CLINTON-ENDORSING UNION TRIES TO DEPRESS CAUCUS TURN-OUT IN NEVADA

[Purveyor]

Ugly stuff going on in Nevada: The state teachers union (an affiliate of the Hillary Clinton-endorsing National Education Association) has filed a lawsuit to shut down planned provisional caucus locations on the Las Vegas strip during the Jan. 19 election.

The sites would allow strip workers -- many of them women, people of color, and members of the Culinary Union, which endorsed Barack Obama -- to caucus close to work, and hopefully prevent some of the large-scale disenfranchisement of working class people that takes place during the Iowa caucuses.

For more, check out coverage from the Las Vegas Sun. They quote the Obama campaign as criticizing the lawsuit, and the Clinton campaign as saying, it's "not for us to decide. We just want the process to be fair."

A fair process means encouraging voter turn-out. That was the case when it came to young voters in Iowa, and it's the case when it comes to union members in Nevada. Clinton's rhetoric on voting rights has been less than progressive this primary season.

---EOE---

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=01&year=2008&base_name=clintonendorsing_union_tries_t

[Proud2BAmurkin]

1. They're trying to get equal representation for all professions and people. Right is right.

.

[JackORoses]

16. that is bullshit. they are trying to take some people's votes away

ask yourself a simple question.
If this lawsuit is successful, will less people be able to participate in the Caucus?
If your answer is yes, then this is nothing other than voter suppression.

If this is really about equal representation,
Why aren't they suing to create more at-large Caucus locations, instead of suing to eliminate the ones that already exist?

[ursi]

2. Clinton has egg on her face over this ...teacher's have Saturday off and can caucus

casino workers can't leave work on Saturday to go caucus. Harry Reid came up with this idea and now he is being silent.

[kikiek]

5. That isn't true. There are teachers and janitors working that day. In fact at the caucus. If it isn'

their precinct they are not being allowed to vote themselves. Unlike the casino workers. Also there are doctors, nurses, many other who work Saturday who aren't being accommodated. The lawsuit has been posted several times, and is a good source to clear many of these misconceptions up.

[Barack_America]

9. The teachers have asked their own union to drop the suit.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4064920

[kikiek]

12. This is the crap spreading that just won't go away. There are not ties to Hillary here.

As much as you want there to be it doesn't exist. Just more crap being slung and seeing if it sticks. Funny how one will say they aren't going to fall for the media hype and BS that will divide the party, next thing you know they're helping sling it.

[Diane R]

3. Why don't the Clintons want everyone be participate? Is Rove their secret advisor?

[kikiek]

4. This has been hashed over a thousand times here. I still don't understand why it is ok that some

workers are being accommodated, and others not. Also they are not doing a one person one vote system as they set it up. They have changed it so that other votes will be diluted by the union. Reminds me of a Jimmy Hoffa union actually. As a union member myself we do not endorse primaries. We support the Democratic nominees, and even then it is only suggested. There are no guarantees that all will vote one way or another. I expect it is the same with the Culinary union. People are talking like the whole union is eligible to vote, and that they will vote the way of the union suggestion.

[Barack_America]

11. It's for all people who work on the strip, not just in the casinos.

As I understand it.

[kikiek]

14. Only within 2 1/2 miles, How big is Nevada?

[rateyes]

6. The more accomodation of voters the better...

as a former member of the NEA, I'm ashamed that my union would do such a thing.

[kikiek]

8. Why? They want equal access. Why shouldn't they? Why shouldn't everyone working on

Saturday? Make it an all day vote like a general election, heck make it a one week vote. Don't make special accommodations for some and leave others unheard.

[rateyes]

13. What teacher can't get to a caucus site on a Saturday?

Special accomodations for special needs. Teachers call that, when dealing with students, an I.E.P.

[kikiek]

17. Why can't they change the way it is done so everyone can participate? I don't know. This isn't the

national democratic party doing it. The state decides. I would be very irate as a shift working health care worker.

[Barack_America]

7. Don't forget that BOTH campaigns were involved in designing the system...

...but only one of them ended up with the endorsement. :eyes:

And don't forget that even the teachers have spoken out against what there union, which Hillary has strong ties with, is doing.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4064920

Pathetic.

[kikiek]

10. Strong ties is a stretch, and 15 names doesn't exactly make that a representation of all members.

[jenmito]

15. "Strange" how the Clinton camp had no problem with this system until Obama got that endorsement.

Just like they had no problem with the date of the NH primary until they thought Hillary was going to lose. I'm SICK of these REPUBLICAN TACTICS! We cannot elect Hillary and expect anything different than we have now!

[kikiek]

18. Here is a good article that tells you how some of the people feel about it.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/13557362.html They talk to people other than teachers and casino workers. Also the votes given to a county go by the number of people. Over a set number they get extra votes. The workers votes will not count in the county that they reside in. The casinos with a set number of employees will be given the status of a county so they will get the votes and the extra ones. It then dilutes all the votes in the state. That is most likely the greater concern, except for the people in the article who want to participate but don't work in the distance of the casinos. I think it gives that union far too much power for the state of NV, and I don't care who you endorse that isn't good. And what if the worker doesn't want to vote the way they union suggests, but they're all there and voting at work. Doesn't sound too good to me.