McAuliffe is reaching out to Nader & labor leaders calling Harkin

[La_Serpiente]

This is what I've been waiting for. I see no benefit in making Nader a pariah in the eyes of the Democratic party. I have been critical of McAuliffe in the past, but I congratulate him on this one.

Here is the snippet:

Beggining Article

Reaching out to Nader
Tending to another trouble spot these days is McAuliffe, who sources say has opened up a steady line of communication with Nader over the past three months. The two had lunch in Washington on November 5, the day after Democrats lost gubernatorial races in Mississippi and Kentucky, and spoke most recently Tuesday, shortly before the debate in New Hampshire.

Democrats said McAuliffe, who might speak with Nader again this weekend to talk about his Thursday night fund-raiser in New Jersey, is trying to avoid the mistakes made in 2000, when Nader complained Democratic leaders largely ignored him.

"My assumption is that Nader is running . The working hypothesis is that he's running," one party insider said. "But you don't want him to run and then air these claims that no one from the party ever talked to him."

End article:

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And then Labor leaders across the country are trying to stop Harkin from endorsing Dean.

Beggining Article

Harkin isn't taking sides in the 2004 race, at least not yet. But that hasn't stopped Gephardt's labor allies, who increasingly hear rumblings that the Iowan is moving toward Dean, from mobilizing on the Missourian's behalf.

Harkin got a call Thursday, for example, from Teamsters President James Hoffa, Gephardt's most active and influential ally in the labor community, and the senator is expected to hear this weekend from other labor bigwigs, including Terry O'Sullivan of the Laborers' International Union and Joe Hunt of the Ironworkers union.

In his conversation with Hoffa, sources say, Harkin didn't deny he was mulling a Dean endorsement.

Aides say Harkin is the target of a 360-degree lobbying effort, drawing appeals from all four major Democrats still competing in his home state -- Gephardt, Dean and the Johns (Kerry and Edwards). But while sources say Gephardt's labor allies are good at making their voices heard, Harkin is increasingly moving toward the former Vermont governor.

End article

Rumor had it that Bill Bradley might endorse Dean too.

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Here is the entire article:

Harkin & Nader

[CMT]

1. a Harkin and Bill Bradley endorsement would be great

but we will see how the labor pressure goes. I hope we get Harkin. Bradley would be fantastic on its own too.

[9119495]

10. A bradley supporter from Harkin's state agrees with you.

They would be "just endorsements" but I would be happy to see them. I'm getting scared by all the anti-Dean stuff on DU over the past few days. I'm fearing we won't come together.

[John_H]

2. The silence on the part of DU's greens is deafeningly delightful.

The DNC Chair is reaching out to the guy who contributed to four years of the Chimp, and who's support the dems don't even need.

Now, I know that nothing short of adopting the GP's income capping platform will satisfy most greens, but the dems are being pretty magnanimous, wouldn't you admit?

[ShimokitaJer]

5. Yes, you sound very magnanimous

Let's just hope McAuliffe has a bit more tact than you do when he's talking to Nader. There just may be hope of a coalition yet.

[John_H]

14. I hope he has more tact than me too, but don't kid yourself...

Those conversations aren't just sweetness and light. Ol' Terry's also telling Ralph what will happen if Ralph decides to re-enable the chimp.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Well jeez, give us time to find the message

before convicting us.

[Triana]

3. I've written the DNC numerous letters about this..

...not that they necessarily read those things, but I told them they need to embrace the Green and Progressive contingents out there, consumer rights, environmental groups, etc. There's a huge Left contingent - it's just broken up into smaller pieces. If the Dems can embrace the entire spectrum from Middle to Left, including Greens, it might be more of a force of positive change (getting DoucheBoy out of the white house would be a positive change).

[DinahMoeHum]

9. the better to catch flies with honey instead of vinegar. . .

and if Nader still insists on running after all this, then, well, f**k him.

:kick:

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Good! We need a strong voting block

to pull '04 off. The more folks we can band together the better!

[AntiCoup2K4]

7. Gore & Bradley both endorsing Dean - that would be great!

A good start at party unity, tying together the warring factions from the last campaign.

[pippin]

8. Good Grief! Is McAuliffe

still managing things? Thought he was leaving. The guy is a loser who has mismanaged too many democraticc campaigns. Anyone who still wants his services has holes in his head.

[Ficus]

11. Harkin won't go Dean

I just don't think he will. Watching Harkin's politics up close my whole life, Dean isn't his style, and I doubt he'd go against his US Senate colleagues. My bet is that neither him nor Tom Vilsack will endorse anyone.


But hey, I didn't think that Gore would endorse anyone that early either.

[Cheswick2.0]

13. Harkin is a populist

It wouldn't suprize me.

[Ficus]

15. unless it's for sure

Harkin won't bet on a loser.

[tsipple]

16. No, Harkin Is Very Dean

And Harkin is quite fond of Al Gore, and vice versa.

[Ficus]

18. hey I'm not going to dispute you

Perhaps he is. Don't count your chickens before they hatch though.

[tsipple]

17. Re: Gore endorsing "early"

But hey, I didn't think that Gore would endorse anyone that early either.

I'm surprised by the surprise. Gore said he'd endorse, and he quite specifically said it'd be at this stage of the process -- when the endorsement matters a lot. It was no secret to any of the nine campaigns.

I took him at his word. And of course he kept it.

[Ficus]

19. congrats

on that endorsement, BTW. Kucinich is my guy, As DK put it, "I wasn't expecting it anyways."

[Cheswick2.0]

12. nader has made himself a pariah

If he is being contacted it is to try and buy him off. In my judgement that would be a really dumb move. The best option would be to counter attack his lies which is what they should have done in 2000... or simply ignore him. I doubt he is getting much more than 1 percent of the vote this time around if that.