AFL-CIO to launch huge effort to turn out the midterm vote

[babylonsister]

AFL-CIO to launch huge effort to turn out the midterm vote
By Kevin Bogardus - 09/01/10 02:57 PM ET


AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Wednesday the labor federation has put together a "massive mobilization" program to get the vote out for the 2010 midterm elections. 



The AFL-CIO will be able to reach 17 million working-class voters at home and at work using the union's status as a "trusted messenger," Trumka told reporters.

The labor group has revved up its political program in the "firewall" states of California, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. All six of those states feature Senate races this fall, and five of the six are considered close. Ohio is also a key battleground state in the fight for the House majority.

The program focuses on gubernatorial races, 18 Senate races and more than 70 House races, and is spread across 26 states.


more...

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/116813-afl-cio-to-launch-huge-effort-to-turn-out-the-midterm-vote

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I hope it works...because nothing else seems to be working...

Certainly no one in this administration is doing much to help....

[WI_DEM]

6. the administration has a solid record of achievement but must publicize it more.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Someone in the admin has to start reading George Lakoff....and implementing his ideas.

http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml
Framing the issues: UC Berkeley professor George Lakoff tells how conservatives use language to dominate politics
27 October 2003


http://www.truth-out.org/disaster-messaging61170
Disaster Messaging
Thursday 08 July 2010
by: George Lakoff, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

Democrats are constantly resorting to disaster messaging. Here's a description of the typical situation:

* The Republicans out-message the Democrats. The Democrats, having no effective response, face disaster: They lose politically, either in electoral support or failure on crucial legislation.

* The Democrats then take polls and do focus groups. The pollsters discover that extremist Republicans control the most common ("mainstream") way of thinking and talking about the given issue.

* The pollsters recommend that Democrats move to the right: adopt conservative Republican language and a less extreme version of conservative policy, along with weakened versions of some Democratic ideas.

* The Democrats believe that, if they follow this advice, they can gain enough independent and Republican support to pass legislation that, at least, will be some improvement on the extreme Republican position.

* Otherwise, the pollsters warn, Democrats will lose popular support - and elections - to the Republicans, because mainstream thought and language resides with the Republicans.

* Believing the pollsters, the Democrats change their policy and their messaging and move to the right.

* The Republicans demand even more and refuse to support the Democrats.

We have seen this on issues like health care, immigration, global warming, finance reform, and so on. We are seeing it again on the Death Gusher in the Gulf. It happens even with a Democratic president and a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress.

<snip>

[BolivarianHero]

2. Cool...

Is there a new progressive party I've not been made aware of?

[Radical Activist]

3. This is why 2010 won't be like '94.

Obama hasn't gotten everything done yet. We still need to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, for starters. But he hasn't turned his back and betrayed unions the way Clinton did when he passed NAFTA and failed to deliver health care reform. Union members have a reason to show up this time.

[bluestateguy]

4. I'm assuming they will be bypassing Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas

nt

[babylonsister]

5. I'd assume that also, but check this out...

Bill Clinton Heading Out On Campaign Trail For Democratic Candidates
Christina Bellantoni | September 2, 2010, 8:05AM


Fire up the Bubba-is-more-popular-than-Obama meme machine! Former President Bill Clinton has announced three political events for southern candidates, and a spokesman hints there are more to come.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) was the first on Wednesday to announce Clinton would join her in his native Arkansas to "celebrate my first year as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee." Clinton helped Lincoln boost enthusiasm during her competitive Democratic primary against Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. She prevailed in a run-off, thanks in part to a Clinton rally. But she's now badly trailing Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) for the general election.

more...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/bill-clinton-heading-back-out-on-campaign-trail.php

[WI_DEM]

7. I saw the Labor chief on Keith last night and was very impessed and he's full of praise for Obama

too.

[Panaconda]

8. The AFL-CIO is moribund

What is the AFL-CIO?
18 September 2009

At its convention this week, the AFL-CIO chose a new president to replace the retiring John Sweeney, who had headed the organization for 14 years. One measure of the decrepitude of the trade union federation is the fact that the leadership change barely registered on the public consciousness, least of all among workers, including the small minority who are AFL-CIO members.

Another measure is the person chosen to succeed Sweeney—Richard Trumka. Like the man he replaces, Trumka personifies the petty entrepreneurs and corporatists of the American trade union apparatus. His claim to fame is that as president of the United Mine Workers from 1982 to 1995 he presided over major defeats of the miners, givebacks and concessions to the mine owners, and the virtual destruction of what had been one of the most militant of American unions. By the time he left to take a job as Sweeney’s lieutenant, the United Mineworkers’ active membership had been halved from its level when he became union president.

The very fact that such a person could be elevated to the top post testifies to the moribund character of the AFL-CIO.

...

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/sep2009/pers-s18.shtml