Sam Stein

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Sam Stein

The Huffington Post

Clinton Refuses To Cross Picket Line For Dem Debate

November 21, 2007 12:04 PM


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Senator Hillary Clinton, D-NY, announced today that she will forgo CBS News' upcoming presidential debate unless the network can reach a resolution with its employees, who have authorized a strike.

"The workers at CBS News have been without a contract for close to two and a half years," the Senator said. "It is my hope that both sides will reach an agreement that results in a secure contract for the workers at CBS News but let me be clear: I will honor the picket line if the workers at CBS News decide to strike."

In issuing the statement Clinton becomes the first Democratic candidate to publicly state her refusal to cross the picket line. Others in the primary race have expressed solidarity with the CBS writers.

CBS News is slated to host its first Democratic debate on December 10 at the network's Los Angeles studios. Last week, however, approximately three-fourths of CBS News' 500 employees (writers, desk assistants, graphic artists, and assignment editors, mostly) voted to authorize a strike. Employees at the news station have been without a contract since April 2, 2005 and have scheduled a negotiating committee to meet on the situation following the Thanksgiving break.

Three weeks ago, the entertainment and screenwriters of the Writers Guild of America (which also covers CBS News employees), began a strike of their own, after negotiations on a new contract for the union's 10,500 members hit an impasse. These members of WGA are seeking a percentage of the retail price of movies and television episodes downloaded on Internet; something to which the studios have yet to agree.

Democratic presidential candidates have made the strike a forum for demonstrating their pro-labor credentials. On Friday, former Sen. John Edwards joined the picket lines at NBC's studios in Burbank, proclaiming that the WGA Strike was a "fight for justice." Clinton's refusal to participate in the upcoming debate, however, is the most forceful stance yet.

"America's unions are the backbone of America's middle class and I will always stand with America's working men and women in the fight to ensure that they are able to earn a fair wage," the Senator said.

 
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Edwards has stood on picket lines before and announced his support for NBC before Hillary made her headline grabbing statement. Remember she was on the board of Walmart!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:17 PM on 11/21/2007

I don't like any of these three below mediocre peas in a pod. But when they do good, they do good. Kudos to the three of them. They have learned a great deal from Kucinich.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:09 PM on 11/21/2007
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Hillary's the leader of this pack. She makes an announcement and the other puppies follow.
We NEED a leader after 8 years of depressing war.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:03 PM on 11/21/2007

who cares..im not voting for any of the 3 amigos.


Kucinich 08

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:59 PM on 11/21/2007
- lastams I'm a Fan of lastams 50 fans permalink

Wow ... now that they've already signed up the Insurance, Drug Company, Defense, and Banking money, they're suddenly pro-union.
There are photo-ops and there are actual deeds.
Tell ya what, let's see how these two vote on the Nafta expansion to Peru.
As odious as this legislation is, it should provide a good bellwhether on where these two actually stand.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:44 PM on 11/21/2007
- dlkincaid I'm a Fan of dlkincaid 2 fans permalink

It is amazing to me as to how many evil racist bigots hate Hillary and don't even know a damned thing about her. This woman has donated her entire life to children and helping others. ALL those who hate her so much is just a jealous bunch of evil meaningless people who are on this earth. Many ask what has she done - I would challenge anyone to ask what they have contributed to the earth. People and many are REPUBLICANS are racist bigots and don't to deserve to brathe the same air. AM I glad I am not god - I would not be as humble and they deserve to be on an earth that wants a REPUBLICAN in power.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:42 PM on 11/21/2007

Finally we'll have a real debate. We can now concentrate on the ISSUES rather than the bickering between these two.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:40 PM on 11/21/2007
- wm1066 I'm a Fan of wm1066 33 fans permalink
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Since when has Clinton given a crap for unions? She is BigCorp all the way! Most of her donations come from big money people not from union people.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:39 PM on 11/21/2007

For any political party, honouring a picket line....is an obligation and is the honest and the right thing to do. No one wants to get rich over night, except the businesses in America. The rest of us, just want an honest wage for an honest days work, knowing full well the deck is stacked against us. When the whole unit works as a real team, they are hard to beat. But...those on the right, like to live in their vinegar and salt worlds, wondering why they are never truly appreciated. lol

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:31 PM on 11/21/2007

Um, I don't know how to break this to everyone but there is no strike. CBS News writers (different than WGA west) authorized a strike. At present, they are not on strike. There is, as of now, no picket line to cross. This is a hypothetical position. It's nice that she lends her weight to CBS News writers, but my understanding is that they are already well on their way to leveraging the current WGA impasse and bad PR for CBS (along with the fact that they have indeed been working upwards of two years without a contract) into a fair deal.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:26 PM on 11/21/2007
- JohnKemp I'm a Fan of JohnKemp 26 fans permalink

Is there anybody breathing who is surprised at this?

Hillary wanted & wants NO DEBATES; should she get the nomination, the ruses that she'll come up to avoid the Presidential debates will be much more laughable than this one is.

The last thing in the world Hillary wants is to be on the same stage with Rudi; it's her worst nightmare.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:13 PM on 11/21/2007

Pander, pander, pander. Pander to those unions.

Hilarious.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:13 PM on 11/21/2007

Clinton decides to not cross a picket line. That's great! Many people won't let a little thing like worker's rights get between them and their morning caffeine hit, let alone national television exposure. It doesn't make her a saint, nor does it make her an insincere, conniving hack - it just sets a good example. Doesn’t mean she has my vote, but I can say thanks.

Oh, and if you hate her, or Edwards, or Obama even when they do the right thing that doesn’t make you exceptionally insightful, a brilliant political mind able to suss out the truth behind the lies behind the truth. It just makes you a myopic partisan, who’s forgotten who the real enemy is. Or a Republican trying to stir up shit.

We should hold all these candidates to high standards - not crossing picket lines being an easy one - but our fighting amongst ourselves, anonymously insulting Democratic candidates, viciously attacking each other on blog sites under amusing pseudonyms, creating distrust and bitterness among Democrats is only constructive if what you are trying to construct is a Republican victory.

If we want them to stay on the real issues we should, too.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:12 PM on 11/21/2007
- cblcar I'm a Fan of cblcar 6 fans permalink

Just shows Obama was blindsided by Clinton once again and is now running behind her shouting, "Me, too! Me,too!" Hardly the actions of a leader. Regardless of what anyone thinks of Clinton, this was a brilliant move.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:08 PM on 11/21/2007

Good for Hillary!
And good for that copycat Obama, too.
Poor guy, he can't crap unless Hillary craps first.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:05 PM on 11/21/2007
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