SEIU: Specter Won't Get Our Support Without Some Work

Senator Arlen Specter's defection to the Democratic Party was supposed to ease his path towards reelection in 2010. But in a memo to Pennsylvania members, SEIU chief Andy Stern let it be known, rather clearly, that the newly-minted Democrat shouldn't expect labor's support without substantive changes in his approach to their issues.

"We applaud the Senator on showing the political courage we know it took to change parties--and to move to a place we believe is more closely aligned with his personal convictions. But SEIU has always been an organization that supports candidates and elected officials based on their commitment to working families, not their party labels.

The issues that face working people in Pennsylvania have not changed, and the support we need from our representatives in Congress hasn't changed, either.

We know there have been contradictory and confusing reports about what Senator Specter's decision means for the priorities of working families in our state. In a word: our fight for Employee Free Choice and quality, affordable healthcare continues, as strong as ever."

Stern's letter follows the line of thinking I've been hearing from labor sources since Specter defected. While hopeful that a change in political party scenery will -- as Obama put it Wednesday night -- "liberate" the Pennsylvania Democrat to vote his conscience, there is still skepticism that Specter will switch his vote on, among other items, the Employee Free Choice Act. Indeed, the most optimistic scenario seems to be that a compromise bill will be produced that Specter -- and some of the recalcitrant Democrats -- will support, giving the caucus the 60 votes needed to cut off a filibuster.

In becoming a Democrat, however, Specter also changed the type of pressure points that could be used to influence his vote. In the memo, Stern notes that the SEIU and the two labor federations (AFL-CIO and Change to Win) have "generated over 50,000 calls to Specter's offices," "produced over 50,000 total handwritten letters to Specter's offices," and "held hundreds of protests, rallies and house meetings across the state" since the Senator announced he would not support EFCA.

"And we will continue to do so," reads the memo, "until Sen. Specter supports the principles of the Employee Free Choice Act."

Along these lines, on Thursday morning, Pennsylvania members of the SEIU were blasted with an email from the national affiliate declaring that "Arlen Specter needs to hear from you now."

"Pennsylvania's working families need his support on the Employee Free Choice Act and Health Care Reform," read the email. "I'm going to one of his offices tomorrow with some of our SEIU members and we'll make sure he hears from you."

Comments

[Weirdwriter]

01:46 AM on 05/01/2009

Specter was not opposed by a "small vocal group" within his party. His butt was nailed by the GOP leadership which made it clear that he was a pariah and had no hope of re-election support.

But I guess if Old Man McCain can make sweeping generalizations that are dead wrong, so can his daughter.

[aercolini]

11:45 PM on 04/30/2009

What is she talking about. The Republican party was going to let him lose to some midwestern wingnut. Michael Steele got on national television and said as much. Does she think a man as politically seasoned as Spector would play the good soldier and lose the primary so Toomey could lose the general election?

Or did she think that Spector was going to cowtail to the conservative right the way another other maverick politicians have done in recent years?

[pmag88]

09:45 PM on 04/30/2009

There's always been a rather unique relationship between Spector and the building trades unions in pgh, and my guess is that they've already worked out some arrangement or he wouldn't be running as a democrat next time around. From my perspective, the service industry unions won't hold much sway. Just goes to show, if unions were unified across the board, they'd have a lot more traction on the larger issues.

[IntellectuallyHonest]

07:17 PM on 04/30/2009

Meghan McCain should be a Democrat just like her father should

[Petey131]

07:47 PM on 04/30/2009

You kidding?

[Doofus]

06:21 PM on 04/30/2009

Y'know, it's entirely possible that Specter can not win the PA Demo
primary either, just as he decided he can't win the Repo primary.
That will be up to PA Democrats. Surely, they'll do the right thing.

It's not like Specter is OWED a Senate seat. He's just VERY
accustomed to the job, obviously. Go ahead, vote him out.

You have to consider, though, that if gets wind of this, what
he might do, 'last chance' style, is to become an 'Independent'
Senator from PA, not run in either primary, and just get himself
on the ballot next November, assuming that all PA Independents
will vote for him 'automatically'. Stranger things have happened.

[DavePalen]

06:07 PM on 04/30/2009

Regarding richinkle's comment on reading Nickled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich (which, by the way, is required reading at most of our esteemed institutions of learning). I suggest, to get another view, reading Adam Shepard's "Scratched Beginnings: Me $25 and the Search for the American Dream." It was profiled on 20-20 and it describes Adam's attempt to see if Ehrenreich is correct that the American dream is dead or if you can still make it on low wages. Adam was able to save some money and helps prove that self reliance works.

[MaryanneAZ]

05:58 PM on 04/30/2009

While in general I am pleased to have another Dem in the Senate, I'm not so thrilled that it's a person who should be considering retirement and not his own ego. I personally hope that there is a Dem primary in PA because there should be no shoe-in elections based on backroom deals. I want to win as much or more than anyone else in my Party, but not at the expense of my conscience and convictions. We certainly do not want to become that which reject in the Repub.lican party. It is entirely too soon to forget where we came from and what we do not want to become.

[robXdion]

05:39 PM on 04/30/2009

"let her down"???

I miss the days when the youth knew their place and when to stay out of grown folk's bidness. This man was in Congress before her father left high school. She assumes a position of relevance that's insultingly arrogant. And yes, this would be the case if she were male, too.

[Progress08]

05:25 PM on 04/30/2009

Meghan, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, but your father ran to the far right when he decided to run for pres. He capitulated to the uber crazies in the Republican Party. He even let the religious right choose his VP. Meghan if you want to resurrect the Republican Party that's fine, but chastising Sen. Specter will get you nowhere. The same people in the party that mock you daily make it impossible for a moderate in their fold to get anything done. It's easy for you to smack them around; you're not an elected official and you don't have to raise $20,000 a day to get reelected all the while the purse strings are held by the neo-con bible thumpers.

[texmike]

06:04 PM on 04/30/2009

She really is becomming a joke. At first I thought she said some smart things and that her blog might actually do some good, but now it seems like she's doing it just to hear herself talk.

Instead of whining that Spector let the GOP down, she should be praising him for setting an example that others will need to be brave enough to follow. In the current GOP political climate, moderate views are not tolerated. Until enough Republicans make it clear that that needs to change by switching parties or whatever, their election routs will continue.

[DavePalen]

05:14 PM on 04/30/2009

We need EFCA now rather than delaying it so that we can guarantee that the economy stays bad. If the economy stays bad, people will continue to beleive that the government will solve all problems. Hopefully, cap and trade will raise gas prices to $4 a gallon. Representative Oberstar is proposing that we tax gas by the mile. He wants to put GPS into everyone's car. That way, the government can also monitor what its citizens are doing in a more effective way. More gas taxes will also allow Oberstar to build more bike paths. Let's look at raising taxes as much as possible too. Obama (as a friend of the working poor) just got the cig. tax raised. Does anyone realize we now have Jimmy Carter back in office? He just has a teleprompter this time.

[Furby]

05:25 PM on 04/30/2009

I loved Carter.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

07:05 PM on 05/04/2009

Obama has been a strong advocate of EFCA from day one; plus, getting the Act passed into law is one of Biden's top priorities.

Although I voted for Carter twice, Barack Obama is smarter ( and Carter's no dummy ). The current President is also far more politically street smart.

Also. Obama is far more liberal and way more hip. Will Smith isn't as hip as Obama. Not even William Shatner is as hip as Obama.

[jimrs6]

04:49 PM on 04/30/2009

Boy, when this lady says something critical about the GOP, she's the flavor of the month here. Now she's not welcome. hypocrites

[Tyler-Durden]

04:39 PM on 04/30/2009

stop reporting what meghan mc cain says.

thank you

[JennieB]

04:22 PM on 04/30/2009

Uh Meghan, no offense sweety, but what have you ever contributed to any political party, specifically? I think you're under the misguided impression that anyone views you as a party leader. But hey, if you want to lead the party of hate, knock yourself out. But keep in mind, they hate you too.

BTW, congrats on the hateful and treasonous video your irrelevant party just produced about the President of the United States. Can you all please Dixie-Chick youselves now. Okay, thanks.

[Furby]

05:27 PM on 04/30/2009

Hold on a sec, Dixie-Chicks and Meghan McCain should not be uttered in the same paragraph, or chapter, or book for that matter. The Chicks have been paying their dues for a long time, Miss McCain not so much.

[JennieB]

06:21 PM on 04/30/2009

I adore the Dixie Chicks. I was using the term as a verb to ask Meghan if the GOP would now black-ball themselves, just like they did to the Dixie Chicks? Because, if they weren't such huge hypocrits, they would treat themselves much worse for their heinous hate video than they treated the Dixie Chicks for their tame "I'm ashamed the President is from Texas" comment.

[JennieB]

06:23 PM on 04/30/2009

But you're right that the Chicks and any GOPer should not be used in the same sentence so as not to tarnish or disrespect the Dixie Chicks!! Point taken.

[GlenRast]

03:47 PM on 04/30/2009

Can someone fill me in on what Megan McCain has ever done that would make people care what she says. Since when does incessant babbling qualify you as an expert in government?

[hulagirrrl]

04:38 PM on 04/30/2009

Thanks GlenRast, great comment. I am so tired of reading about her "opinion"!

[justoverit333]

03:37 PM on 04/30/2009

Arlen you let me down? They want her and her dad gone as well.
Is she planning to run for office?