AFL-CIO Hints At Endorsement

Denise Mitchell, a senior adviser to AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, sent a memo to reporters about the AFL-CIO endorsement process:

On the eve of Tuesday’s big primaries, I want to be sure everybody knows where the AFL-CIO is on presidential endorsement. As most of you know, some of the unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO strongly support Sen. Clinton and others strongly support Sen. Obama. Earlier, some of our affiliates endorsed John Edwards. Most of our 56 national union affiliates have not made a primary endorsement. Respecting the varying views of our affiliated unions, we have not endorsed.

We will make an endorsement when we are certain it will lead to our strongest, broadest, most vigorous grassroots general election mobilization ever. We run the biggest independent political program in the country among our 19.5 million AFL-CIO working family voters.

Our over-riding focus is on Nov. 4 – and making sure it turns our country in a different direction. Not a McCain direction. Last week we began putting together grassroots counter-events to expose and protest the economic plans of John McCain, with events in Cleveland and
Cincinnati. We’re driving a major campaign to oppose the McCain agenda.

In addition to the presidential race, the AFL-CIO will campaign in every viable Senate race and some 70 house races. In all the AFL-CIO will be involved in more than 525 races nationwide, including Senate, House and state legislative races.

Comments

Did I leave my super-special x-ray specs at home, because this sounds to me like they're not "hinting" at an endorsement, but instead saying they're not going to waste their money trying to decide the Democratic race.

But then again, maybe that's why the Atlantic isn't paying me to post press releases with fancy gray boxes around them.

Posted by Jeff Larson | March 4, 2008 12:43 PM

I don't care what the Obamatons say. There's simply, plainly, factually NO POSSIBLE WAY the AFL-CIO can compete in red states. Or caucus states.

That should be obvious to anyone.

Posted by Craig | March 4, 2008 12:45 PM

Unless they have a superdelegate vote (and I have no idea; they might), an endorsement doesn't matter so much this late. As, indeed, the announcement seems to indicate--they're saving their fire for the general.

Posted by Deborah | March 4, 2008 1:04 PM

Labor support is overrated. Most of these guys take their walk sheets, throw them in the dumpster (or the back seat of their car), then spend the day at the bar.

Posted by Paul | March 4, 2008 1:35 PM