Bill Clinton says he witnessed voter suppression by Culinary Workers

[DeepModem Mom]

The Politico: January 19, 2008
Bill Clinton says he witnessed voter suppression

Bill Clinton, speaking at a Vegas YMCA last night, made more charges against Obama and claimed to have, with Chelsea, personally witnessed voter suppression by the Culinary Workers:

"There is this whole business of the new politics. Well I got a taste of the new politics today. We need a new politics where we all love each other. You’ve heard all that. There’s a radio ad up in the northern part of Nevada telling Republicans that they ought to just register as Democrats for a day so they can beat Hillary and go out and be Republicans next week and vote in the primary. Doesn’t sound like the new politics to me.

Today when my daughter and I were wandering through the hotel, and all these culinary workers were mobbing us telling us they didn’t care what the union told them to do, they were gonna caucus for Hillary.

There was a representative of the organization following along behind us going up to everybody who said that, saying 'if you’re not gonna vote for our guy were gonna give you a schedule tomorrow so you can’t be there.' So, is this the new politics? I haven’t seen anything like that in America in 35 years. So I will say it again – they think they're better than you."

(The transcript was provided by one source with a recording of the event, and confirmed by another.)

To go over the facts here, the only publicly reported radio ad anything like what Clinton refers to is one that encourages Republicans and independents to caucus, but doesn't mention Hillary. And the Vegas papers haven't found any evidence of the kind of straightforward voter suppression Clinton reports. The Obama campaign has suggested the Clinton campaign file formal complaints if it has evidence....

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0108/Bill_Clinton_claims_he_witnessed_voter_suppression.html

[DJ13]

1. The Clinton's sound really desperate to get back into the WH

A little too desperate.

[FreeState]

3. Voter suppression is wrong no matter who does it n/t

[Bicoastal]

2. The Clintons keep playing the pity card...

...ridiculous. They've been the frontrunners in name only for the last several months--save for that one post-Iowa week.

I'm sooo not buying the "poor Hil, poor Me" stuff anymore.

[indimuse]

11. If you don’t sign, we’re going to send you back to Mexico.’ ”

If you don’t sign, we’re going to send you back to Mexico.’ ”
Culinary Union Intimidating Members to Vote for Obama
Iowamomentum in Diaries
1/16/2008 at 9:21 PM EST

This needs to be pushed to CNN/MSNBC/Foxnews ASAP... Disgusting Chicago politics...

http://www.taylormarsh.com /

There's nothing dainty about Las Vegas but things are getting rough.

Intimidation. Pledges demanded. People to vote for Obama or stay away from the caucus.

Call this union vs. the casino workers.

I just did an interview with a Culinary union member who was intimidated while eating lunch in the cafeteria at work. She didn't want to give her name, but she wanted to tell her story. The connection is rough, but her story tells the tale. It's below in a podcast:

Culinary Union pressures members to vote for Obama.

Pamela over at Democratic Daily posted on a tip she received about the intimidation.

Jon Ralston talked about it this morning on MSNBC.

I just got off the phone with a unimpeachable source that there has been more than one confrontation between union reps and members.

This is not an indictment against unions, especially considering I joined my first union when I was in my teens, totally four eventually. Unions are the backbone of the middle class. But in every good group there lies opportunistic cretins. Obama's supporters are obviously applying Chicago style politics in Sin City and they've got three days to get the job done.

Meanwhile, you've got big shots like John Kerry talking about "let the people vote" doing so within a stacked system titled towards the Culinary union, with many of their members who'd much rather vote for someone other than Obama being intimidated and forced to sign pledge cards. Some will fight back, but most will not. From what I'm hearing, this is getting ugly. It's the opposite side, with the story actually being "make the people vote for me."



<SNIP>>>

If you don’t sign, we’re going to send you back to Mexico.’ ”
This is from a few years ago, about the Culinary Union and it’s tactics. This was written by the Nevada Journal and describes the union’s practices while trying to organize at the MGM Grand hotel. The union forced workers, particularly inon-English speaking workers, to sign cards in support of the union but used threats and outright lies to coerce them to do so.

“Where is Justice for the Working People?”

nj.npri.org/nj98/03/cover_story.htm

“”It was just very hostile,” Restori said. “If you did not agree with the other side, people no longer spoke. A wonderful place to work has turned into a frenzy—splitting up people, making enemies out of friends.”
Restori, originally from Pittsburgh, used to be a strong supporter of unions. Her husband was a member of the Steelworkers Union before they moved to Las Vegas. An employee of the MGM since its opening, Restori helped the Culinary Union Local 226 in its first effort to organize the hotel-resort until she realized it was taking advantage of people.
“Unions are good but not this one,” she said. “My feeling is that the Culinary Union has targeted—I will say—foreign people. They manipulated, tricked and fooled them and took advantage of their lack of knowledge of labor laws, their rights.
“They were saying, for instance, ‘Sign this card, you’ll get a free turkey. If you don’t sign, we’re going to send you back to Mexico.’ ”

This one is from 2004 from the Nevada Policy Research Institute. It describes the Culinary Unions merger with UNITE.

“Culinary’s Sinister New Partner”

Obama is no longer someone I can admire................

[hedgehog]

4. and he never had sex with that woman, either..........

If Bill Clinton had a personal interest in where the sun rose this morning and he told me it rose in the east; I'd want at least two unintersted parties to confirm that fact!















On edit: the point isn't that he had a BJ, the point is that he had a BJ and lied about it.

[RC]

15. The blow job was no bodies business. It also had nothing to do

with the civil case it was up brought in. Bill Clinton is much more honest than george walker bu$h & company. To bad consensual sex wasn't bu$h's worst sin. People will be dieing for decades for bu$h's sins. So get over it already.

[HeraldSquare212]

5. We know he's truthful - no perjury in his background. nt

[Kittycat]

6. Voter supression is wrong, period. However, what does Bill care?

If he had his way, none of the culinary would be voting today.

[Benhurst]

7. Such things couldn't happen in America.

[mod mom]

8. Where was his outrage in 2000 & '04 when huge numbers of Af Am voters were

suppressed by the GOP? I guess a Dem win in either of those elections would have hurt Hillary's chances for '08. I don't recall him standing with Conyers, the CBC and others on this issue in the past, so his current outrage appears to be more politically motivated-when it's expedient.

[indimuse]

9. Channel 8, Eyewitness Now reported from Las Vegas, NV (1/11/08):

Workers Local 226, and you don't caucus for Senator Obama??? Not On My Shift
Workers Local 226, and you don't caucus for Senator Obama???
Not On My Shift
by izarradar, Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 10:00:25 PM EST

I'm a card carrying union gal, a proud member of the striking WGA ("We write. You wrong"). I learned about
respecting the power of the rank and file from my father who taught me never to cross a picket line, and from my own days of walking a line I learned to love the rank and file as brothers and sisters. So every time a union endorses a candidate I pay special attention because I value the voices of union members.

Senator Obama received an important endorsement the day after he lost the New Hamphire primary. The Culinary Workers Local 226 in Nevada announced that he was their candidate of choice. I was impressed by the endorsement, and respectful of the 60,000 hard-working men and women who voted for it. The rank and file had spoken, and Obama was their man, I thought.

Turns out I was wrong.



Unions use various ways to decide upon an endorsement. Sometimes it's a questionnaire, or maybe a ballot. Other times it evolves out of meetings. In most unions, the leadership will have the final say, but not before consulting with the rank and file. This isn't the process the Culinary Workers Local 226 used to make its endorsement of Senator Obama. The rank and file wasn't involved in the decision at all.

And now members are pissed.

Channel 8, Eyewitness Now reported from Las Vegas, NV (1/11/08):

http://www.lasvegasnow.com:80 /...

Eve Berkstresser is one of more than 60,000 culinary union members statewide. She and a handful of others picketing said they disagree with how the union leaders chose to endorse Senator Barack Obama for president.

"They shouldn't be endorsing anyone unless the members have a chance to speak. But they haven't done that. They did it on their own," said Berkstresser.

The statement from Culinary Staff Director Ted Pappageorge was this:

"Our members have always had their favorites -- we all do. But in the end our members understand about division and weakness and unity and strength," said Pappageorge.

I'm not sure exactly what that means, are you? More importantly, I'm not sure the rank and file understands what that means. But did Pappageorge include the membership in this decision by taking a vote?

While the union leadership says they believe their members are unified in the decision, they told us they did not poll their membership.

So excuse me, I don't want to jump to conclusions (unlike Pappageorge jumping to conclusions about his rank and file), but are they basing this endorsement on what? Some crystal ball? Tea leaves perhaps? Tossing a coin? Call me old-fashioned, but when you want to know what your membership is thinking on something as important as who should be President, shouldn't you simply print up ballots and let EVERYONE have a voice?

What's the big deal, you might ask? The union leadership can't force a member to honor the endorsement of Senator Obama. If a member wants to vote for John Edwards, or Senator Clinton, they're free to do so. This is a democracy, right? The secret ballot protects our identity and our choice.

Well, that's a problem.

This is an open caucus. Union members will be standing in the same room with other union members. Or maybe even their shop steward. Or their foreman. Or possibly even a union official. Everyone will know which candidate you're backing. And if you're a member of Culinary Workers Local 226, and you don't caucus for Senator Obama???

That could make for a long shift on Monday.

If it were my union, I'd be pissed. And I'd use my voice to let the union officials know it. You don't pay union dues for this kind of forced intimidation. I'd let my brothers and sisters of the rank and file know this: I won't tolerate political bullying.

Not on my shift.

[elizm]

10. He is a liar. nt

[hedgehog]

So Bill is pushing the image of unions as dominated by enforcers-

way to support oraganized labor there, Bill!

[David Zephyr]

12. And he opposed the war in Iraq and didn't have sex with Monica and...

"Bill Clinton is a particularly good liar." -- Nebraska Democrat, Bob Kerrey.

[IndianaGreen]

14. David Geffen: The problem with the Clintons is not that they lie, but that they do it with such ease

Imagine what they will do to the Left when they get their sorry asses back in the White House, unleash Homeland Security on antiwar movement.

[Barack_America]

13. Wow. A former President acting this way? He is just degrading himself...

...and taking the status of the Presidency down with him.

[MethuenProgressive]

16. Obama's attempt at voter intimidation via the Culinary blew up in his face.

The Union members have my respect for rejecting his tactic.