UNITE Here Divides Itself From The Clintons In Nevada

This is a translation of the harshest ad of the cycle on the Democratic side. It's on Spanish-language radio in Nevada, being run by Unite-Here, the parent union of the Culinary Workers' Local 266. Both parent and child have endorsed Sen. Barack Obama:

"Hillary Clinton does not respect our people. Hillary Clinton supporters went to court to prevent working people to vote this Saturday – that is an embarrassment. Hillary Clinton supporters want to prevent people from voting in their workplace on Saturday. This is unforgivable! Hillary Clinton is shameless. Hillary Clinton should not allow her friends to attack our people’s right to vote this Saturday. This is unforgivable, there is no respect. Senator Obama is defending our right to vote. Senator Obama wants our votes. He respects our votes, our community, and our people. Senator Obama’s campaign slogan is “Sí Se Puede, Sí se puede.” (“Yes We Can”). Vote for a president that respects us, and that respects our right to vote. Obama for president, “Si Se Puede” (“Yes We Can”)."

Here's what's striking. Unite-Here is a powerful national labor union. Hillary Clinton has as good a chance as Barack Obama at being the next Democratic nominee, and then, if the nominee, a good shot at being the next president. And while it would behoove anyone to frown on UNITE Here if they decided to run an ad touting Obama or even an advertisement disputing Hillary Clinton's position on a policy, the union has decided to directly attack Clinton's character.

It's a sign that while the Democratic Party is more united than ever, the union movement is riven by discord, and many of its major reform efforts have failed. There have been many more inter-and-intra union spats this cycle. My guess is that arguments about immigration, trade, ethics and the economy are being fought by proxy, with Obama, Clinton and Edwards standing in for archetypes of where the union movement ought to go.

Note that the plaintiffs who challenged the caucus's at large precincts were members of the state education association, an affiliate of the National Education Association. Another teachers' union, the American Federation of Teachers, did not intervene in the dispute and has run only positive ads on Clinton's behalf. In New Hampshire, an affiliate of AFSCME, the public employees' union which has endorsed Hillary Clinton, ran radio ads criticizing Barack Obama's health care plan, ads the Obama campaign finds misleading. And several Service Employees state affiliates and the Carpenters' union funded a pro-John Edwards campaign in Iowa.

Comments

UNITE-HERE is in a battle against Cintas, a Mark Penn client. I have a feeling that's a factor.

Posted by David Mizner | January 17, 2008 8:12 PM

Wouldn't you say that the "pro-Clinton" and "pro-Edwards" campaigns might have more correctly described as "anti-Obama" campaigns? Obama has had millions of $$ worth of 527 ads run against him in IA and NH. I would suggest that Edwards and Clinton have no room to start calling foul now.

Posted by c gibson | January 17, 2008 8:25 PM

"Our people"?

This race card thing is getting old.

Posted by JoeCHI | January 17, 2008 8:37 PM

Wow this is a pretty intense ad. The Mason-Dixon poll of Nevada out today has Clinton up 9% but no one has any ideas of how to poll Nevada this could go in any direction come Saturday night.

Posted by Dan | January 17, 2008 8:39 PM

The rhetoric is very similar to that employed by the insurgent ODM party of Barack Obama's African cousin (and friend) Raila Odinga in Kenya. Odinga, a Luo, seeks to rouse the minority tribes of Kenya in an uprising against the government of Moi Kibaki who is of the majority Kikuyu tribe. It is the politics of hate and violence. The Luo and members of other minority tribes have slaughtered hundreds of their Kikuyu neighbours, and driven an estimated 250,000 from their homes in the Luo domintated region of western Kenya as a result of failing to win the popular vote.

Their slogan is "It's Our Turn To Eat!" instead of "Yes We Can!", but beyond that the parallels are much stronger than the differences. Obama supported the ODM cause when he was in Kenya and sent political advisor Dick Morris to help his fellow tribesman in the Kenyan election. Odinga was with Obama in America this fall when Barack began his campaign, and sponsors Kenyan fundraising through Auma Obama, the half sister of Barack who is currently in America and waiting for the violence to die down in Kenya before returning.

Posted by robert ethan | January 17, 2008 9:07 PM

I am sorry about the troll who posted using my name just now. His statements are of course deeply offensive, racist, and simply plain false. The individual in question is a known member of StormFront, and is simply trying to stir up racial tension.

Posted by robert ethan | January 17, 2008 9:10 PM

Fancy that, another robert ethan. :) What a coincidence. Kind of like Barack Obama being a cousin of Raila Odinga.

Seriously, though, I think if the sponsors of this blogsite check accompanying e mail addresses they will soon find out who the "real" robert ethan is.

As to the accusations of my belonging to an organization of which I've never heard, you might want to provide some proof or stay off this site before you're banned.

Posted by robert ethan | January 17, 2008 9:15 PM

I actually think the union story is very interesting and should be covered more fully later.

Posted by heather | January 17, 2008 9:19 PM

Fascinating: three Robert Ethans. One is a racist asswipe. the second is quite normal and even reasonable, and the third is a fatuous racist prick. Now, I am going out on a limb here, but somehow, bobby one and bobby three sound like the same person. And if so, then banning this lying, weaselling piece of racist dung would be an excellent idea for all concerned.

Posted by ronpaul | January 17, 2008 9:22 PM

The union story definitely beats the fervid imaginings of young Master Bobby Ethan. Of course, like most pig-ignorant racists, he doesn't even know that Dick Morris hates Obama. Adviser indeed! This is the same Dick Morris who "threatened" to leave the country if Obama or Clinton were elected! Want to try writing some more fiction, Bobby?

Posted by justiciar | January 17, 2008 9:26 PM

Dare we hope that BobbyTroll is whipped and has fled back to his stinking den?

Posted by jacinth | January 17, 2008 9:32 PM

Barack Obama for President of the UNITED States.

Posted by PulSamsara | January 17, 2008 9:40 PM

Morris doesn't hate Obama. Not nearly as much as he hates the Clintons. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Obama boasted of all the "former Clinton advisors" he employed, but obviously Morris was too toxic for an American campaign.

That was how Dick ended up in a faraway country working "pro bono" for a guy he'd never met. "Pro bono", even though he owed the State of Connecticut $300,000 in unpaid taxes at the time.

Posted by robert ethan | January 17, 2008 9:54 PM

It seems celebrations were premature. Our fiction-writing Bobbytroll has crawled back in. Anyone got the bleach to scrub down the floor?

Posted by jacinth | January 17, 2008 9:56 PM

As recently as three years ago, Dick Morris advisor sat in the UK advising the UKIP- the UK Independence Party. The UKIP is most often defined as the better-educated arm of the BNP, the fascistic British National Party. Profoundly racist and advocating an obdurate nationalism and the expulsion of foreigners, the UKIP advocates the closing of the UK's borders to immigrants and for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Anyone else see why BobbyTroll is so taken by Dick Morris? Other than their mutual dickicity, of course.

Posted by zilifant | January 17, 2008 10:00 PM

zilifant - Curious that such a fanatical racist as Dick Morris would travel half way around the world to work FREE for a black African politician he had never met.

Posted by robert ethan | January 17, 2008 10:04 PM

Not nearly as curious as a closet-racist calling himself Robert Ethan turning up on all sorts of political blogs lately, and being despised everywhere as a sad, boring, racist troll. What's wrong, Bobby, run out of blonde boys to molest at the Aryan Male Dance Night?

Posted by zilifant | January 17, 2008 10:10 PM

Somehow, I knew that name was familiar. The troll has a fascination with Obama and obsesses about him everywhere. Probably just a hopeless adolescent crush on a powerful older man. Poor old Bobby - did nasty Barack ignore you?

Posted by jacinth | January 17, 2008 10:12 PM

Well, folks, I have written to Marc Ambinder to request a ban for the troll. We can only hope the reaction is swift and effective.

Posted by talassen | January 17, 2008 10:16 PM

Since I don't have the time to read all the comments and I don't have the inclination to censor, generally, please feel free to bring to my attention anything that's obscene or overtly racist, and I'll see what I can do in terms of banning the IP address of the offender.

I can't promise to get rid of every offensive comment but I'll do what I can. Thanks -- M

Posted by Marc Ambinder | January 17, 2008 10:26 PM

You guys seem baffled that Dick Morris could possibly have been working for Raila Odinga at Barack Obama's behest, while perfectly willing to accept Karl Rove writing a campaign strategy memo for Obama. Or David Brooks and Robert Novak endorsing him in lengty articles. Or Obama averring that Ronald Reagan was a better President than Bill Clinton.

As far as "strange bedfellows" are concerned, the ones I've mentioned seem far more unlikely than Obama/Morris/Odinga.

Posted by robert ethan | January 17, 2008 10:26 PM

Robert Ethan,

The information you have provided on Raila and Obama is racially motivated, which you should avoid. I am surprise that you do not know what you are telling Americans about Obama and Raila.
Kenya is different from the US and that Obama should not be judged in relation to kenya politics.

Gab

Posted by GAB | January 17, 2008 11:41 PM

GAB - I would contend that the questionable ad highlighted in the original post of this discussion is racially (or at least ethnicly) motivated. By speaking in a minority language and using loaded phrases like "our people", it inspires tribal identity rather than Party or national identity.

My intent was to compare the rhetoric of it with the rhetoric of the ODM and Odinga in Kenya. In particular with regard to the "tribal" nature of this Obama ad, and the claims of "disenfranchisment". We can all see the results of excessive partisan hyperbole in Kenya. I would wish to avoid that same overheated situation to be duplicated in America.

Posted by robert ethan | January 18, 2008 12:04 AM

Ist Hillary Clinton eine schamlose Person? Ich glaube, daß sie ist.

¡Sí, se puede!

Posted by Mark | January 18, 2008 12:13 AM

Maybe if the Clinton campaign had not come out so openly (and angrily!) for the idea of shutting down the Strip precincts and had not lied by saying that non-Culinary workers near the Strip were barred from those caucuses (they aren't), then maybe this ad wouldn't have been aired.

Hispanics were the strongest demo for Hillary nationally. Now? Probably still true; but we shall see. UNITE-HERE is a national union and they're "all in."

Posted by John | January 18, 2008 12:26 AM

It can't be a good thing for generally down trodden and underpaid employees to vote at thier workplace in a open caucus setting under the eyes of thier bosses and union stewarts and union stalwarts and colleagues: that doesn't sound like any particularly free selection process. Is that what all the Obama leaning bloggers here are celebrating?
Don't suggest that its too late to change the format or that the dem party there agreed to it months ago: its either fair or not fair.
Jimmy carter should jet in to observe this mockery: these are disgusting barriers to individuals voting thier free mind.

Posted by Michael C. | January 18, 2008 9:04 AM

It has not yet been demonstrated factually that these supplementary sites will provide the same level of equity and access as state sponsored sites. Also Jews are excluded as a class [ more so the Orthodox ], unless 'Shabbes Goyem' can be located, volonteer, or assigned to redress the same disparity.
The analogy that the Clinton campaign took up the issue politically is disingenuous. That they took it up as a matter of equity and access is obvious. Noone wins in advance the cauci [The Caucases is a mountain range, not a political event] as expanded, and there is no way to predict the allocation of caucus participants.

BimBeau?
Not just another pretty face!

Posted by BimBeau | January 18, 2008 12:13 PM

Obama once again pulls the race card. His staff started all that race stuff about MLK last week then he denied it. Obama finally admitted it but did not fire the staff who started the race card issue.

Obama is privately high-fiving his staff for starting the race card issue just before south carolina and nevada

Posted by Jesse Jackson | January 19, 2008 7:08 AM

Obama will do a HIP HOP song. And make a staement the blacks are running things now. BIG DEAL they have been running a cesspool in Africa. Now they will turn rest of America into a cesspool like they already did to the cities

Posted by George Washington | January 19, 2008 1:25 PM