders of the labor organization recognize the importance of candidates who stand on principle rather than merely engage in political calculations.

They also recognize that Kucinich's determination to express his principles -- which happen to parallel those of labor activists on worker rights, health and safety concerns and, above all, trade policy -- would put frontrunners Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards on the spot.

The senators from New York and Illinois and the former senator from North Carolina have shaky records on a host of issues that of high priorities for union members. Clinton close ties to Wall Street and have led her to support much of the free-trade agenda favored by multinational corporations -- a fact highlighted by Edwards when he referenced a recent feature in a financial magazine on Clinton's appeal to big business by saying, "You will never see a picture of me on the front of Fortune magazine saying I am the candidate that big corporate America is betting on."

Edwards may be "the angry populist" now. But he has not always been on labor side. Edwards -- who supported North Carolina's anti-union "Right-to-Work" law when he ran for the Senate in 1998 -- broke with the AFL-CIO to cast several key votes in favor of the Bill Clinton administration's free-trade agenda when he served in the Senate. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=221001

[antigop]

1. Great article! Kucinich is the only one who has said he will repeal NAFTA and withdraw from the WTO

He is NOT a corporatist.