AFL-CIO Launches Late Blitz For Obama, Releases Favorable Poll Numbers

The AFL-CIO and its community affiliate Working America are launching a massive, late stage get-out-the-vote effort to ensure that as many union voters as possible in 21 battleground states go to the polls come Nov. 4.

The union conglomerate will dispatch volunteers to nearly 4 million union households, in addition to making 5.5 million calls from now until Election Day.

Of equal interest, the AFL-CIO released internal polling findings on Wednesday morning that showed growing support for Barack Obama among union members since mid-August. As officials with the group note:

"In Ohio, Obama now has a 29-point advantage (61%-32%) over McCain among union members, an improvement of 16 points since August. In Pennsylvania, Obama's support has risen 22 points to a 63%-27% advantage. In Michigan, Obama now holds a commanding 68%-23% lead among union members, up 26 points. Union support is seen as crucial to Obama in the Rust Belt states as union voters are expected to comprise 25%-35% of the overall electorate in those states on November 4."

Should Obama keep this level of support among union voters, it could portend a healthy victory on election night. Coming out of the primaries -- indeed, up through a few weeks ago -- a chink in the Senator's armor seemed to be his support among working class voters, those from the Rust Belt in particular. The crisis in the housing and financial markets and other economic troubles have shifted the landscape as dramatically among this group as any other constituency.

"We're seeing a wave of support for Sen. Obama among union voters as they learn more about his positions on the issues they care about and contrast those positions to Sen. McCain's failed proposals," AFL-CIO Political Director Karen Ackerman said. "But this is no time to let up. We're going full throttle this weekend to ensure every union voter knows just how critical a vote on Election Day is to our country's future."

Comments

[395spoons]

This last minute effort by the AFL-CIO and their members is awesome! Thank you.

[Beka13]

Hooray Unions!!! Keep up your good work! We need you now more than ever!!! McCain wants to take our health insurance away!!! Whats next?? Child labor to make us competitive with China???

[Mabila]

Got to give the people! Give people what they want!!


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fFq9PEOukCg

[NJmikeV]

Thank you brothers and sisters !

Let these folks inspire us.

STOP READING THIS AND GO MAKE SOME PHONE CALLS !

You can do it from home http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

[NJmikeV]

Join the Blitz !

STOP READING THIS AND GO MAKE SOME PHONE CALLS !

You can do it from home http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

[gladys46]

I am honored to have done this everyday .... Exactly !!!

[hotwire]

Please don't call me! Write in vote for Hillary.



Hillary in 2012!

[SENATORCALLENBOWE]

SOUNDS LIKE AN UNBREAKABLE STRATEGY :)

[veteran1964]

The unions have been the actual backbone of the middle class of this country. Big business and their greed though to destroy the unions to make billions more and moving overseas to avoid actual good labor and not having to pay union wages has ruined our country.
Obama should give the unions the opportunity to rise again and WAL-MART shall be overturned with their minimum wage BS and go union. With our new electrical grids that are needed and the wind turbines needed to be built and the solar energy that all of us can use, the union will be the forefront of this new deal. I have never been a member of a union, but I support them. They take care of their workers.

[Plank]

The Democrates better come up with the goods on labor issues. No handouts, just fair trade, support for manufacturing in this country and job creation.

[poco767c]

you know who else likes unions? communists.
Just saying :D

Obama/Biden '08

[395spoons]

Just shut-up! :(

[poco767c]

I was kidding, don't fret

[Chavez08]

UNIONS - YES!!!!!

[rabprevent]

NEVER HELD A UNION JOB MYSELF BUT I NOW COME TO TRULY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THESE FOLKS CAN DO. SO GO UNION ALL THE WAY, LET'S TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY FROM THESE MORONS.

VOTE NO TO MCCAIN AND ALL HIS CRONIES

[plafayette]

Way to go AFL-CIO & Working America.....I will hunt for a UNION label and make sure I buy UNION made products and services from now on! Yes we can!

[Liberalforsure]

If they know what is good for them union members will vote for Obama/Biden.

[desertdweller]

Praise to Richard Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, for his outreach to union voters and his words of wisdom concerning race in this election. Mr. Trumka certainly has my endorsement for Secretary of Labor and would be a vast improvement over Elaine (McConnell) Chao, who is no friend to working people.

[Fenianheart]

Yes, Trumka has done an excellent job.

[katemadison]

Trumka's speech about why people should support Obama would have convinced me even if I'd been for McCain! He was terrific!

[desertdweller]

Trumka may have single-handedly won back a sizable portion of the so-called "Reagan Democrats."

[Beka13]

His speach was a real tear jerker!!

[w8aminute]

It's time for people to vote for their interests instead of with their prejudices.