Big Labor Endorsement Looms, SEIU to Edwards?????

[Omaha Steve]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/big-labor-endorsement-looms/

September 11, 2007, 9:29 am
Big Labor Endorsement Looms

By Steven Greenhouse

Next week, six of the Democratic presidential candidates will be vying for what is widely considered the singlemost coveted union endorsement, that of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 1.9 million workers.

On Monday, those Democratic candidates will be speaking at the S.E.I.U.’s political action conference at the Washington Hilton, where 1,500 of the union’s leaders and activists will gather. On Wednesday, Sept. 19, the union’s board will decide whether to endorse anyone at that time. The S.E.I.U. is the nation’s second largest union, behind the National Education Association, which has 3.2 million members, but political experts agree that the S.E.I.U. is the more potent force.

Union officials say former Senator John Edwards has mounted a full-court press to persuade the S.E.I.U.’s top officials to endorse him, but Hillary Clinton’s camp and Barack Obama’s camp are maneuvering vigorously to try to deny Mr. Edwards the organization’s backing.

Union officials say that some top S.E.I.U. officials are leaning toward Mr. Edwards, attracted by his strong support of universal health insurance and his vigorous support of unionization drives. But the S.E.I.U.’s leaders are concerned not only that the union’s rank-and-file is not nearly as supportive as Mr. Edwards as they are, but that Mr. Edwards continues to lag well behind Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama in nationwide polls.

Two steps are required for the S.E.I.U.’s 60-person board to endorse a candidate. First, board members representing 50 percent of the union locals that have members on the board have to agree that the union should make an endorsement. Second, board members representing 60 percent of all the union’s overall membership have to agree on whom to endorse.

FULL story at link.

[JDPriestly]

1. If the S.E.I.U. endorses Edwards, his numbers will rise.

Edwards is the man for labor. Hillary is sold out to big business. Obama is not clear in his alliances yet. Edwards is the only candidate to be 100% behind the labor agenda. He is the one candidate who understands what working families need. He is the only one of the top three Democratic candidates who grew up in a working/middle class family.

Hillary grew up in a country club household, and Obama's childhood was too unusual to classify. I'm not saying anything bad about Clinton and Obama. Those are just the facts.