Obama, Clinton address union delegates in SF

[highplainsdem]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/ci_10058125

By Josh Richman
Oakland Tribune
Article Last Updated: 07/31/2008 02:19:50 PM PDT


SAN FRANCISCO — Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama and his former primary rival, Hillary Clinton, brought thousands of union members to their feet cheering Thursday with messages of Democratic solidarity and strength.

Clinton addressed the national convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in person, and Obama addressed the convention a short while later live via satellite from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"'Change' is a president who walked with you on that picket line, who doesn't choke when he says the word, 'union,' "... who doesn't denigrate public service by privatizing jobs every chance he gets," Obama told the crowd of about 6,000 delegates and more than 1,000 guests.

Of presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, Obama said their differences aren't personal but rather are about policy; while McCain has differed with his party at times in the past, he hasn't done so as a presidential candidate and so now offers only "four more years of Bush economic policies" which have hurt working families.

"That is not change," he said.

Clinton had received a hero's welcome about an hour earlier from the union which had endorsed her last October, and didn't seem at all wistful as she gazed out over a sea of green T-shirts, many emblazoned "AFSCME for Obama."

-snip-

"The Bush Administration and its allies have led an unyielding, uncompromising, unrelenting campaign against our government," viewing it with "disdain, even with contempt" as part of a "narrow, radical ideology" aimed at diminishing it to the point that it "can't run a two-car parade," Clinton said.

"That's why I will work with all of you to ensure we have a Democratic victory in November," she vowed, praising her former rival's passion, determination, grace and wit. "When we finally have that Democratic president and a bigger Democratic majority in the Senate, we're going to get back to making our government more effective"... and once again be respected as a leader of the world."

-snip-

"Let's go win an election," she said, before departing to attend fund-raisers in San Francisco and Los Altos Hills aimed at retiring her more than $20 million in campaign debt.

Obama returned the praise about an hour after Clinton departed.

"For 16 months, she and I shared the stage as rivals and I couldn't be happier that we now share the stage as allies," he said.

-snip-

[Coexist]

1. "Change is a president... who does'nt choke when he says the word, 'union.'

"'Change' is a president who walked with you on that picket line, who doesn't choke when he says the word, 'union,' "... who doesn't denigrate public service by privatizing jobs every chance he gets,"

I am so proud of him

[annabanana]

2. YAY!. . THAT'S what I want to see!

Let's see britn'y and Paris get THAT crowd to their feet!!

[highplainsdem]

3. Yes, and I wish we'd see cable news coverage of this. Would love to see both their speeches.

[highplainsdem]

4. kick

[highplainsdem]

5. Link to another story, with more quotes:

http://www.politickerca.com/jeffmitchell/1646/hillary-clinton-barack-obama-wow-large-union-crowd-sfs-moscone-west