Yes they can. It's worth saying that the conventional wisdom that the culinary workers can deliver Nevada to their preferred candidate has very little in the way of hard evidence behind it. As best one can tell, this is a huge asset, but there Nevada caucus has no real history to it so one can't look back at precedents.
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Culinary Workers for Obama
09 Jan 2008 12:12 pm
Comments (22)
"It's worth saying that the conventional wisdom that the culinary workers can deliver Nevada to their preferred candidate has very little in the way of hard evidence behind it. As best one can tell, this is a huge asset, but there Nevada caucus has no real history to it so one can't look back at precedents."
Beware that there is another vaunted machine in NV, and that's Harry Reid's state party. They're going to be working for a different candidate than Culinary.
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I'd love to have been a fly on the wall in the meeting that went so long this morning at Culinary to decide.
"ABC is confused and the endorsement appears to be on hold."
What makes you think that?
"Culinary Workers for Obama"
As well as bloggers, Deaniacs, bloggers, and other kewl Dems.
(You can't gloat yet Linus. Lib Hitler Hillary has only won New Hampshire and that Giuliani fellow has won exactly zero delegates.)
Oh yes, just New Hampshire, zero delegates: blah blah blah.
"What makes you think that?"
because this blogger (NOT ABC News) quotes Shauna Hamel and says she works for the Culinary union. She does not. She works for Service Employees International Union Local 1107. This guy mixed up his unions.
Nowhere but this blog is calling it. If the had endorsed, don't you think this would be on more places than that blog?
I am ROOTING for this to be true, I just think this guy (or whoever it is) is confused.
"I am ROOTING for this to be true, I just think this guy (or whoever it is) is confused."
Not doubting your motives. Just curious.
also, this is becoming an internet echo chamber.
The NYTimes The Caucus blog, Kos, MyDD, any MY here are all pointing to each other but the only source is this one blog on ABC's website, which appears, again, to have confused the two unions.
Well, after google newsing around a bit, you are indeed correct that no one else is reporting it, matthewcc.
Man, they were supposed to endorse at 9:30am. It sure would be interesting to be in the room where they're chatting.
I am quite disappointed they didn't stick to their guns, even if they do eventually endorse Obama.
The union needs to show some spine. They were ready to back Obama then pulled back... why exactly? Fear? Desire to pick the right horse? What is the point of union endorsements if that's the case?
"They were ready to back Obama then pulled back... why exactly? Fear? Desire to pick the right horse? What is the point of union endorsements if that's the case?"
Ummm... Consider why they were interested in endorsing Obama in the first place. He's not exactly the favorite candidate of most unions not based in Illinois, y'know.
Imagine my frustrations throughout 2007 as an Edwards supporter watching various unions vacillate about whether or not he was viable enough.
I understand they picked him because they wanted onboard the Obama Moment Train or whatever, and I agree they should have endorsed the person who makes the most sense for their members (I still believe that is Obama over Edwards, but we can disagree reasonably).
But to publicly play footsy like that then back out after 2 pt. loss is even worse. They can't even pretend to be making a decision based on the candidates policies.
I understand a lot of my feelings come from being a Obama-supporter, but that doesn't make this less annoying.
"I understand a lot of my feelings come from being a Obama-supporter, but that doesn't make this less annoying."
Welcome to my world during 2007.
Culinary waited this long to see if my guy could outperform in NH, and I appreciate that much fortitude.
And regardless of our differences, I think we can both agree that Gerry McEntee is a douchebag.
Guess Hillary can always count on the radical lesbian vote.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hHpLwB7giyEmTH7995m5JbiroetQD8U2H8A82
The Culinary Workers Union certainly comes out of this looking fucking ridiculous. They were all set to endorse Obama, he loses in NH by two points, and now they're "soul searching" about it. It's hard to do any soul searching when you fairly clearly don't have a soul.
"But to publicly play footsy like that then back out after 2 pt. loss is even worse. They can't even pretend to be making a decision based on the candidates policies."
Seems like you guys jumped the gun in your hand wringing commentary.
From the AP piece:
"The culinary union, representing hotel, restaurant and laundry workers in Nevada's casino industry, is the largest and best organized labor group in the state. It has the ability to steer thousands of voters to the state's Jan. 19 caucus and turn an already competitive three-way scramble for supporters into an all-out ground-level frenzy.
Obama also picked up the endorsement of the Nevada chapter of the Service Employees International Union, which voted to endorse him Tuesday.
The Culinary Workers Union's decision is a blow to former Sen. John Edwards, who finished third in New Hampshire and is struggling to prevent a two-person race between Obama and Clinton.
Edwards had attempted to position himself as the labor candidate in a state where nearly two-thirds of Democratic voters are union members, according to exit polls."
Is this the stuff of Fairy Tales? It is! Go Nevada! Give in to "False Hope"!
Perhaps Edwards's Democratic Party supporters are realizing it's a choice between Hillary and Obama and are choosing accordingly?
Yeah it looks like its true. They made us sweat for it.
But my statement stands. I said even if they did back Obama, this sort of lurch in reaction to NH was disappointing. I can't consider anyone who has Mark Penn in their inner circle a friend to unions.
"It's worth saying that the conventional wisdom that the culinary workers can deliver Nevada to their preferred candidate has very little in the way of hard evidence behind it."
You underestimate the value of some well placed gastroenteritis.
Perhaps a Culinary decided to endorse Obama so he would stop calling unions special interests and dissing their 527s. Everyone in Illinois knows the easiest way to bring Obama to your side is to give him money.
Perhaps a Culinary decided to endorse Obama so he would stop calling unions special interests and dissing their 527s. Everyone in Illinois knows the easiest way to bring Obama to your side is to give him money.
Nice ad hominem. I reside in Illinois and that is so not true.
I think my new favorite thing is anonymous people courageously tossing off harsh insults - which aren't even true - on the Internets. It's so awesome! It's beautiful.
I heard Obama on NPR radio this morning and he stumble a bit at first, but then in answering Steve Innskeeps' question about his experience, he really nailed it. You could tell he was fired up and we was really - forgive me -articulate about what the main issue is in the Democratic primary.
He said, look, there is no shortage of plans, of ideas on what to do, on what policies the Democrats should follows. The problem is getting them enacted (i.e. change). To do that you need a growing citizen movement, a fired-up Democratic party, Independents maybe some Republicans (these are my words) to get Congress to go along with it. He put it really well and maybe the Culinary union decided Obama has the best chance of enacting the policies many members of the Democratic party want enacted?
I have not heard any issues in the news relating to that sort of matter. I believe its just some misunderstanding.
Comments closed January 23, 2008.
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Heads in the Sand
this doesn't appear to be true. nowhere but this blog is reporting it and there is speculation that this guy mixed it up.
Shauna Hamel is quoted, and she's the head of the other, smaller union:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=Shauna+Hamel&btnG=Search
ABC is confused and the endorsement appears to be on hold.
Posted by matthewcc | January 9, 2008 12:35 PM