AFSCME, SEIU Endorse Dean!

[sfecap]

AFSCME, SEIU Endorse Dean!


Photo: John Pettitt / DeanForAmerica.com

WASHINGTON--The presidents of AFSCME and SEIU today announced that their unions would jointly endorse Governor Howard Dean, M.D. In making the announcement here today at the Mayflower Hotel, Presidents McEntee and Stern were joined by President Williams of the IUPAT, which endorsed Dean in late October. Governor Dean made the following statement today:

"I am honored to be joined today by SEIU and AFSCME. I want to thank Presidents Stern and McEntee for their friendship and their leadership on behalf of America’s workers. I also want to thank the men and women of these two powerful unions for joining us and believing in our campaign. Your support means a great deal to the grassroots movement we are building across this country, and working together over the coming months we will take our country back.

"My campaign is about people coming together and participating in politics for common purpose to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. This is what SEIU and AFSCME do every day; their three million members represent two of the greatest grassroots organizations in the country—fighting everyday to protect workers and help them achieve job security, livable and fair wages, and affordable health care for everyone. United together, we can take back the White House and take our country back."






www.blogforamerica.com

[deutsey]

1. Go Dean!

:thumbsup:

[wtmusic]

2. Rock on Howard

Great news!

[caledesi]

3. Run Howard Run! Got my $100 waiting to donate to best *.

[hippiechick]

4. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=215262

[Cha]

5. Finally, official Celebration!

Congratulations to our Campaign for Dean! :toast:

[Demobrat]

6. Great line from Stern's intro:

"We are totally comfortable with his positions on Medicare and healthcare."

So much the for the Mediscare. Bye, Geppie. GO DEAN!

[sfecap]

7. Here's another great article...

(snip)

The SEIU and AFSCME ended up in the same place, but they followed far different paths, each reflecting the union’s president. Stern, cerebral and democratic, oversaw a bottom-up process that gave strong voice to union rank and file. McEntee, the first union leader to endorse Bill Clinton in 1992, is a visceral politician who dominates his union. His process was top-down, and over the past nine months his allegiance shifted from Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark — whose campaign’s mistakes may have cost him AFSCME’s support — and finally to Dean.

The only similarity was that at the beginning of their discussions, Dean was not on either union’s list of likely endorsees. Last December, at one of their first meetings, Stern asked Dean if there was any way he could help him, thinking he could open some union doors to the little-known candidate. “He said, ‘Well you can endorse me,’ which I thought was a pretty bold, first opening comment,” Stern said. “And I said, ‘Well, we’re a little far away from that,’ and he said, ‘Well, if you endorse me, I’m going to be president.’

The SEIU offered all the candidates the same resources: a list of their local leadership and a warning that the route to the endorsement began not in Stern’s fifth-floor office on L Street NW but through the rank and file. “Everybody got the same advice,” an SEIU official said. “Howard Dean took it to heart.” No other candidate came close to Dean’s outreach. “Shockingly” not close, Stern said.

www.msnbc.com/news

[loudnclear]

8. After hearing Kucinich on TOTN today, I'm changing to Kucinich

Dennis is the only true "alternative" to Bush. I was so impressed by his discussion today, I don't think I could vote for another of the candidates. Al and Mosely Braun are not even as close to my views as Dennis.

I think his theme song should be "...I may be a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

His is a real different direction for the US and one peace-loving, decent people would be proud to support.

[helleborient]

9. Woo Hooo!!!!

A big welcome to the campaign for all AFSCME and SEIU members!!!

[VolcanoJen]

10. Dupe... locking

Please continue discussion in the earliest LBN thread on this topic, which can be found here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=214263

Thanks!
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator