AFT Backs Hillary!

The AFT this morning decided toendorse Hillary Clinton for President. Ambinder is reporting this on theatlantic.com.  Also MSNBC is reporting this now as well and an official statement isdue out soon. ALthough not a surprise, still a great boost from eudcators and will come in handy in big union states like California which has powerful teacher union organizations etc..  More here for now!

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/as_edwards_focus_on_education.php">http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/as_edwards_focus_on_education.php
03 Oct 2007 12:31 pm HAMPTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Ex-Sen. John Edwards was late for Winnacunnet elementary school this morning and he didn't even get a hall pass. Cosmic justice: on the day that Edwards was set to speak to the National Education Associations"School to White House" team here, the American Federation of Teachers voted to endorse Sen. HIllary Clinton, a fact that will almost certainly appear in every newspaper account of the first half of the day. (A union source says the vote for Hillary was "overwhelming" -- even though Illinois and New Mexico are well represented on the AFT's board. Now -- since the largest AFT affiliate is New York City's United Federation of Teachers, the fact of the endorsement is not too surprising.)
More Out from AP:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The American Federation of Teachers backed Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign Wednesday. The 1.4 million-member union said it would immediately begin a program to mobilized voters in support of Clinton across the country. AFT represents school employees including teachers in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and has more than 3,000 local affiliates and 43 state affiliates. It is affiliated international union of the AFL-CIO. The union's executive council chose the New York senator after meeting with seven Democratic candidates. No Republican candidates accepted the union's invitation to participate in the process.
Clinton rival Barack Obama supports performance-based merit pay in public schools. Teacher unions have said linking their pay to their students' test scores would be unfair to those instructing kids from disadvantaged backgrounds.
see: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLINTON_TEACHERS?SITE=WDUN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Tags: Hillary, Unions (all tags)

Comments

22 Comments

Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

The momentum just keeps building for Hillary.

If this continues, it will be very difficult for any candidate to even come close to her numbers.

by labanman 2007-10-03 09:55AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

And this is supposed to be her bad week after the onslaught on her 'cackles' from MSM.

The DC chatter class will never get it.

by areyouready 2007-10-03 10:03AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

the answer she gave to tim russert on that gotcha question would be one of the watershed moments in a campaign because it showed her strength and her warmth at the same time.

My dad who is a reagan democrat and will vote for mccain if he was the republican nominee hasn't stopped talking about that point of the debate .

She handled it like a pro and finished it off with a beautiful smile .

by lori 2007-10-03 10:13AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

Sounds like sour grapes to me.  Edwards himself had NOTHING to do with his problems?   I guess if you want to believe that....

by georgep 2007-10-03 11:21AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

cmon george, you know that Edwards was majorly hurt by an obama candidacy

by leewesley 2007-10-03 01:53PM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

Or was Obama majorly hurt by Edwards' candidacy?   I don't think a case can be made here.   Something about Edwards rubs a lot of Democrats the wrong way.  Maybe it is his wholesale conversion that many (not all, of course) find rather astonishing, perhaps other stuff factors in.  Edwards made a lot of mistakes of his own as well.  

Also, why cry over spilled milk?  If Obama had not announced, maybe Gore would have gotten in, maybe Warner, maybe Wes Clark?  Edwards could have been "hurt" then, too.    Who knows?  Why does it matter?  

by georgep 2007-10-03 04:38PM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

1.4 million members

by sepulvedaj3 2007-10-03 10:01AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

Its going to get harder in the process and I expect it might close up a bit , but I have never been in doubt of the outcome of the election . She has worked for us for almost a decade and a half now and people are throwing their overwhelming support behind her .

Outside of a few fringe elements in the party who disdain her as much as the republicans do most of the party holds her in high regard even those he have chosen other candidates as their first choice.

No one else rallies the base as much as She does , well other than the big dog himself.

by lori 2007-10-03 10:02AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

Your posts are almost all on the boo-hoo level.  Isn't there something substantial you can add that makes Clinton's huge lead with union members (reflected by the strong lead she has when it comes to labor union endorsements) somehow not reflect a implicit trust specifically union members place with Clinton (over Edwards and Obama?)   And, why was Edwards not at all competetive here?  Is education just a campaign buzzword for him? Should he not be in the mix of things here, if labor is important to him?  

by georgep 2007-10-03 10:10AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

Your post is beyond the pale.  Mental handicap?  Even if it were true, you show your true colors.  

I guess you don't want to "talk," just yell, and then yell some more.  Good luck.

by georgep 2007-10-03 11:24AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

The fear of the republicans might be driving you into a state of frenzy or panic but the rest of us are geared up to do battle for next year's election and we would not let the republicans influence who we think we want to choose.

by lori 2007-10-03 10:26AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

That is because Democrats are "dumb idiotic morons" and they don't know what is best for them.   Why, oh, why, are they such "dumb idiotic morons" and can't see the light?  

BTW, the NEA is going to endorse Clinton strongly, no doubt.  Did you know that union member Democrats give Clinton an even stronger advantage over Obama/Edwards than non-union Democrats?   Check it out:

http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=28 738

by georgep 2007-10-03 10:27AM | 0 recs
AH, if you support Hillary you are dumb

What a great way to win friends and influence people.  

by dpANDREWS 2007-10-03 11:01AM | 0 recs
external locus of control

Given your reaction in this diary I think you have an external locus of control named Hillary Clinton. Wait till she wins the presidency and has the real control, complementing your obsession.

by souvarine 2007-10-03 11:06AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

You have not answered the salient question here:

WHY are union members giving Clinton an even BIGGER advantage over Obama and Edwards than non-union members?   Your point that they are subject to the same media brain-wash does not address that issue.  Why MORE so rather then slightly or strongly LESS so?

by georgep 2007-10-03 11:28AM | 0 recs
So spiteful

Listen, lets sit back take a deep breath and think.  Every pundit in D.C., left or right, says the Democrats are going to pick up seats - maybe a lot of seats - in the House in Senate.

The generic numbers are better for the Democrats now than they were this time back in '01 as we headed in the midterms in '02.

The Democrats are rolling and the top of the ticket isn't going to make a dimes worth of difference.  We have the better recruits and we have a TON more money.

Look at the facts and relax.

ROCK ON!

by dpANDREWS 2007-10-03 11:00AM | 0 recs
'01? Midterms in '02?

I can't believe that I wasn't roasted for that.

Of course I meant '05, and the midterms in '06.

by dpANDREWS 2007-10-03 12:53PM | 0 recs
Hillary on Cackling at AFT speech

From First Read:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2 007/10/03/394265.aspx

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones

She thanked the organization and while wrapping up, she said, "I don't want to go on too much longer, because it might cause me to laugh." That was met by laughter from the audience. She went on to say who knows what we'd hear about for the next week or two. "You've got to have a sense of humor in this business."

by hwc 2007-10-03 11:03AM | 0 recs
Re: Hillary on Cackling at AFT speech

She is so good at deflecting these stupid attacks.  She really is.  I can't help but contrast her with John Kerry, who managed to act like he had never confronted Republicans and the media before.

by Steve M 2007-10-03 11:52AM | 0 recs
Some democrats sure like losing.

by cosbo 2007-10-03 11:05AM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

This is great news, although we knew it was coming.  The Hillary train keeps on rolling.

by reasonwarrior 2007-10-03 12:38PM | 0 recs
Re: AFT Backs Hillary!

I'm a proud member of the NEA. We have over 3 million members and generally do not endorse in primaries unless it is to our political advantage to do so. Irrespective of any endosement from the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education I will NOT vote for Clinton in my state's primary.

I'm voting for Edwards. Clinton will give us more of the same regarding standardized testing and four more years of war in the Middle East.

by jobytodd 2007-10-03 12:47PM | 0 recs

Diaries

Advertise Blogads


----------- myDD - skin -----------