SEARCH
Olbermann Set to Host ‘Biggest Job Interview in History’ |
|
 |
|
Today, seven Democratic hopefuls will make their case before the largest audience of this early campaign season—the 15,000 union family members expected at the AFL-CIO Presidential Candidates Forum at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
Moderated by MSNBC’s “Countdown” host Keith Olbermann, the forum will feature questions to the candidates from among 2,200 questions submitted by union members at the AFL-CIO’s Working Families Vote 2008 website. The questions from union members touch on health care, trade and jobs, freedom to form unions, the war in Iraq, retirement security and other key working family concerns.
The 90-minute forum will be carried live on MSNBC television and XM Radio channel 130 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. CDT). “Countdown” will continue broadcasting from the forum until 8 p.m. EDT. If you miss it, XM channel 130 will rebroadcast the debate for 24 hours following its conclusion.
The forum comes as the AFL-CIO Executive Council is meeting in Chicago. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney told hundreds of union activists at Sunday’s Battleground States 2007 conference the candidate event is “the biggest job interview in history.”
Tomorrow, the Executive Council will discuss the presidential endorsement process, but the AFL-CIO will not issue an endorsement until affiliated unions reach consensus on a candidate. The Federation’s General Board makes the actual endorsement. The General Board is made up of members of the council, the principle officers of each affiliated union, trade and industrial departments plus representatives from constituency groups, retiree organizations and local central and state bodies. An endorsement by the General Board will require a two-thirds per capita membership vote.
The forum is part of an unprecedented outreach to union families to give them an opportunity to hear the candidates and make their voices and opinions heard. Earlier this year, the AFL-CIO spearheaded a series of town hall forums where the candidates met local union members and leaders. In addition, our Working Families Vote 2008 website provides current news on the election, issue guides, candidate profiles, a forum for union members to speak out about their concerns and links to other political blogs and sites.
2 Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I am closely following the political candidates and listening for real substantive discussion of the offshore outsourcing issue. I’m tremendously disappointed at how little candidates have said on the issue generally. I must say that I certainly expected more from the Democrats – except, of course, Hillary Clinton, who supports all free trade agreements and expansion of the “guest worker” programs for “high tech” workers.
I notice that there are 2 questions on the AFL-CIO site for the candidate debate tonite. I hope that you will use one or both of the offshore outsourcing and H-1b visa related questions there and even expand upon them. Union and non-union workers across the employment and income spectrum are facing permanent job eliminations, inadequate middle class job opportunities and real economic decline. Candidates, I’m afraid, are fixated on satisfying business lobbies and indifferent to the effect of these pro-outsourcing policies on the country and the majority of Americans.
My name is Jon Greenspon, and I am an independent candidate for President in the ‘08 election cycle. I am also a former member of the IUOE and Teamsters.
I am interested in determining whether someone with Olberman’s qualifications as a journalist has considered contacting third-party independent candidates such as myself?
I would be more than happy to answer any questions that might be foremost on the minds of union members or thier families.
Jon A Greenspon
http://www.greenspon2008.com