Dean got most applause at Firefighters convention...why are they

[madfloridian]

courting Republicans so heavily? I guess it is good thing the audience showed their approval by the applause, but most of the speakers were Republicans. Why? What have the Republicans done for them?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/21/politics/21labor.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

With the election season heating up, the Bush administration and the Republican Party used a good deal of energy and charm on Monday to woo a group that has long been part of the Democrats' base: organized labor.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; Senator Chuck Hagel, Republican of Nebraska; and the Republican National Committee chairman, Ken Mehlman, spoke to the annual legislative conference of the main firefighters' union, saying they were eager to work with the union on issues of common ground. The White House chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., had been scheduled to speak, but canceled, citing illness. Mr. Mehlman praised the union for an increasing focus on bipartisanship.

..."Harold A. Schaitberger, the president of the International Association of Fire Fighters and the first prominent labor leader to back Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, for president in 2004, voiced the views of an increasing number of union leaders in saying it was important to work with Republicans."

And I thought this part was interesting, nice, in fact.

"Underlining the Republicans' difficulties in wooing union members, Howard Dean, the Democratic chairman, received far more applause than any Republican speaker. "We want American jobs that will stay in America," Mr. Dean said to thunderous applause."

I guess that says something.

[upi402]

1. Yay! -a cheer from me!

:woohoo:

[Cocoa]

2. I predicted a week ago that Andy Card was gonna get suicided

the neocons want to see him gone.

This is not a positive development... :tinfoilhat:

The White House chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., had been scheduled to speak, but canceled, citing illness.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

3. If only the Democrats understood it in 2004.

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[madfloridian]

5. Some did.

That was one of the main ideas behind the Dean campaign...but wait he was out in early 04. He said unions were the life blood of this country, and that without them there would be no more middle class.

It was the DLC that deemphasized unions and concentrated on business.

[madfloridian]

4. And lookee at who they are backing as a union.

He said his union would back the re-elections of Republicans like Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and Senator Mike DeWine of Ohio but would seek to defeat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in California and Senator Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, two other Republicans.

"For those politicians who support our agenda, we will support them," Mr. Schaitberger said. "And for those who are looking to roll back the rights and improvements we've earned, we'll oppose them at every turn."

Why are they doing this?

[Touchdown]

6. The CWA legislative body had our conference last week.

Dean spoke Monday morning and got a standing ovation. Unfortunately for me, we already had an appointment with congressman Bush* rubber stamp, Bob Beauprez's (R-Co) lacky assistant, and I missed half of it.:grr: I about threw up when I saw that "Official Air Force One ticket" framed on his wall, with a pic of Chimpy.:puke: I wanted to see Dean so bad!

All the speakers and elected guests were Democrats. Kucinich, Conyers, Owen and others all showed up to our dinner party, and Kerry gave a great speech at our breakfast. Repugs stayed away in droves.

[madfloridian]

7. Glad to hear that.

They are very organized meeting with unions, and I am very proud of that. I was looking for a write-up on the CWA conference and have not seen anything.

[Touchdown]

10. If I get time, I'll do it soon.

I came back, and got a cold. I do have a very nice, bedtime lulliby on my meeting with Marilyn (The radical homosexual conspiracy is after me!) Musgrave's Kool-Aide drinking boot licker of a college dropout flunkie.

Ken Salazar pandered to us. I really wish I could get the time to ask him why he voted for the Enabling Act, but he offered us a private tour of the capital building (with his aide, Travis, who's a really great kid, and his head's on straight), and I've never been pandered to before, so I had fun on it. WE couldn't go everywhere, because...get this...Jessica Simpson was there, and they were in lockdown on the House side.:crazy:

[madfloridian]

18. Thanks, pm me when you write it up.

:hi:

[pansypoo53219]

8. why are they returds?

for many of them, not all i am sure(i spealk of my father's type who is a retired firefighter) seem very money orientated. they work 1 24 hour shift and off 2 days. lots of time for another business, another job. looking for business opportunities. no idea why this would be, but maybe it's excitement.
of course since re-marriage to the step monster when i was pre-teen, i haven't SEEN any $$$ much. so he basically lives a DINK life.
but since a returd the less i see of him, the better. when was the last time?

[madfloridian]

11. I highly respect unions, are you dissing them? Can't tell from your post.

Maybe I am not thinking straight this late, but I am not getting the sense of your post.

[upi402]

9. DINO's go to labor conventions, take PAC $... then vote for NAFTA

and Alito, and CAFTA, ad infinitum
Go Kucinich! Dean too!
:rant:

[Touchdown]

12. None of them showed up at mine.

If Lieberman or Biden showed up to the CWA conference, they'd be in for a lot of pointed questions... especially about the bankruptcy law, and vouchers.

Kucinich did though.

[WCGreen]

13. The Union Leadership has to play nice with the GOP....

They don't want to get investigated....

LOL....

[madfloridian]

14. Good thought. LOL

Never thought of it that way.

Did you see in the article they upped their support for the GOP from 9% to 34%? That bugs me.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

15. No. Do you have a link?

:popcorn:

[madfloridian]

17. From the NYT article:

"Mr. Schaitberger has revamped his union's political contribution so that 35 percent went to Republicans in 2004, up from 9 percent in 2000."

Why in the world?

[WCGreen]

16. They are in power....

And they have to be placated....