Firefighters on front line in Kerry's campaign

[bigtree]

Saturday, March 13, 2004
By David Postman
Seattle Times chief political reporter

When images of firefighters at Ground Zero flashed in the first TV spots of President Bush's re-election campaign, criticism came quickly from the union representing firefighters, which charged that the president was trading on their bravery for political gain.

The International Association of Fire Fighters is quick to protect the image of its 255,000 members, particularly post-Sept. 11. But last week's call from the IAFF for Bush to cancel the ads also signals the high-profile role firefighters will play in the 2004 presidential election as backers of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

"They're not one of the traditional powerhouses within the AFL-CIO. They don't have the biggest numbers, but they are everywhere," said Elaine Kamarck, a lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School. She is a former Clinton aide and Al Gore campaign official.
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Bush is making his response to the Sept. 11 attacks a central theme of his re-election campaign. With firefighters one of the enduring images of the attack in New York, the union can be a persuasive corps of Kerry surrogates to question the president on homeland defense and keep a check on what it sees as inappropriate political adoption of Sept. 11.

Much more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001878202_firefighters13m0.html

[bluestateguy]

1. Just watch

Our friends on the right, who lionized firefighters after 9/11 will now be dismissing these folks as "union thugs".

Still, if we have another situation like what happened at the Miami-Dade County Courthouse in 2000, when a bunch of pissant Republican staffers blocked the recount, it would be useful to have some of these big guys there to put that kind of stuff to a stop.

[Monte Carlo]

2. Wait until the NY firefighters are marching outside the GOP convention.

I think that it has the potential to be so embarassing for Bush that it could cost him the election alone.

[blm]

3. The firefighters are the powerhouse now. They won't be trifled with.

And they are READY for the political fight of their lives.

[bigtree]

4. That ought to play real well in New York

with one in four workers claiming union membership, according to figures released this week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: 25.3 percent last year.

In New York state union membership is just under 2 million members.

[Lindsey]

5. Their union may be considered small, but after 9/11

The Firefighters probably have more respect than any other occupation in our country...and deservedly so. When I think of them going into those buildings when evey thing was happening...I still get very teary eyed. I agree, * could loose for no other reason if he continues pissing them off and all of those Americans who revere them.

[billybob537]

6. UNION THUGS?

NOW I'M INSULTED. I'VE ALWAYS CONSIDERED MY SELF A UNION SCUM!!!
HA HA HA

[DyedNTheWoolDemocrat]

7. There were many firefighters at the delegate meeting I attended

Saturday.