( - promoted by mooncat)
I'm a voter who puts a lot of weight in organized labor endorsements -- a long time I had a small hand in helping decide who CWA endorsed in Congressional races. I got to thinking about endorsements when i read about the Alabama UAW leadership endorsing Ron Sparks. At CWA then close to 40 years ago many decisions were cut and dried, but some generated a lot of hassling and yelling. It was interesting, especially from a political science point of view. In the early 70's a Republican US senator with a better labor voting record than a lot of Democrats was up for re-election. I argued that CWA should come out neutral, not just because of his good voting record but because he was on a committee that had jurisdiction over legislation particularly important to us. He had helped us and asked us to stay neutral -- not endorse. But the Democrat running against him was a state legislator who had carried a lot of water for CWA and AFL-CIO -- a good guy. Everybody agreed that he didn't stand a chance in the election but a lot of New Jersey CWA local officers and staff people wanted to endorse the Democrat anyway. I think, if I recall correctly, at least one of the lobbyists working for me in Washington agreed with them. I lost the debate and CWA endorsed the Democrat, who lost big. When the next Congress convened and a lobbyist went by the senator's office he was told politely but curtly and plainly he was wasting his time. He was no longer interested in our issues. And we lost him on votes we might have gotten him on for years afterward. And, I remember Alabama AFL-CIO endorsing Roger Bedford in the Democratic primary when Howell Heflin was retiring. Congressman Glen Browder was fighting for the nomination but Roger had done some deeds for labor in Montgomery, was connected, and got endorsed. Roger had a lot of problems that were sure to come out in the campaign, his campaign style was total cornball out of the old days when a pickup truck bed was a speech platform, but he got endorsed. That decision ensured the election of Jeff Sessions. Now UAW, a good union, gives us Ron Sparks, saying "we want a governor who is not afraid to take a stand." On what? Does the statement mean Artur Davis is afraid to take a stand? I thought his problem was he took too many stands that AFL-CIO disagreed with. I'm supporting Artur and I disagree with some of his "stands" but my idea is you vote for the person you think will be the best governor -- not based on some votes among the thousands cast. Our country is a lot worse off because of the diminishing strength of organized labor, but with leadership like Alabama UAW's, what can you expect?
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The Communication Workers of America, 
