Today in Politics: Hillary Clinton Looks to Secure Labor Support

[Omaha Steve]

Source: NY Times

Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is likely to become a declared presidential candidate in the coming days, will spend Monday morning reconnecting with the Democratic base.

Mrs. Clinton will be the featured attraction at an event with a major union leader, held at the Center for American Progress, a leading liberal think tank in Washington. It’s run by her longtime adviser Neera Tanden, and founded by one of her campaign-advisers-to-be, John D. Podesta.

Mrs. Clinton will be joined by at least two major union leaders, Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, according to people briefed on the list of attendees. Julián Castro, the housing secretary, who held a private meeting with Mrs. Clinton in her home last year, is also scheduled to attend.

The topic has been billed as a “discussion on expanding opportunities in America’s urban areas.”

FULL story at link.



Hillary Rodham Clinton at the United Nations last week.Credit Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/03/19/today-in-politics-hillary-clinton-looks-to-secure-labor-support/?_r=0

[RufusTFirefly]

1. Unions initially endorsed Rahm, too. Then they wisely reversed course.

Any union that endorses an avid free-trader is suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

[L0oniX]

2. Wall Street and banksters have unions?

[blkmusclmachine]

24. Heh!

[peacebird]

30. Good one!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

51. Heyyy, bankers work hard for the money & hafta put food on the table. Who better than Hillary to represent their interests.

[Man from Pickens]

76. maybe police unions

got to suppress the peons who resist the corporatocracy

[HoosierCowboy]

3. Talking to the only two unions whose members

weren't effected by your trade policies? How about all the other communities devastated by NAFTA and GATT? Talk to Detroit, Pittsberg lately, do you even know they exist?

[Dustlawyer]

12. How about meeting with USW and OCAW who are on strike for Health and Safety issues in

our nations refineries for the first time in 30 years? Oh wait, the oil companies wouldn't like that, nevermind!

[Big_Mike]

44. For all the comedy, the one thing I remember from the '92 election was a quote by Ross Perot

"Ya hear that horrible sucking sound? That's the sound of jobs, going to Mexico."

And my company switched from circuit boards produced in California to ones made in Mexico.

[candelista]

71. +1.

[amandabeech]

72. + a gazillion

I'd love to see her address a bunch of laid off autoworkers at Joe Louis arena in Detroit.

Yeah, that would be really interesting.

[Geronimoe]

4. Because NAFTA works so well?

Bill Clinton's NAFTA, free trade deals, and giving China most favorable trade status, did more to destroy unions and decent paying jobs than all the Republican Presidents combined. And his ending of the Glass-Steagall Act put the nail in the coffin of America having a middle class.

Some might question what does Hillary have to do with what Bill did. However back during his two terms, Bill and Hillary were a team. And when she ran for the NY Seante seat, she sure took credit for Bill's two terms in office.

Enough, already of these Bankster's puppets.

[Divernan]

59. W/ Clintons, it's always:"2 for the price of 1" & that's no bargain.

Except for their corporate/One Percent/Wall Street backers/puppet masters. - oh, and let us not forget the foreign governments which have "donated" to the boutique Clinton Family Foundation. One hand washes the other in all the Clinton entanglements.

And aside from all the critical and major policies at stake where the Clintons owe their allegiance to the aforesaid elites (like Keystone Pipeline, TPP and SCOTUS appointments), there's always that cringe one feels at the thought of Bill back in the White House - as in a new verse to an old song,

"Mothers, don't let your daughters grow up to be White House interns."

[antigop]

5. HRC: "Outsourcing will continue..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090702780.html

When Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton flew to New Delhi to meet with Indian business leaders in 2005, she offered a blunt assessment of the loss of American jobs across the Pacific. "There is no way to legislate against reality," she declared. "Outsourcing will continue. . . . We are not against all outsourcing; we are not in favor of putting up fences."

So which outsourcing IS she against? And who is "we"? The DLC/Third Way/Corporate Dems?

There are many reasons she lost in 2008. This was one of them.

[freshwest]

20. Important addition to thread.

[peacebird]

31. Outsourcing & H1B visas are crushing the wages of IT workers here in America, but making the CEOs

Fabulously wealthy.

Now WHY would unions support HRC?

[Corey_Baker08]

37. Well Union's Have Saw First Hand How Republicans Feel About Them...

Just to name a few Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Jeb Bush in Florida, John Kasich in Ohio, Bobby Jindal in Louisiana, and this is just to name a few but the one thing all of the above individuals have in common are that they are considered the GOP's top tier Presidential Candidates...

I'm not saying all Unions should line up to endorse Secretary Clinton, they should and I believe they will wait until all Candidates have announced their intentions to run for POTUS...

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

52. Hillary is no friend to union workers. Do not be deceived.

[antigop]

6. HRC...supporting an increase in h-1b visas, selling out engineers and IT workers

[freshwest]

21. Are they unionizing now? My impression is that they don't want to be in unions. Educate me.

The only ones I have known in unions are public workers, and it followed the job, not the contracts they wanted to negotiate for higher pay, so they left the union jobs. Essentially, they consider themselves to be free agents and not part of the larger colllective bargaining units.

[Fumesucker]

45. Only workers in unions deserve jobs?

Are you sure you want to go there?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_unions_in_the_United_States

In 2013, the percentage of workers belonging to a union in the United States (or total labor union "density&quot was 11.3%

88.7% of the "labor" in America can go fuck themselves, yes?

[Trajan]

47. The other 88.7 % can reap the benefits of unionization by the mere fact of their presence ...

... in the marketplace ....

OR ? ... They can get off their asses and start organizing ....

OR ? ... They can bend over and take it ....

I am learning more and more about you .... I have to wonder what progressive policies you actually support ....

[Fumesucker]

50. Odd, I have no idea who you are or what you think..

I'm old enough to remember when union workers were beating the snot out of anti-war protesters.

I'm also old enough to remember when progressives were against the Iraq War and were less than fond of those who voted for it.

It's such a confusing world for an old person, screwing the vast majority of workers and being for aggressive war based on obvious lies are what passes for progressive values these days and I'm not mentally flexible enough any more to keep up with the twists and turns of progressive thought.

[antigop]

7. HRC..leading part in drafting the TPP

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101667554

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

53. Thanks for reminding people. Can't be restated enough, along with Hillary's IWR vote.

[antigop]

8. Big Labor eyes Hillary warily

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/big-labor-hillary-clinton-113410.html

Union leaders vow they won’t be taken for granted in 2016.

Frustrated by President Barack Obama and wary of Hillary Clinton’s perceived closeness to Wall Street, several leading figures in organized labor are resisting falling in line early behind the former secretary of state as the inevitable Democratic presidential nominee.

Top officials at AFL-CIO are pressing its affiliates to hold off on an endorsement and make the eventual nominee earn their support and spell out a clear agenda. The strategy is designed to maximize labor’s strength after years of waning clout and ensure a focus on strengthening the middle class, but it could provide an opening for a candidate running to Clinton’s left to make a play for union support.

“We do have a process in place, which says before anybody endorses, we’ll talk to the candidates,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in an interview. That could postpone an endorsement until the second half of 2015, he said.

“The big question we want to know is, ‘What’s the agenda?’” added Trumka. “We don’t want to hear that people have a message about correcting the economy — we want to know that they have an agenda for correcting the economy. If we get the same economic (plan) no matter who the president is, you get the same results.”

[Corey_Baker08]

38. After All Republicans Have Done To Dismantle Union's, I Don't See Them Endorsing A Republican...

Perhaps they may sit 2016 out, but I don't see them endorsing a Candidate of the Republican Party that have waged an all out war on Unions & the right to organize...

[antigop]

9. what do Hillary supporters do for a living that they don't fear outsourcing of their job

or being replaced by an h-1b visaholder?

What do their spouses, siblings, children, nieces, and nephews do for a living?

[MisterP]

17. SCOTUS! SCOTUS!

with more wars, crippling free-trade agreements, banksterism, and famine from Reaganomics' fourth decade of failure they WOULD huddle around the oil-drum fires and mutter through rotting teeth, "at least we have 4 seats on the court insteada 3"

[Divernan]

25. HRC's corporate donors will call in their quid pro quos on SCOTUS appointments.

HRC's supporters on DU seem to believe their strongest argument for her candidacy is:

Oh!, Oh! But what about SCOTUS?

It is precisely because SCOTUS appointments are so important that all of the quid pro quos purchased via millions and millions in corporate & Wall Street sponsorship for her speeches and the millions and millions of "donations" cough/bribes/cough to the boutique Clinton Family Foundation by aforesaid corporations and foreign countries, will be called in when it comes to SCOTUS appointments.

No way in hell would these power houses stand for HRC appointing any Justice who might agree to reverse SCOTUS's rulings in:
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) the Supreme Court of the United States held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited under the First Amendment, overruling Austin (1990) and partly overruling McConnell (2003).

Western Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Attorney General of Montana (2012). U.S. Supreme Court summary reversal of a decision by the Montana Supreme Court holding that Citizens United did not preclude a Montana state law prohibiting corporate spending in elections.

[MisterP]

33. yeah, they admit she's a Bush on policy but then pretend she's FDR for SCOTUS

like there aren't any corpo-Dem jurists in the country

but they're NOT corpo-Dems, and they order us not to call them that

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

54. Nor will Hillary sufficiently excite the base to get back Democratic control of the Senate, which we'll need to confirm Supreme Court nominees...

Elizabeth on the other hand...

[freshwest]

23. What percentage of the workforce is in those jobs? I don't know anyone who is in that field that

wants to be unionized. The ones I know in it are GOP or Libertarian.

The majority of people I know are in unions, but are not IT. So give me some information and why this should be a priority for unions.

Other than the general free trader stance. Dems are known to be free traders, that is, wanting to export our goods and work with other nations.

But Dems are not free traders of the Libertarian variety with no qualms about unrestricted free trade, moving offshore and making profits from those who work for less overseas as long as they are on the top tier.

Personally, I hate that kind of free trade, but want to have the kind with countries that respect our values on human and worker rights - which I only separate as some don't think women's rights are part of the equation. But according the UCHR, worker rights, like women and other rights, are all human rights.

[hughee99]

39. According to the OP, the ones she's talking to here are teachers or other government employees. n/t

[antigop]

40. you didn't answer my question. nt

[hughee99]

41. I thought I did.

Do school teachers and government employees in general have a great fear their jobs will be sent offshore or they'll be replaced with H-1B visas?

Beyond that, I'm sure she has a decent number of retirees, unemployed and self-employed supporters, and you know wall street isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[antigop]

42. no, you didn't answer the question. nt

[antigop]

10. Omaha Steve, watch this thread sink......nt

[Cha]

11. Kick

[ibewlu606]

13. Kicked

This is the LAST person organized Labor should be endorsing.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

55. No doubt, however, Hillary's the top choice of the Wall Street Bankers Union.

[olddots]

14. Unions happened because of times like this

kick & rec.

[cosmicone]

15. Any positive news about HRC creates responses

that make me wonder if I'm on Free Republic instead of DU.

[RiverLover]

49. Hypocrisy is a hard sell. Anywhere. /nt

[yurbud]

16. So...She's gong to stop privatization of public education?

Is there anything in her record to suggest she will be better on labor and education issues in particular than Obama?

Weingarten represents my union, and I don't want my union to endorse more of the same.

Frankly, any promises from corporate dems are meaningless unless they have a track record of putting the knife in Wall Street instead of working folks.

Does Hillary really have that kind of record?

[Thinkingabout]

27. Hillary advocated for education for young children when First Lady of Arkansas.

This is a long time passion of Hillary.

[yurbud]

28. how about privatization and letting vendors and corporations dictate education policy?

any evidence she'll do a 180 from Obama and Arne Duncan's corporate first policies?

[Thinkingabout]

29. Where is your evidence she will do a 180 on education? I gave you information

Where she has advocated for education.

[yurbud]

36. that was very non-specific

[Thinkingabout]

61. You don't have ANY evidence.

[yurbud]

74. I started with a question. You are advocating for a candidate, so the burden of proof is on you

[Thinkingabout]

75. Hillary on education, now show me where she isn't for education

•Hillary emphasized education reform without political agenda. (Oct 2007)
•AR Ed Reform taught that there is a place for testing. (Sep 2007)
•1986: HIPPY program empowers parents as kids' first teach. (Sep 2007)
•Sent Chelsea to public schools in Arkansas, but not DC. (Jul 2007)
•1983: Teacher testing as part of AR education reform. (Jun 2007)
•1983: AR reforms fixed unconstitutional school financing. (Jun 2004)
•AR Reform plan pushed mandatory teacher testing. (Nov 2003)
•Arkansas education: improvement against great odds. (Oct 2000)
•Pushed teacher testing in Arkansas. (Dec 1999)
•AR ed reform: mandate kindergarten, no social promotion. (Dec 1999)
•1983: Challenged low education expectations. (Aug 1999)
•1993: Public accepted First Lady as education reformer. (Aug 1999)
•Long journey for reform, not isolated initiatives. (Jun 1994)
•HIPPY: Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters. (Aug 1993)
•Passing illiterate students is educational fraud. (Sep 1983)
Education Funding

•End predatory student college loan rates over 20%. (Apr 2008)
•Fully fund special education & 21st century classrooms. (Dec 2007)
•Get more teachers into hard-to-serve areas. (Nov 2007)
•Incentive pay for school wide performance. (Aug 2007)
•Universal pre-kindergarten; and make family the best school. (Aug 2007)
•Working families cannot participate in school between 9 & 3. (Jul 2007)
•Transfer tax cuts from rich & corporations to student aid. (Jun 2006)
•Reforms: teacher corps; more federal funding; modernize. (Sep 2000)
•Opposes merit pay for individual teachers. (Apr 2000)
•Supports merit pay for entire schools. (Apr 2000)
•Scholarships for teachers who go to urban schools. (Mar 2000)
•Increase resources to meet increased standards. (Mar 2000)
•Address teacher shortage with salary increases. (Jul 1999)
•More after-school; smaller classes. (Jul 1999)
School Choice

•Total change in No Child Left Behind. (Aug 2007)
•Supports public school choice; but not private nor parochial. (Oct 2006)
•More teachers, smaller classes, no vouchers. (Oct 2000)
•Vouchers would take money from public schools. (Oct 2000)
•Vouchers drain money from public schools. (Sep 2000)
•Vouchers will not improve our public schools. (Jul 1999)
•Let’s build up our schools-not tear them down. (Jul 1999)
•Charter schools provide choice within public system. (Jul 1999)
•Charters meet needs of failing public school students. (Aug 1998)
•Vouchers siphon off much-needed resources. (Aug 1998)
•Parents can choose, but support public schools. (Feb 1997)
•Supports public school choice and charter schools. (Sep 1996)
Voting Record

•Solemn vow never to abandon our public schools. (Jul 1999)
•Voted YES on $52M for "21st century community learning centers". (Oct 2005)
•Voted YES on $5B for grants to local educational agencies. (Oct 2005)
•Voted YES on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education. (Mar 2005)
•Voted YES on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
•Voted YES on funding student testing instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
•Voted YES on spending $448B of tax cut on education & debt reduction. (Apr 2001)
•Offer every parent Charter Schools and public school choice. (Aug 2000)
•Rated 82% by the NEA, indicating pro-public education votes. (Dec 2003)

[yurbud]

77. that's more specific, thanks.

[Thinkingabout]

79. Okay I have provided information, where is your imformation she isn't for education

[Divernan]

60. And she promotes herself as a champion of women & children, NOW, but not way back.

There's that infamous case in Arkansas where she got her client whom she believed guilty of raping a 12 year old girl off for several months "time served" after the prosecution lost a piece of evidence. Specifically the lab tested a piece of the girl's underpants and matched results to the accused, but then lost the piece of cloth. Years later Hillary laughed about the case in an interview, to the effect that her client passed a lie detector test, which forever destroyed any faith she had in lie detectors.

She squandered a free clinic's limited funds to fly from Arkansas to New York,to get a letter from a hired gun medical expert to intimidate the Arkansas local yokel DA into settling the case for lesser included charges. And I repeat, later she laughed about it.

Here's an article which thoroughly details this ugly, ugly incident:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkrauss/2014/06/26/hillary-rodham-clinton-and-the-ethics-of-a-rape-defense/

A few excerpts:

The victim, then a twelve year old girl, was raped by two adult men. She had had no sexual experience before the assault. She spent five days in a coma, months recovering from the beating that accompanied the rape, and over ten years in therapy. At first, she failed a polygraph test administered to her by police, because she didn’t understand a sex-related question posed to her. Once that question was explained, she passed the test. The victim then positively identified her two attackers through one-way glass, and they were arrested. A medical examination was consistent with rape, and police recovered a pair of men’s undershorts containing biological evidence at the scene of the crime.

Arkansas reporter Roy Reed, while researching an article on the Clintons for Esquire years ago (the article was never published), taped an interview with Mrs. Clinton. The Daily Beast obtained a copy. On the tapes Mrs. Clinton, who interestingly speaks with a Southern drawl, appears to acknowledge that she was aware of her client’s guilt, brags about successfully getting the only piece of physical evidence (the undershorts) ruled inadmissible, and laughs about it all whimsically. To wit:

“He [the rapist] took a lie detector test. I had him take a polygraph, which he passed, which forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs,” Clinton says on the recording, while chuckling;

[Thinkingabout]

62. She was a court appointed attorney, they defend those accused of crimes, this was her duty as

An attorney, she did her job, does this mean she approves of the crime? Hell no. Your argument is thin declaring she has not been a long time advocate of women's issues and abuse. She did her job well then as she will do as president.

[Divernan]

63. Read the damn article; it lays out all her ethical/professional breaches.

Last edited Sat Mar 21, 2015, 11:00 AM - Edit history (1)

She'd had ethical problems earlier in her legal career when she worked on the congressional Watergate investigation. Same old, same old. http://jacksonville.com/reason/fact-check/2014-03-08/story/fact-check-was-hillary-clinton-fired-watergate-investigation

Believing her client guilty and viciously treating the 12 year old rape victim? What a gal!

I'm a retired attorney and former law professor - managed a free law clinic for the poor for a couple of years. I have zero respect for HRC's handling of this case. And by the by, as my link to the article by a legal ethicist points out - Hillary violated attorney client privilege in that revolting interview where she mocked the parties using her faux southern accent and laughed about her client's guilt.

[Thinkingabout]

64. I read the damn article, if you are a retired attorney you know damn well what the

situation was. For you to question the case does not change ONE thing on her advocating for women's rights.

[candelista]

68. Boy, I'm sick of this kind of verbiage.

It's disgusting. A lame rationalization always given by greedy shysters.

[silvershadow]

18. I hope she has a magnifying glass. nt

[hifiguy]

19. One thing is clear.

She has neither a sense of shame nor a sense of irony.

[Corey_Baker08]

22. Great To Hear, I Wish Secretary Clinton The Best In All Future Endeavors!

[peacebird]

32. So do I, as long as they don't involve her as our pres nominee.

[Thinkingabout]

26. Should the unions support Scott Walker? Never

And many remarks about other issues than building unions are just more of the RW talking points trying to cloud the real issue.

[joshcryer]

34. Julien being there is a signal.

Pay attention.

[antigop]

35. April, 2014...Hillary presses for an increase in the H-1b visa limit

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=91598

[peacebird]

43. And yes, this is another reason I will not vote for HRC.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

57. Had forgotten this; thanks for the reminder. Add that one to the growing list of reasons why Hillary is not the right candidate.

[riversedge]

46. You go gal

[candelista]

66. :)

[Trajan]

48. I love this quote ....

"Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is likely to become a declared presidential candidate in the coming days, will spend Monday morning reconnecting with the Democratic base. "

Yep .... That's one entire morning for American Labor and the 'Democratic Base' ....

What an overwhelming expenditure of energy ! ....

The other 1000 days ? ..... what happens then ? ...

Sheeesh .....

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

58. lol, thought the same thing. And why would Hillary have to RE-connect with the Dem base, unless of course she was DISconnected.

[candelista]

69. The other 1000 days? Connecting with donors.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[riversedge]

73. It is early. giver her some time. She is making the right connections in this case.

[Bohunk68]

56. Seeing some interest being floated about Al Gore.

If he ran, I would vote for him in a heartbeat as long as he didn't have Liarman by his side. I think he would be a positive influence and generate a lot of excitement.

[candelista]

67. America needs a new face.

Not Hillary, Not Al, not Joe.

[tularetom]

78. Can you imagine what life would have been like had Gore assumed the Presidency in 2000?

I don't say "had Gore been elected" because he actually was elected.

But if he was serving as President, I would have spent every day of his term praying that he stayed healthy, did not fly in any small planes, and hired a food taster. Because if he he died during his term, we would have had a disaster on our hands. Perhaps not as bad as the disaster we did have, but not a hell of a lot better.

And it would all have been the Democrat's fault, and we would never have heard the end of it.

[antigop]

65. Unions Press Clinton on Outsourcing Of U.S. Jobs

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090702780.html

When Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton flew to New Delhi to meet with Indian business leaders in 2005, she offered a blunt assessment of the loss of American jobs across the Pacific. "There is no way to legislate against reality," she declared. "Outsourcing will continue. . . . We are not against all outsourcing; we are not in favor of putting up fences."

Two years later, as a Democratic presidential hopeful, Clinton struck a different tone when she told students in New Hampshire that she hated "seeing U.S. telemarketing jobs done in remote locations far, far from our shores."

The two speeches delivered continents apart highlight the delicate balance the senator from New York, a dedicated free-trader, is seeking to maintain as she courts two competing constituencies: wealthy Indian immigrants who have pledged to donate and raise as much as $5 million for her 2008 campaign and powerful American labor unions that are crucial to any Democratic primary victory.

Despite aggressive courtship by Democratic candidates, major unions such as the AFL-CIO, the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union have withheld their endorsements as they scrutinize the candidates' records and solicit views on a variety of issues.

High on the agenda of union officials is an explanation of how each candidate will try to stem the loss of U.S. jobs, including large numbers in the service and technology sectors that are being taken over by cheap labor in India. During the vetting, some union leaders have found Clinton's record troubling.

[candelista]

70. The unions are so tiny now that the working class has no effective voice.

It's as if they didn't exist, politically speaking. Hillary figures she doesn't need to pay attention to them.