By Naftali Bendavid
The AFL-CIO just announced it will hold a forum for the Democratic presidential candidates in Chicago on on Aug. 7 at 6 PM Central Time, with television host Keith Olbermann as the host.
The forum will be broadcast live on MSNBC--the home of "Countdown With Keith Olbermann"--as well as on XM Satellite, and will be attended by more than 5,000 union member and their families. Union members in the audience at McCormick Place West will ask the candidates questions, and other questions are being solicited by the AFL-CIO online.
The labor coalition is expected to decide soon after the forum whether to convene its general board to consider endorsing a candidate.
"On August 7, thousands of union members in Chicago and millions of working families around the country will hear exactly how these candidates, after eight years of anti-worker policies, plan to return the promise of the American dream to working people," AFL-CIO president John Sweeney said in a statement.
The labor federation remains one of the more influential forces within Democratic politics, even though unions are not as powerful as they once were. Beginning in April, the AFL-CIO will hold town hall meetings across the country with presidential candidates.
As for the Aug. 7 forum, the AFL-CIO says confimred candidates include Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich.
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Comments
Maybe the Republican candidates could do something like this too.
Too show they give a crap about people after they're born.
Like that's going to happen.
Posted by: Doug Zook | July 17, 2007 12:42 PM
I wonder how Bill-O, Sean Pansey and the rest of the Fox Noise Channel pro-war, pro-death cheerleaders feel about getting their backside handed to them everynight by Keith Olbermann?
Posted by: John E | July 17, 2007 1:15 PM
Well, Doug, of course we care about being AFTER they were born! How else would we have people to enslave and to sacrifice for our neocons wars?
And, gee, Keith Olberiodiot will be hosting it? Man, that'll be hard hitting! I'm sure Keith will toss such easy-to-hit questions to the Dem candidates that it will make the White Sox bullpen look like a bunch of Mariano Riveras!
Posted by: John D | July 17, 2007 2:07 PM
What ever happened to labor unions? When I was young, unions were strong, but now they don't seem to have much clout. I remember working in a lumber mill in N.CA. When business was good, the union was strong. The company did not want to shut down while they were selling all they could produce. When business as bad, the union was weak. The company wanted to shut down, but did not want to lay people off, which was expensive.
I also remember when nobody, nobody would cross a picket line. Not to work, not to do business. You just did not do it. Those days are gone. Now it's every man for himself. For the most part, Himself, the working man, ain't doing too well. I know Regan was pretty tough on unions. What else happened? Did they just outlive their usefullness?
Posted by: San Miguel | July 17, 2007 3:00 PM
Johnnn E., I know facts and numbers are beyond your grasp of understanding, but O'Reilly and Hannity and Colmes triple and quadruple Olberidiot's ratings. Heck, O'Reilly's repeats still often beat Olberidiot's first run. But then like his name, only idiots watch Olberidiot.
Posted by: John D | July 17, 2007 4:45 PM
John D.....Ratings for media outlets really don't mean poo poo. When Paris Hilton is more important on fox or cnn than Iraq, we need to get a reality check.
Posted by: bill r. | July 17, 2007 6:56 PM
Is Olbermann a union member? Does he cross picket lines?
Posted by: Tommy | July 17, 2007 7:27 PM
Democratic presidential candidates at a labor forum? Better wear hip boots. The pandering is going to get really deep, especially with Chief Panderer Hillary and
Panderer-in-waiting Edwards.
Posted by: Fran Cisco | July 17, 2007 11:07 PM