Union president spanks Obama

John Edwards has sucked up to the unions more than any other presidential candidate. In a close second is Barack Obama.

In his book, The Audacity of Hope, Obama discusses meeting some former workers of a Maytag plant in Galesburg, Illinois.

His encounter takes up three pages of his best-seller, and my senator refers back to the Galesburg workers several times in later parts of the book.

Lately Obama has been working in the story of those Maytag employees into his stump speech. But there is one problem: The president of the union that reprsented those workers wants him to stop.

From the Centre Daily Times:

The president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is urging Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) to dry his crocodile tears over the loss of more than 1,600 jobs when Maytag moved from Galesburg, IL, to Reynosa, Mexico.

"He didn't lift a finger to help those people when they needed help the most," said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger, whose union represented the workers at Maytag. "Even now, he doesn't have a clue and thinks those jobs went overseas and not to Mexico."

In recent campaign speeches, Sen. Obama has repeatedly cited the plight of Maytag workers in his bid to win sympathy and support from union members battered by factory closings and lost jobs.

"This is the same candidate who recently labeled unions as 'special interest' groups with too much influence in Washington, D.C.," said Buffenbarger. "For the last eight years, we've defended our members' jobs, pensions and health care benefits against a political agenda that's been openly hostile to unions and working families. But a Johnny come lately candidate won't solve the problem facing blue collar families."

The IAM is among the nation's largest and most politically active labor unions, representing nearly 720,000 members in manufacturing, transportation, shipbuilding and defense related industries. For more information about the IAM, visit www.goiam.org.

SOURCE International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

Don't look for this clipping to appear in any Obama press kit. However, the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign might want to hang on to this one--especially since Buffenbarger and his union endorsed the New York senator's presidential run in August.

On one hand you might want to dismiss this story because of the union's previous endorsement, but don't look for Obama to talk about the Galesburg Maytag workers anymore.

Sometimes sucking up doesn't work out.

Related posts:

NH Obama-Oprah fest will be held in non-union hall--and there will be no pickets

Michelle Obama quits board of big Wal-Mart supplier

John Edwards wakes up to Wal-Mart nightmare

Technorati tags: politics Unions Barack Obama 2008 election John Edwards Obama labor Democrats books Maytag Illinois Mexico méxico Hillary hillary clinton

Run Bloomberg Run

I see that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is still considering a run for the presidency.

He is not going to win.

But if he runs, he'll almost certainly take more votes from the Democratic candidate than the Republican one in the general election.

Run Bloomberg run!

Technorati tags: democrats elections 2008 Politics Bloomberg New York

Marathon news

Some sad news from New York City. Victor Navarra, a FDNY lieutenant and official starter for the last 26 New York City Marathons, died yesterday of cancer.

Hat tip the Third Wave Dave for finding that one.

Typically registration for the Chicago Marathon opens on January 1. But race organizers are still working on assessing last year's debacle, and are pushing back the date to February 1.

The new date should help runners, since a herd instinct has been compelling runners to register very early, perhaps before they've begun training, so then can be assured a spot in the race, which will be held on October 12.

Related posts:

A participant's view of the cancelled Chicago Marathon: UPDATED

Technorati tags: Chicago Marathon running marathon run Chicago illinois news sports NYC Marathon New York

New Year's Eve on Blog Talk Radio with Andrea Shea King

I'm still recovering from the nightmare of spending New Year's Eve in Evanston two years ago, so this year I'll be staying home and joining Andrea Shea King's Blog Talk Radio Show.

The festivities start at 11:30am Eastern Time, 10:30pm for hicks like me in the Central Time Zone.

I'll be calling in to the on-air bash.

Related post:

Hear Marathon Pundit on Blog Talk Radio

Technorati tags: blog politics conservative blog talk radio New Year's Eve new year

Sunday Night's Odds and Sods

Odds and Sods is back. Here's what I've picked up along the blogosphere this evening....

Brett of Majority in Mississippi picks what he thinks are the top ten political stories from his state. Trent Lott's resignation took first place, but his second pick is story that is worth watching:

Internationally known trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs was indicted the day after Trent Lott announced his retirement plans. Scruggs was indicted for, among other things, allegedly bribing a judge to get a favorable ruling on a Katrina settlement. The fall out of this is unknown and it will continue to be a huge story in 2008.

Scruggs is one of the largest backers of trial-lawyer friendly Mississippi Democrats, including the only statewide elected Democrat Jim Hood (who has since decided to remain silent). While Scruggs reputation is already ruined (IMHO), a conviction would be a disaster for Mississippi Democrats who have gladly accepted Scruggs money. Besides Hood, this includes Billy McCoy and Gary Anderson most recently. While we don't know for sure, we can also speculate that Mike Moore- who hired Scruggs in the 1990s to represent the state against tobacco companies- declined a Senate run because of his Scruggs ties.

This story is just beginning in my opinion...

And this story is soooo John Grisham.

I still think Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination, but if former trial lawyer John Edwards comes out of the Democratic National Convention in Denver at the top of the ticket, stories like this will hurt him.

Cambridge, Massachusetts peaked very early. It's where General George Washington took command of the Continental Army in 1775. As Solomonia (via The Radio Equalizer) points out, it's now known as the place that "that banned the Boy Scouts from collecting goods for the troops at polling places." Sol reports on the trip to Bethlehem led by the Cambridge Peace Commission. Special Assistant to the Mayor of Cambridge Omar Bandar was along for the ride. And the vile International Solidarity Movement figures into the mix.

Read Sol's post here.

Wake Up America reports on the continued ascension of Sarkozian France as it suspends diplomatic contacts with terror-state Syria.

Senator Arlen Specter, a sometime Republican from Pennsylvania, just got back from Syria. Israpundit reports the obvious: Specter knows nothing. Fleshing it out a bit, Specter alludes that all Israel needs to do is return the Golan Heights, and Syria will keep an eye on Hamas, Hezbollah....

Specter should talk to Sarkozy.

From Flopping Aces we learn that The London Telegraph did what Time Magazine should have done. It named General David Petraeus it's Person of the Year.

The link is safe for work, but Mark Draughn of WindyPundit finds out the down side of posting a picture of a hottie on his site--having someone hotlink it to another site, eating his bandwith.

Douglas V. Gibbs at Political Pistachio reports on a recent George Mason University Center for Media and Public Affairs study that found that the Fox News Channel is the most fair and balanced news network around.

So when are the Democratic candidates, other than Hillary Clinton, going to end their boycott of the Fox News Channel?

Technorati tags: politics Democrats blogging Israel palestine Hillary hillary clinton Syria France française massachusetts Mississippitrial lawyers John Edwards specter Petraeus Fox News Channel