Smear alert: Culinary Workers bullied into voting

[TayTay]

There is a false report being put out that the Culinary Workers Union was intimidating workers into voting for Sen. Obama in this Saturday's caucuses. This is FALSE. The woman who was identified as saying this was happening tells a Las Vegas newspaper that this was not true, was a misunderstanding and that she was not being pressured to do so.

For a background on this: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/17/13158/7296/994/438344

An excerpt from the Las Vegas Sun story on this: http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/early-line/2008/jan/16/incident-paris-las-vegas/

But Antuna {Tay EDIT: who is the alleged victim in this} tells a different story. She said she was filling out a voter registration form when the union reps approached her about Obama. When she told them she wasn’t sure about caucusing for him, one rep took her registration form, indeed telling her that she couldn’t participate Saturday if she wasn’t supporting Obama.

At that point, Antuna said, Angers and DeFalco, who were sitting at a neighboring table, engaged the union rep in a heated discussion. Antuna said she sat silent while both sides swapped words. She doesn’t recall the bit about the pledge cards.

One key fact: The union reps spoke broken English.

“It’s possible it was a miscommunication,” Antuna said.

In fact, Antuna said the Culinary called her later to inform her the union had received her voter registration form, spoken with her supervisor and that she was clear to caucus during her shift on Saturday.

“I don’t even know what to think,” she said. “This is totally new to me. I’m just glad I can actually go and caucus.”

The original smear is on the Taylor Marsh site and she says that is based on a tip from Pamela at the Democratic Daily. Shame on them for attempting to smear Senator Obama with this flimsy story.

[karynnj]

1. It looks like the Dkos Diary was taken down

I hope that Taylor Marsh and Democratic Daily will correct this - as it appears untrue. (Though the TM post on JK's endorsement was unconscionable.)

[TayTay]

2. How nice that the DKos diary is over

That was a terrible thing. I hope the other websites that had this smear on it also take it down.

[beachmom]

3. It's still popping up on comments. I debunked this person, who

also is blaming Democrats for why Republican Orthodox Jews can't vote in the GOP primary. Go figure.

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2008/1/17/141551/648/64#c64

As to bloggers perpetuating this lie: well, I am at a loss and thought better of them.

[karynnj]

7. Did you read all the comments on Clinton?

He really really is taking a hit on this there. (A huge contrast from when he was defended for the Wallace rant.) Obama's clam dignified demeanor is a calm contrast. (as Kerry's is)

[karynnj]

9. I posted some info on what they were trying to

do to accommodate the Orthodox. In Jewish areas they tried to put the caucus sites near the synagogue where they could walk to them and they were allowing the precinct captains to fill in the info so they didn't have to write. (both are prohibited on Shabbat). It sounds like there was an attempt to work things out, but it doesn't surprise me some people are angry.

I belong to a synagogue on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Orthodox, so I hope a more Orthodox person will answer. (All I know is that my husband had an Orthodox friend who played in chess tournaments and had a friend turn the timer and pay the entry fee.)

[beachmom]

4. Tay -- we're losing this battle. Now it is mentioned in a front page post

by McJoan.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/17/152627/121/899/438439

I put a comment in there, but now that it has been institutionalized on the front page of Kos, I don't know what to do.

[karynnj]

8. Wow - it's updated -to refute the charge on the front page

[beachmom]

12. Excellent. Thank goodness there are high profile supporters

of Obama like Adam B, who persuaded McJoan to update her post.

Phew!!

[City Lights]

5. The Las Vegas Sun blog has an update to this:

From the link in your OP:

Updated 8:30 p.m.:

The Culinary Union has investigated and says the source of the drama seemed to be about how one changes one’s party registration three days before the caucus.

Antuna was a registered independent, and the union reps were talking to her about how she had to be a Democrat to participate on Saturday, Weiss said.

Hardly scandalous and certainly not intimidation, she added.

Weiss said she suspects the whole incident was drummed up by the enthusiastic Clinton supporters, who got heated when the union reps started pitching Obama.


— Sun reporter J. Patrick Coolican contributed reporting to this post.

[TayTay]

6. Wow!

Talk about twisting the facts until they break.

Thanks for this. It's wonderful when we can keep each other up to date on this stuff. It makes it a little easier to go onto other web sites and fight back, with the truth.

[karynnj]

10. Here's an interesting news story on the reporter's side of the story

One thing I didn't catch was that this happened in Oakland, California. So, it likely got extensive coverage in California. I know better in thinking that Dkos or DU is representative of the country, but the comments over there are scathing - and to think, anger is LESS criticized in the blogosphere than the rest of the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uthdea6X2PE

[City Lights]

11. I watched the whole BC meltdown at TPM. Not a pretty sight.

Here's a link to the TPM video, which shows more of the actual exchange between the reporter and BC. Do you happen to have a link to the Dkos comments of which you speak? :-)

[karynnj]

13. Here's a link to the diary

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/17/141551/648/962/438376

The comments start immediately and occur throughout the thread. I don't know what to make of it, even with regards to the Dkos, much less the blogosphere or the total voting populace. I don't recognize enough names to speculate whether they were fans of Clinton before. I do know that the vast majority of Dkos were supportive of his rant when he was on Chris Wallace's show. That could be just being supportive of a Democrat telling Fox News off - I was an outlier thinking that he lost it.)

[beachmom]

15. The people praising him were Clinton supporters, I think.

I think that a lot of people in the blogosphere have soured to the Clintons given their behavior in the last month. People let a lot of things slide, but not anymore.

[City Lights]

17. Thanks, karynnj!

Wow. That was a real eye-opener for me. Those posts were overwhelmingly anti-Clinton. I used to visit Dkos years ago, but stopped after the last election, so I have no idea what to make of it either. It's good to know, though, that I'm not the only one feeling the way I do about the Clintons.

[beachmom]

14. Wow, the Union is fighting back in a Spanish language ad:

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2008/01/proobama_unions_spanish_radio_ad_in_nevada_hillary_clinton_is_shameless.php

You know, am I naive here? Unions endorse, of course, but I have never heard of a candidate attacking a union for not endorsing them. Then try to deprive them of their vote. Is this unprecedented?

[karynnj]

16. I think you're right

The Republicans never thought they were entitled to union endorsements and no Democrat would think it a politically smart move to bash a specific union, especially after courting them for an endorsement. Union people do not vote all that overwhelmingly for the candidate endorsed in most cases - so you would be attacking part of your base.

[City Lights]

18. I've never heard of this happening before either.

Good to see the union hitting back.