Posted on 09/07/2002 9:34:23 AM PDT by forest
Nothing was done about all the election and campaign fraud in the 2000 election, so the same thing is starting all over again.
The federation of 65 unions known as the AFL-CIO will again be a major player in the Congressional elections. They plan to spend $33 million this cycle. That's what gets reported, anyway. The unions always also kick in a few million dollars of "walking around" money to Democratic campaign workers that is not reported because most of it is illegal.
The unions say they will focus on paid media, voter education and mobilizing the labor vote at the grass roots. Which also means, setting up illegal phone banks for campaign committees, buying votes and bussing voters around to various polling places.
Labor leaders are hoping that perceived economic worries and corporate scandals will help them in their drive to mobilize voters behind Democratic candidates. It doesn't seem to matter one bit to them that the Clinton administration created this economy. They support Democrats.
"Things have changed dramatically for working people," said John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO. "There's a reversal in attitudes about the economy and about job security."
Sweeney piles it on thick, no matter if he knows what he is talking about or not: "President Bush's administration's record has been the worst for working families in decades. They have refused to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. Instead they drained off the surplus that had been built through working people's productivity to give a trillion-dollar tax cut to the wealthiest Americans."
The problem with that silliness is that many of today's union workers are much better educated than those in past decades and know stupid rhetoric when they hear it.
As Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer responded: "There's a real split in the labor community, with an increasing number of rank-and-file workers proud to support the president and leaders of some labor groups also showing signs of support for the president and neutrality toward the Democrats. . . . The ground is shifting and the president is proud to have as much labor support as he has."
The Sierra Club plans to focus on Senate races in North Carolina, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oregon and South Dakota and a few House races. They will focus mostly on mail, phone calls and political ads aimed at informing voters of candidates' positions on the environment. It will be interesting to see how the greenies can justify their programs after these very same programs were most responsible for the 6.2-million acres (9,688 square miles) of good timber that burned already this year in forest fires.
Emily's List, a Washington-based group that raises money for pro-choice, female Democratic candidates, has already caused a lot of hard feelings on the far left side of politics. This primary election cycle, they targeted Democratic men candidates with all sorts of negative ads and personal accusations. That campaigning style is nothing new with the Democrats, of course. They enjoy playing fast and loose with the truth. Still, it is always interesting to watch when they use nasty campaign tactics against each other in the primary elections.
Emily's List President Ellen Malcolm said the criticism is a sign that a double standard exists for groups supporting women instead of men. "Everyone picks their favorite and we do that, just like the guys do," she said.
Even the ever-rabid Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) denounced Emily's List last month for attacking Rep. David Bonior (D-MI) and former Gov. James Blanchard (D-MI) in mailings -- both of whom ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination against Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, an Emily's List's endorsee.
"I am absolutely disappointed that Emily's List would use the money it collects from women across the country to distort the record of David Bonior in the interest of electing a woman," said Waters, who supported Bonior.
Waters has been supported by Emily's List since she was first elected in 1990. Maybe not anymore, though. If Waters is not supported again by Emily's List, her vitriol should be quite entertaining.
Many similar complaints were lodged against Emily's List activities in Chicago, West Virginia, and Massachusetts. In every instance, the group sent out campaign material against male Democratic candidates that far exceeded being just inaccurate. They intentionally lied.
In Michigan, Emily's List targeted long term Michigan Rep. John Dingell when he and Rep. Lynn Rivers were thrown together by redistricting. Dingell represented a basically middle class district and was always a bit left of center. Rivers, however, is from the very far-left Ann Arbor area where communism and socialism are celebrated publicly. Dingell received 58% of the vote and, as in 6 out of 10 Congressional races so far this year, Emily's List lost yet another socialist candidate.
And so goes the noise from the left. Situation normal: voter fraud, campaign finance violations, out and out lies about issues and candidates, and a whole lot of free and easy money floating around.
Today's union workers are much better educated than those in past decades and know stupid rhetoric when they hear it. The ground is shifting and the president is proud to have as much labor support as he has.
The Sierra Club will focus mostly on mail, phone calls and political ads. One wonders about their burnt forests.
Emily's List was denounced by Waters, a staunch CA Democrat.
And so goes the noise from the left. Situation normal: voter fraud, campaign finance violations, out and out lies about issues and candidates, and a whole lot of free and easy money floating around.
We're going to get burned with Hillary Clinton as our "elected" president, with all these Homeland Security measures in place "to protect we Americans." Flame on, that there is no New World Order.
That is exactly what worries me. Hillary still has those 1200 FBI files, knows how to use them, and knows how to kill. She will be a danger to deal with.
No conspiracy - just the media, dims, unions, and foreign governemnt ;o)
Then why don't they vote for different union leadership? Are they afraid of something?
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