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Arizona’s Unions: A November Surprise in McCain’s Backyard? |
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The race between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain is heating up all around the country in the final six days—and now the race is even tightening up in McCain’s home state of Arizona.
McCain held a lead in polling in Arizona over the summer, and most observers took for granted that he’d win the state he’s represented for 26 years in Congress. But recent polls show the race is tight and McCain’s performance falling. Rasmussen gives McCain a five-point lead, Grove shows him up by only four points and Arizona State University and Zimmerman both show McCain with only a two-point lead, as bmaz nicely notes on Firedoglake. (Worth noting: McCain only got 47 percent in his home-state primary in February.) The contest for Arizona’s 10 electoral votes is very much up in the air.
The growing chance of picking up Arizona is not an accident. It’s the result of months of careful work by Arizona’s union members and retirees, who for many months, have knocked on doors, made phone calls, held events and visited worksites to speak member to member about the election and the important issues.
Rebekah Friend, the president of the Arizona AFL-CIO, has been traveling the state and sees momentum in the presidential race, U.S. House races and state races for pro-working family candidates.
The election is important in a lot of ways. We have a chance all the way down on the ticket to make a difference in this state and in this country…to restore the idea that working class families deserve what we do for this country.
In addition, Arizona’s union members are pushing hard on behalf of Proposition 201, a ballot amendment that would protect consumers trying to buy and keep their homes.
Just a few days ago, Friend and union members took part in a rally that drew 1,500 people to the Arizona State campus in support of Obama and pro-worker candidates.
Early voting is already under way in Arizona, and if union members and their families turn out, McCain might just get his biggest surprise of the night in his own backyard.
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Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
6 Comments
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If McCain gets a surprise that will be a good thing. But Obama does not deserve the benefits. All politicians need a wake up call. The American people, the citizens of this great country need to take a stand against the current trend of expecting government to solve all the problems in their lives.
It does not set well with me when labor stands for the redistribution of wealth and thinking that health care is a “right”. This is what the support of Barack Obama means. This is not good for the labor movement at all.
“Redistribution of wealth” is basically what taxes are for. We all pay taxes in order for the government to use this money, hopefully wisely, and put it where it is needed, such as roads, infrastructure and education, even defense. Sometimes where it is needed most is to help the poorest people in this country. Why do you have problem with that? As it stands now, only the wealthy get a disproportionate share of the wealth at everyone else’s expense, and it’s not just from their paychecks. Our government protects their assets by allowing them to avoid taxes in very sneaky corporate ways, such as offshore accounts and outsourcing their businesses. As it is now, the Republicans have been “redistributing the wealth” UPWARDS for over 30 years.
If you still do not believe health care is a right, think about that should you or a loved one have the horrible experience of being rushed into an emergency room, unconscious, unable to verify your identity or health insurance, and understand that if health care is not a right, you may not be treated for your injuries or illness, because you have no RIGHT to this intervention. Think about that.
Why isn’t health care a right? You think we, the working class, the retired workers, and children should HAVE to pay such high premiums to get insurance, then have to pay a high co-pay to see a doctor and get minimal time with him/her as they have others to see for the day? To top it off having to pay high co-pays for medicine when it costs pennies to produce?
You think because we pay such high premiums for minimal care and the insurance companies decide, not doctors, what medical procedures “we need” is a priviledge? That they should profit on the backs of all of us?
Under our current for-profit insurance system, more than 30% of all healthcare dollars are wasted on administrative costs (primarily aimed at avoiding insurance payouts), expensive advertising and marketing schemes, excessive corporate salaries, lobbying for legislative protection of the status quo, and stockholder profits.
As for this “re-distribution” of wealth you talk about. Currently under the lame duck president’s tax-cuts for the wealthy, that tax dollars should be distributed to them to maintain their wealth, what about working class people? What about the seniors who have to decide whether to buy their medicine or eat?
All Obama is talking about is having the wealthier or anybody making OVER $250,000, pay more taxes, end the tax cuts for the wealthy, and giving tax cuts to the middle class, to the people who pay the majority of the bulk of taxes so we can survive these hard times.
Remember, the lame ducks’ tax cuts were supposed to create jobs, make the economy sound! Well guess what? Bush lied, once again! We are in a recession, but lame duck or McSame doesn’t think so.
Look at the bail out recently to the banks and so on…these taxpayer $$ were supposed to give banks leverage and encourage giving out loans again. What are they doing? Holding on to the money and also giving employees pay raises and bonuses! Why in the HELL isn’t Congress intervening? Another Bush fiasco in the making and he don’t care..he is going home in January!
I suppose you sent back your check the govt sent a few months ago, as it was too damn hard on the economy!
You conservative right wing thinkers on this blog have no concept, how active are you all in the labor movement?
As of yet I have not received a stimulus check from the government and if they are stupid enough to send it out I will spend it.
No one in this country should pay higher taxes. There is a fair tax or a flat tax that can be implemented and the government spending should be cut.
And just for the record I am a Libertarian and the ultimate goal is less government and more liberty. Those are the ideals that built this country and if we don’t remember that than labor has no place in the future.
I believe the “spread the wealth” slogan is something that a desperate McCain jumped on; same as Joe the Plumber, who it turns out was bogus. However, when you refer to redistributing the wealth, I wonder why not? We have suffered eight years of the wealthy in this country getting all the tax breaks, etc., and look at the mess in the economy. Why would it bother you, if our workers and middle class citizens were given a break now? That is what I think Obama meant, and obviously, from listening to the debates and other discussions going on, the Republicans are trying to pull rabbits out of their hats. It does surprise me when someone on a union blog would take this attitude. Slogans don’t get the job done!
No one should pay more taxes, government needs to spend less and 40% of the 95% promised a tax cut by Obama don’t pay taxes so their tax cut is a welfare check.
We need to be spending 700 billion on our infrastructure not on Wall Street. Just wait and see where the money goes and then maybe a few more people will get angry and start paying more attention to what our elected officials are doing for us.