You know what? I am all 100% for unions. But I just read this article, and it really irritated me. Sounds to me like the union spokepersons are being insulting to a lot of Democrats while they are flipping and twisting waiting to see who the real nominee is going to be.
This year I find that pretty upsetting. To put out an article saying they are not going to endorse because Dean and Gephardt lost in Iowa.
That is a little cowardly. Some of the candidates are standing up strongly for unions, more so than others.
Unions waiting for a winner"Union leaders say they are so happy with the Democratic presidential aspirants, though unsure of whom to support, that they are unlikely to endorse any of them before the primaries next year.
..."The A.F.L.-C.I.O. is unlikely to endorse Mr. Edwards or anyone else before the primaries, several labor leaders said last week, because unions are so divided over the candidates.Several unions that like Mr. Edwards are wary of endorsing him because he lags well behind Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama in the polls.
“There’s a pretty strong sentiment across the labor movement for Edwards,” Steve Rosenthal, a former political director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., said. “But I think some unions are a little leery of endorsing him without more evidence that he can win.”
And Sweeney even takes time to "regret" their decisions in the last primary.
"The president of the federation, John J. Sweeney, said the earliest it would endorse anyone would be late October. Mr. Sweeney said he doubted that any candidate could muster the requisite two-thirds support. He cautioned against any rush, saying many unions acted too hastily in endorsing Howard Dean and Richard A. Gephardt in 2004, only to see those candidacies flounder early in the primaries.
And Gerry McEntee has to get a few words in.
"Gerry McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, acknowledges having learned a lesson in endorsing Mr. Dean.
“We made a big error,” Mr. McEntee said. “The error was that to a large extent it was a leadership decision made without a deep enough effort to see how our members really felt.”
This election year is making me sick to my stomach McEntee went along last time with the DLC meme calling Dean crazy after Iowa. He was backing off so fast he was running backwards.
I am very turned off by this insulting going back to last year by two of the union leaders which whom Howard Dean and the DNC have worked closely since he became chairman. And Gephardt was always a winner for unions, even though he lost. He does not deserve to be talked about like that by Sweeney. Thanks a lot for coming right and saying it...you guys are waiting to endorse the inevitable winner. Just be honest. You are not after the person who stands up the most for unions....you are after not picking someone who might not win.
That is rather cowardly. Dean and Gephardt and Edwards have stood up for unions all along. And now they get insulted by them right out in the open. Thus the endorsement is now meaningless.