Union Members Played Big Role in Potomac Primaries

[Omaha Steve]

This is not about Dem candidates, so I posted it here.

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/02/13/union-members-played-big-role-in-potomac-primaries/

by Seth Michaels, Feb 13, 2008

Union members made up 24 percent of the Democratic primary vote in Maryland yesterday, continuing the strong union household turnout demonstrated in last week’s Super Tuesday elections. In Virginia, where union density is low, exit polls showed union households chalked up an impressive 14 percent of the Democratic primary vote. (Exit polls were not taken in Washington, D.C., and Republican exit polling did not include a question about union membership.)

Fifty-eight percent of Maryland union members voted for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) getting 37 percent of the union vote. In Virginia, Obama received 63 percent of the union vote, compared with 36 percent for Clinton, similar to his statewide results.



On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won another set of victories and moved closer to the Republican nomination, defeating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in all three primaries and leading the Republican race with 812 delegates. With McCain as the clear Republican front-runner, it’s time to ask who McCain is and whether his record reflects the commitment to working families that is essential in the next president.

Here’s a quick look at his record:

* McCain voted to filibuster the Employee Free Choice Act, which would have protected the freedom of workers to form unions.
* He describes himself as a “free trader” and strongly supports NAFTA and CAFTA.
* He’s voted against protecting overtime eligibility, in support of the overseas outsourcing of federal jobs and against a clean minimum wage bill—but he’s decided he supports renewing Bush’s massive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
* He’s supported privatized Social Security accounts and raising the eligibility age for Medicare.
* He even crossed a picket line to appear on the “Tonight Show.”

And just last week, he didn’t bother to show up to vote on an economic stimulus package that would have extended unemployment protection and provided tax rebates to low-income families, seniors and veterans. The package failed to pass by a single vote.


No wonder he told the Chicago Tribune that “the issue of economics is something that I’ve really never understood as well as I should.”

FULL story at link.

[SoFlaJet]

1. Friggin Commies

I suspect the Clinton-ites will now become anti-unionists after this one sinks in..