Blagojevich’s SEIU Contact NOT Andy Stern
Not This Man
My NPR station reported earlier today that the SEIU contact that Blagojevich spoke with–referenced in the complaint–was not Andy Stern. NPR said it was Tom Balanoff, President of SEIU Local 1.
A senior advisor to the SEIU has confirmed to me that the contact in the complaint is not Stern, though he could not confirm that it was Balanoff.
The SEIU advisor also told me that SEIU proactively contacted Fitzgerald’s office. I guess that was the same conversation when, according to SEIU’s earlier statement, Fitz asked SEIU not to share any information at that time.
I guess all those nutters trying to take down Obama and Stern are going to have to work harder to make a mountain out of a molehill.
Now that’s good news!
Love everything Andy Stern has to say glad it is not him
Including the part where he’s taking over locals and putting his own people in leadership? Including the part where he’s sending goons to the Labor Notes conference?
Andy Stern is a problematic figure.
I am a strong union supporter, so I’m not coming at this from an anti-union place.
You may love everything Andy Stern says.
You may want to learn more about what Andy Stern actually does. His corrupt and anti-democratic practices are disturbing to say the least.
The autocratic and dictatorial way he runs the SEIU are reminicsent of third-world dictatorships.
He condones corruption, retaliates against those who disagree; he’s openly disdainful of union democracy; he’s engineered poorly plnned, forced mergers without democratic votes af the affected members, causing chaos; he has a team of publicists paid for by dues dollars to polish and promote his phony image as visionary media darling. He’s wrecking the union!
Whether he himself, or his top lieutenant Balanoff, is the union official identified in the Blagojevich complaint is immaterial. Balanoff would NEVER make a move like this without Stern.
The sad thing is that most in the progressive community and most SEIU members don’t get to hear about he stuff because the Stern propaganda machine doesn’t talk about it, and the MSM don’t really cover it. Go to http://www.seiuvoice.org to learn about one local union’s struggle for reform.
Obama’s not in office yet and the Rethugs are already starting their witch hunts. Rethug Senators have threatened to filibuster both auto bailout and the EFCA. I don’t even want to think about what they’re going to do with Obama’s judiciary appointments.
What kind of bullshit are the Rethugs gonna come up with when we lose every job in any way related to the American auto industry?
Two more years of spineless Dems and obstructionist Rethugs is gonna be a rough time.
Not only will the Rs be relentlessly obstructionist, the fact that the Ds will get blamed will enhance the Rs glee.
What is sooo exasperating is that Reid allows the Repugs the ability to filibuster ‘em… He controls the scheduling, et al…
Reid acts like he’s really a R.
And Pelosi acts like a flaming a-hole.
I’d like to know how much her and her husband’s net worth has increased since the Rethugs took over Congress in 94. Not including the current disaster.
We have to some hoe make Reid force the bastards to actually Filibuster every bill they want to block! Oh and never mind this secret pocket hold bullshit publish the assholes name so we all can pressure the prick that is fucking the works up! Make these Repukes work for everything, make them spend long nights reading the Bible for all I care till they get tired of this obstructionist stance! Gotta nip this shit in the bud! Let the whole country know just how they are destroying our country and economy which by the way puts food on the table!
Based on Reid’s past behaviour he’ll do neither of those things and rationalize his decisions until the sun falls from the sky. He’ll base each cave on his belief “in the spirit of bipartisanship and cooperation.” Son of a bitch.
You speak and CNN reports:
I bet even his mom is getting fed up with all this nicey nicey bullshit he has been playing in the Senate and wants him to get in the Ring with his gloves on and beat the piss out of these Repukes! They are hellbent in destroying our country! I don’t know why but the evidence is there plain as shit on a shingle! WTF can’t Harry do the job he should be doing and was given the position to do?
When it looked like we might get 60 seats the Rethugs were kinda subdued but now that they know they can filibuster they will. Now, being lizard brains an’ all they’re incapable of visualizing possible consequences of their actions. The goal is to make the Dems as unproductive as they can so they can start telling their constituents how they saved them from communism, socialism, fascism, you and me all in one fell swoop. “Oh, and by the way, we got rid of the unions so employers can pay everybody the federal or state minimum wage, whichever is lower. Health insurance for your family of 4, buy it yourself. You’re making minimum wage, you should be able to afford it.”
How about a little game of chicken with the ever popular “Nuclear Option”? They weren’t shy about it & Harry caved every single time, lets see what the republics do. If they stand pat, what the hell.
UGG I know that is just what they are going to be attempting and the Dems need to call them out on it! They have the power to do it now I want to see them do it! Make them stage every attempt at a filibuster and force them to sleep in the Senate chambers to make it happen. Then the country can see for themsleves just what Repukes do best…. A Lot on nothing for the 95%er’s and everything for the Rich/Coporations.
It’s going to be very interesting when the showdown for the other $350B occurs. We’ve seen that Paulson, Bernanke and the banks are not interested in resolving the mortgage meltdown. My perspective is that when these people talk about “the economy” they’re talking strictly about Wall Street. As long as the biggest players in that shell game don’t suffer the losses that the little fish do then “the economy” is on the right track to recovery. If the Rethugs can keep Congress from re-regulating the financial sector Wall Street, Citi, et al can continue to siphon wealth from the great unwashed masses. Wealth doesn’t trickle down, it’s hoovered up out of our pockets.
The Republicans have been doing a damn good job at being “obstructionist” the last two years that the Dems have been pushing back a bit.
It takes lies under oath about a bj to get the Republicans Justice juices flowing. Thousands of dead and injured Americans and Iraqi’s just does not stir it up for them.
Thanks ew.
digg
IMHO, liberals need to attack hard on public funding for elections. I know FDL will lead the way.
It is the only way that we will ever get anything resembling a true progressive agenda pushed through. The only part of America that is “Center-Right” is the ruling class. If we get campaign finance reform we’ll get agenda reform as well.
OT – Vietnam vet with PTSD goes to Iraq: ‘It made me worse’
Dang, nahant! Something irritating you?
Yep these Republicans and this administration! Every thing they are doing is screwing us all out of our country and I get tired of them doing it and watching our “Democratic Leaders” just roll over and let them do it! Time they say enough is enough and push back…
The impression I’m getting is that Blago and his people (who apparently are just as blinkered and arrogantly stupid as he is himself) were casting their lines about, often in the course of what would normally be typical conversations, with everyone they could find — yet nobody would deal with him, nobody at all. Hence his increasing anger, and his abandoning all attempts at subtlety.
Be back later… Dinner..
Remember how optimistic we were just 2 years ago? What a difference 2 years make.
Maybe some elements of the strategy we are seeing are the irritation of reviewing SEIU’s stature, as a wedge issue to do the usual Republican things to unions. At the dendrite level, is the HAVAacorn turmoil guaranteed to be part of obstruction Republicanism in the 111th congress. Like the management angst in hearings last week concerning the auto industry, there is change in store for unions, though I would wait to characterize that more than some of the good outfits are going to be stronger by showing leadership. There is always Chicago’s historic place in the development of unions to ponder as a sure rankling memory for the historically bent among Republicans. There may be factual ways to bring Seiu into issue-specific critique in the Blago matter, however, I glimpse those wider issues in the outset of this paragraph, as well. Election is past, and Republican strategies are rolling out while the machine is still as energized as it can be after the kind of clueless presentation their campaign represented. I think they like their lame duck served right away, as later fare is going to be more embarrassing. If leading cabinet nominations are garnering sufficiently ample support among Republicans in congress, talking to the press as they are already the configuration of the administration entering seems to have scoped its aims and implementations well.
So when is Andy Stern going to say “the buck stops here”?, or is it OK for everyone around him to do as they please while he preaches lofty ideals?