A Defining Moment for The Clintons: The Lawsuit Against Nevada's Culinary Workers Union
The Clinton campaign is supporting, if not actually inciting, a Nevada State Teachers Association lawsuit against the Culinary Workers Union. The reason? The Culinary Workers Union has arranged for its members to caucus in their workplaces, to cast their votes in the hotels and casinos that support that state's economy instead of taking time off to get to polling places -- at the risk of getting fired.
That lawsuit was filed right after the Culinary Workers Union endorsed Obama.
Gosh. What a coincidence. It's an unfair disadvantage, the teachers union lawsuit says -- they are supporting Hillary -- to let all those maids and bellboys vote while they are on the job.
The caucus is on the 19th. It's a Saturday. I guess the teachers are going to be -- really busy compared to those maids and bellboys?
I don't know this for a fact but my guess is that the Nevada's Teachers Association is more entrenched in the state power hierarchy than the Culinary Workers Union. It's more white, more middle class. I bet the teachers are much more spread out, demographically and geographically, firmly ensconced in tenured security.
The Culinary Workers Union, on the other hand, represents all the little brown people who clean hotel rooms in Las Vegas and Reno. Living and working from day to day.
If the Clintons don't repudiate this lawsuit, Obama and Edwards have a giant, gaping opportunity to nail them to the wall of cynical win-at-any price entitlement. There is no way they want to be in this position on the national screen. It's a short term stop-gap, a sign of fear, that they are even doing this. If they don't repudiate this lawsuit, it will be an albatross around their necks that will be dangle like a leaden anchor into super-duper Tuesday on Feb the 5th -- if only Obama surrogates and supporters can keep it in the public eye.
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In my town we have nursing homes where voting is allowed on site in lieu of absentee ballots. To date, no one has ever complained that this is an unfair practice.
For Bill Clinton to encourage litigation to suppress voting smacks of desperation. America has finally seen the Clintons for what they are: power mad hypocrites.
Eau de Rove.
I live in Nevada. I want everyone to go to the caucus near their HOME, just as I am doing. If this is not done, I want permission to caucus in my home. Or my office. or I will just tell you how many people showed up and you WILL believe me.
No special rules for anyone, we have had enough rule by people like this.
I do not care about any of the candidates personally. I care about it being done right.
The author of this column is out of bounds here.
The cynicism of filing suit immediately after the union came out in support of Obama is really hard to overcome. Did the teachers union only then realize that there would be polling locations for people who had to work downtown on Saturdays? No. They didn't. They had known about the set up from the day it was enacted by the state party. And so long as they thought the culinary workers were going to be voting for Hillary, they had no objection.
Forget race and gender for a minute, or which candidate, if any, you support. What you have (see the AP wire story linked below) is Bill Clinton coming out in public favoring a politically motivated lawsuit. How do we know it is politically motivated? From the AP story: "The state Democratic Party unanimously approved the caucus rules last March, and the Democratic National Committee signed on in August. Four of the six plaintiffs are members of the committee that approved the rules." What changed between now and then? Suddenly several people hit themselves on the forehead and said, "doh! How did we not notice how terribly unfair this is?"
We know what changed. Bill Clinton said it: "I would question why you would ever have a temporary caucus site and say only the people that work there, i.e., the people that we know are going to vote in a certain way or we think they will, (are) able to caucus." Way to get right to the point of interest, Bill. The people we didn't used to think would vote a certain way... As a actual -as opposed to pretend- neutral outsider, I would question why union funds are spent on lawsuits that have nothing to do with the welfare of the people who pay them.
Hey, political geniuses. What's so realistic about realpolitik? Trying to change the rules in the middle of the game doesn't impress anybody. It looks bad. And it leaves your followers mumbling less than inspiring things: "everybody does it, or would have done it;", "hey let's not tear each other down, man." Yo, Peace Out Brothers and Sisters! No unseemly quarrels! Let the best political machine win!
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Once again the Clinton campaign shows it's true colors.
Working to disenfranchise voters...i
If as she said on Meet the Press...th
Everyone is becoming aware through these discussions that the caucus process...
This...Oop
More dirty politics..
If this was a horse race, we would only be 11 feet into the one mile race.
Don't let the media oligarchy choose the president!
NBC Debates Action Page: http://www
Since the top two horses are biting and kicking each other,
Maybe it's time to vote for Kucinich!
Strength through PEACE!
wow... talk about misleading on purpose ..
shame on you...
see hillarys response to tim russert about the topic on meet the press... -- the clinton campaign didnt file the law-suit, teh etacher union has NOT endorsed Clinton.
So its absurd to suggest that clinton is behind this.
my question to you ... is why are you ok with making it easier for culinary workers to caucus and not others... -- that seems like pandering to me -- why dont you support the law-suit so that all workers can easily caucus ????
These at-large precincts do appear to be illegal. The plan appears to give much more weight to at-large caucus participants than to Nevadans attending county caucuses.
But this plan has been around for months and Clinton's stooges voted for it. Why did they suddenly file a lawsuit after losing the culinary union endorsement?
Looks to me like an illegal Clinton plan which backfired.
If the teachers disagree with the culinary union workers then they are going to get a visit from Moose and Rocco - a couple of cough, cough, social activists who will set the record straight.
Aren't many polling places at SCHOOLS? How is that bad for teachers? If you were really concerned with disenfranchising people, wouldn't you want to fight for MORE polling places, not less?
If the attached item turns out to be real, then wow. This issue will not be going away. Is Bill Clinton, who was a great campaigner for himself, an absolutely deadly sidelines guy? Because he seems to say a lot of unfortunate things - unfortunate for Hillary, that is...
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Of course, lost in this argument is the fact that both candidates, Obama and Hillary, were prepared to file this lawsuit depending on who got the endorsement. The only one who really wants to hear from ALL of LABOR is John Edwards. Too bad that the unions in Nevada haven't quite grasped that yet.
I belong to a teachers union, but I think it is wrong to try to make it more difficult for casino workers to participate in the caucus.
This makes me wonder if the Clintons aren't getting advice from the same people who told the Bushies to purge black voters in Florida in 2000.
Not only did the unions and the state democratic party agree to this, three of the six individuals filing this suit were present and voted unanimously with the other members of the panel for the caucus rules. Again, when the rules were brought to a vote, the agreement passed unanimously.
Three of these individuals who are in the hierarchy of the Nevava Teachers Union, who also happen to be Clinton supporters, voted in favor of the proposed caucus rules back in March of last year.
Absolutely no objection was ever raised until after the Culinary Worker's Union endorsed Obama.
The lesson being taught to us by the Teachers Union? They want as many people to participate in the democratic process, so long as they vote for the candidate of their choice.
Ladies and gentlemen, what you are witnessing is the systematic destruction of our democracy. I never dreamed that I would see the day when democrats blatantly try to disinfranchise voters.
All those who support Hillary, ask yourselves if this is really what you want for your country.
You have Obama and Edwards who are not beholden to the special interests, Hillary is a special interest. She is drunk with ambition, and will do whatever it takes to win. Even if that means breaking our fragile democracy.
There is a lot more at stake than simply putting a democrat in the White House. The only two candidates who can begin to restore a democracy for the people by the people are Barack Obama and John Edwards.
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