Labor backs Democrat Whitehouse

[Tellurian]

Labor backs Democrat Whitehouse

Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee's campaign manager says, "Obviously the big news out of this if Sheldon Whitehouse didn't get the endorsement."


Friday, September 15, 2006
BY MARK ARSENAULT and KATHERINE GREGG
Journal Staff Writers

PROVIDENCE -- Rekindling his long and friendly relationship with organized labor, Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse won the endorsement of the AFL-CIO last night, in his race for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Lincoln D. Chafee.
The endorsement fulfills a prediction Whitehouse made four years ago, just days after his stinging 2002 defeat in the Democratic primary for governor, when Whitehouse implored delegates at the AFL-CIO endorsement convention to "not forget me, because something tells me we may not be done yet."

After easily defeating two largely unknown primary opponents in Tuesday's election, Whitehouse returned last night to the union meeting at the Providence Convention Center as the Democratic nominee for Senate. The endorsement of the affiliated unions, representing some 80,000 members, brings campaign cash and grass-roots support to Whitehouse, including union-sponsored direct mail, phone banks and Election Day turnout efforts, said AFL-CIO secretary treasurer George Nee.

In remarks to the gathering, Whitehouse wound his themes -- increasing the minimum wage, rejecting trade deals that he says fail to protect American jobs, opposing the privatization of Social Security, getting American soldiers home from Iraq -- around the central spine of his campaign: control of the U.S. Senate and opposition to President Bush, who, according to polls, is more unpopular in Rhode Island than in any other state.

One of the first decisions a senator will make, Whitehouse said, echoing his own campaign TV commercial, is whether he or she will vote for a U.S. Senate "controlled by the Republicans or led by Democrats. It's on that vote that George Bush's agenda rises or falls. A Republican-controlled Senate continues the Bush policies and its failures. A Democratic-led Senate changes the direction of our nation."

"I can tell you this: I will never cast that vote to empower the Bush administration and its agenda."

<more... for a good read>

http://www.projo.com/extra/election/content/projo_20060915_union15.360e9fe.html

[bdamomma]

1. this is going to fight, I hope Whitehouse gets in and has

plenty of money to go up against the GOP smear/fear machine.

[Tellurian]

2. Whitehouse is from a wealthy family and has NO FEAR!

he can't be bought like Bush underlings because there's nothing he needs he can't do for himself.

GO WHITEHOUSE! :dem:

:kick:

[saltpoint]

3. Good for the AFL-CIO, and let's get Sheldon Whitehouse in that

seat.

Go, Democrats. :dem:

[stepnw1f]

4. "DEMOCRATIC" White House

get it right! :mad:

[Tellurian]

5. We will, They're synonymous :)

:hi:

[never cry wolf]

7. I thought the same thing from the headline

But in this case it is used correctly, Labor is backing a democrat with the surname of Whitehouse.

[gorbal]

6. I was all prepared to give a response to the headline alone.

"We should be pushing for a Democratic "Congress" this year, and the Whitehouse in 2."-

was going to be my witty reply.

[w4rma]

8. I like this guy. (nt)

[Tellurian]

9. He brings more than $$$, to the table, he brings HOPE!

also, he's using our words..he may even post here????