chimx
16th March 2010, 21:51
In an effort to increase pressure on Democrats to vote for the health care bill, Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, warned on Monday that his powerful union would back some independent candidates this fall against House Democrats who vote against the bill.
In an interview, Mr. Stern said his union was making preparations to support independent candidates in New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania in case various House Democrats in those states vote against the health care legislation that President Obama is pushing.
Mr. Stern said that his union was likely to back an independent against Representative Michael McMahon, a Democrat representing Staten Island, who won with considerable help from the union. Mr. Stern said that Mr. McMahon has told union officials that he would vote against the bill.
“If health care goes down and there are people who promised our members that they were going to vote for health care reform – which for our members is a huge issue – if they aren’t going to stand up for what they said they were gong to do, they shouldn’t be going back to Washington,” Mr. Stern said.
His remarks were one of the opening salvos Democrats are making this week to keep the pressure on to get the health care bill passed in the House by the end of this week. Thirty-nine House Democrats voted against the bill in November.
Mr. Stern voiced dismay that in many Congressional districts, it was too late to “hold them accountable” by supporting a challenger in a Democrat primary because the filing deadlines had already passed in many states.
“We’ll run candidates who talk about how this Congressman voted on an issue that matters to us and how they let us down,” Mr. Stern said.
Mr. Stern said he recognized that some Democrats might vote against the health care bill because they were worried that if they back it, that might upset so many independents and Republicans that it might cost them their seats. But Mr. Stern warned Democrats that the independents his union supports might garner 10 percent of the vote in the general election, and that could cause the targeted House Democrat to lose.
Like Richard Trumka, the new president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., Mr. Stern has talked increasingly about the importance of having unions hold Democrats accountable instead of automatically giving them labor’s backing.
In the most visible example of that, many labor unions have endorsed and given money to a Democratic challenger to Senator Blanche Lincoln, an Arkansas Democrat, because they are disappointed with her position on health and labor legislation. The service employees union and several others have pledged $1 million each to the state’s labor-friendly lieutenant governor, Bill Halter.
“What you saw with Blanche Lincoln is an expression of how disappointed people are in the last year about what has happened with issues that are important to Americans who work,” Mr. Stern said. “I don’t think this is the end. Arkansas is the tip of the iceberg.”
After learning that Mr. McMahon would vote against the health legislation, the S.E.I.U.’s largest local unit, 1199/SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East, issued a statement saying, “We cannot continue supporting incumbents who fail to vote with the president and Democratic leadership to advance the interests of working families on issues such as healthcare reform, financial industry regulation and immigration reform.”
In addition, the Working Families Party, which often had an independent line in New York State that helped funnel union members into voting for Democratic candidates, said it would not back Mr. McMahon this November.
“We will not support anyone who votes no on such important legislation,” said Daniel Cantor, the party’s executive director.
SOURCE (http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/union-chief-threatens-to-back-independent-candidates-against-democrats-who-oppose-health-care-bill/?pagemode=print)
In an interview, Mr. Stern said his union was making preparations to support independent candidates in New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania in case various House Democrats in those states vote against the health care legislation that President Obama is pushing.
Mr. Stern said that his union was likely to back an independent against Representative Michael McMahon, a Democrat representing Staten Island, who won with considerable help from the union. Mr. Stern said that Mr. McMahon has told union officials that he would vote against the bill.
“If health care goes down and there are people who promised our members that they were going to vote for health care reform – which for our members is a huge issue – if they aren’t going to stand up for what they said they were gong to do, they shouldn’t be going back to Washington,” Mr. Stern said.
His remarks were one of the opening salvos Democrats are making this week to keep the pressure on to get the health care bill passed in the House by the end of this week. Thirty-nine House Democrats voted against the bill in November.
Mr. Stern voiced dismay that in many Congressional districts, it was too late to “hold them accountable” by supporting a challenger in a Democrat primary because the filing deadlines had already passed in many states.
“We’ll run candidates who talk about how this Congressman voted on an issue that matters to us and how they let us down,” Mr. Stern said.
Mr. Stern said he recognized that some Democrats might vote against the health care bill because they were worried that if they back it, that might upset so many independents and Republicans that it might cost them their seats. But Mr. Stern warned Democrats that the independents his union supports might garner 10 percent of the vote in the general election, and that could cause the targeted House Democrat to lose.
Like Richard Trumka, the new president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., Mr. Stern has talked increasingly about the importance of having unions hold Democrats accountable instead of automatically giving them labor’s backing.
In the most visible example of that, many labor unions have endorsed and given money to a Democratic challenger to Senator Blanche Lincoln, an Arkansas Democrat, because they are disappointed with her position on health and labor legislation. The service employees union and several others have pledged $1 million each to the state’s labor-friendly lieutenant governor, Bill Halter.
“What you saw with Blanche Lincoln is an expression of how disappointed people are in the last year about what has happened with issues that are important to Americans who work,” Mr. Stern said. “I don’t think this is the end. Arkansas is the tip of the iceberg.”
After learning that Mr. McMahon would vote against the health legislation, the S.E.I.U.’s largest local unit, 1199/SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East, issued a statement saying, “We cannot continue supporting incumbents who fail to vote with the president and Democratic leadership to advance the interests of working families on issues such as healthcare reform, financial industry regulation and immigration reform.”
In addition, the Working Families Party, which often had an independent line in New York State that helped funnel union members into voting for Democratic candidates, said it would not back Mr. McMahon this November.
“We will not support anyone who votes no on such important legislation,” said Daniel Cantor, the party’s executive director.
SOURCE (http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/union-chief-threatens-to-back-independent-candidates-against-democrats-who-oppose-health-care-bill/?pagemode=print)