Clinton asks union that endorsed her to back Obama

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/31/politics/p134619D09.DTL

By EVELYN NIEVES, Associated Press Writer

Thursday, July 31, 2008

(07-31) 14:39 PDT San Francisco (AP) --

Sen. Hillary Clinton on Thursday asked the nation's largest public employees union — and one of her strongest backers — to work hard for the man who beat her for the Democratic nomination for president, Sen. Barack Obama.

Speaking to nearly 6,000 union delegates and guests at the 38th international convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) on Thursday, Clinton was greeted with a standing ovation, raucous applause and cries of "We love you, Hillary."

AFSCME, the largest union within the AFL-CIO, with 1.4 million members, worked tirelessly for Clinton during the primary. Its members, in their green T-shirts, were ubiquitous at her rallies and campaign headquarters.

During her 20-minute speech Thursday, Clinton repeatedly thanked them while urging them to campaign for Obama — and other Democrats — in November.

She touched on the union's pet peeve, the privatization of government services, saying that electing Democrats would be the only way to end the practice.

"But we can't do that without AFSCME," she said. "We can't do that without each and every one of you working your hearts out."

Obama, who received the union's endorsement last month, addressed the convention later via satellite.

The union, meeting in San Francisco for five days, previously had announced that it would mobilize 40,000 union activists to win victories in November for "pro-worker" candidates at every level of government.

The union includes bus drivers, child care providers, custodians and librarians.

[vitamin_D]

1. I'm curious.

I wonder how many of the union people will actually back Obama. I wonder how many are waiting to see what happens at the convention, hoping that Hillary goes for the nomination. I don't recall that she shut down her campaign, I think she only suspended it.