Documents show unions controlling Democratic decisions
Joshua Heard
strategy in which labor and party officials served side-by-side on
committees that directed the Democrats' election activities in each state.
_________________________________________
Federal probe shows labor having veto power over some party ideas.
July 20, 2001
By LARRY MARGASAK and JOHN SOLOMON
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Documents that the Democratic Party and unions have sued to
keep secret reveal a campaign strategy in which labor and party officials
served side-by-side on committees that directed the Democrats' election
activities in each state.
While labor's support of Democrats is well known, the documents show labor
leaders had veto power over Democratic Party plans in 1996 by virtue of
their large donations and seats on state steering committees.
"When the DNC and its National partners, including ... the AFL-CIO and the
NEA (National Education Association) agree on the contents of a plan, each
national partner will give their funding commitment to the state," an
internal DNC memo titled "Rules of Engagement" said.
Lawrence Noble, the nation's former top election regulator, told The
Associated Press on Thursday he was surprised by the degree of control
unions held over Democratic decisions. Noble headed the investigation into
GOP charges of illegal coordination between the unions and Democrats.
"The AFL had a certain amount of control over what political parties and
candidates did. That is what is striking," Noble said.
In addition to its usual political action committee donations, the AFL-CIO
spent $35 million from its general treasury, funded by workers' dues, on
advertising and others efforts in 1996 to help Democrats win.
At the request of the Democratic Party and labor unions, a federal judge has
forbidden the Federal Election Commission from releasing the documents it
gathered during its four-year probe.
AP obtained the documents from officials involved in various federal
investigations of unions and from groups that got some documents when they
were briefly released by the FEC this spring.
The documents detail extensive discussions between labor and party leaders
on how to contact, register and influence voters to support Democrats, and
they show where unions in some instances got their money to accomplish the
mission.
In one case, a New York hospital workers union, Local 1199, spent $250,000
from its strike defense fund for a $2.7 million effort called the " '96
Project" aimed at holding congressional Republicans accountable for their
support of Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America," records show.
Frequently, officials from the Democratic Party or its fund-raising arms
contacted union officials to seek approval for election activities.
For instance, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee official Rob Engel
wrote AFL-CIO political official Steve Rogers in September 1996 to discuss
phone banks and direct-mail efforts aimed at identifying voters and getting
them to the polls in 16 target congressional districts.
"We request the AFL-CIO review these budgets and programs. If you approve
them, we ask that you encourage your affiliated unions to contribute to each
congressional district coordinated campaign," Engel wrote.
DCCC operatives followed up a few days later with a second memo: "Attached
is our updated and improved requests for your big bucks."
Around the time, the AFL-CIO ran ads in several of the same congressional
districts portraying Republican candidates as out of touch with worker
issues and Democrats as union-friendly, the FEC concluded.
John Hiatt, AFL-CIO general counsel, acknowledged the union had veto power
over Democratic activities it helped finance.
"For aspects of campaigns we subsidize, I think we would want veto power,"
Hiatt said. "We may have veto power over issues or aspects we're working on,
as other groups the Democrats are working with would want to keep control
over things they're working on."
In North Carolina, the documents show, state AFL-CIO President Chris Scott
and North Carolina NEA President John Wilson each served on the committee
that handled day-to-day operations.
In Nebraska, the state party gave AFL-CIO and teachers union officials
similar positions on its executive committee alongside officials from Ben
Nelson's Senate campaign and other candidates. A state party memo said
"labor will play a key role" in a party-run effort to contact households
twice during the fall campaign.
The national blueprint for the coordinated campaigns stated flatly that
before state parties could implement their election plans they had to be
"submitted with a signature page which demonstrates the formal sign off of
the principal players for each representative of the Steering Committee."
http://www.ocregister.com/news/20demscci.shtml
Mark
Heard <jhe...@NoSpamNovacron.com> wrote:
> Looks like the Republican Party and asscoaited wingnuts have sued to keep secret their
> strategy in which wingnuts and party officials served side-by-side on
> committees that directed the Republican's election activities in each state.
>
> _________________________________________
>
>
> Federal probe shows wingnuts having veto power over some party ideas.
>
> July 20, 2001
>
> By LARRY MARGASAK and JOHN SOLOMON
> The Associated Press
>
>
> WASHINGTON -- Documents that the Republican Party and unions have sued to
> keep secret reveal a campaign strategy in which labor and party officials
> served side-by-side on committees that directed the Republicans election
> activities in each state.
>
> While wingnuts support of Republicans is well known, the documents show wingnut
> leaders had veto power over Republican Party plans in 1996 by virtue of
> their large donations and seats on state steering committees.
>
> "When the RNC and its National partners, including ... the Little Church on the Prairie and the
> NRA (National Rifle Association) agree on the contents of a plan, each
> national partner will give their funding commitment to the state," an
> internal RNC memo titled "Rules of Engagement" said.
>
> Lawrence Noble, the nation's former top election regulator, told The
> Associated Press on Thursday he was surprised by the degree of control
> wingnuts held over Republican decisions. Noble headed the investigation into
> GOP charges of illegal coordination between the wingnuts and Republicans.
>
> "The wingnuts had a certain amount of control over what political parties and
> candidates did. That is what is striking," Noble said.
>
> In addition to its usual political action committee donations, thewingnuts
> spent $35 million from its general treasury, funded by church goers' dues, on
> advertising and others efforts in 1996 to help Republicans win.
>
> At the request of the Republican Party and wingnutss, a federal judge has
> forbidden the Federal Election Commission from releasing the documents it
> gathered during its four-year probe.
>
> AP obtained the documents from officials involved in various federal
> investigations of wingnuts and from groups that got some documents when they
> were briefly released by the FEC this spring.
>
> The documents detail extensive discussions between wingnuts and party leaders
> on how to contact, register and influence voters to support Republicans, and
> they show where wingnuts in some instances got their money to accomplish the
> mission.
>
> In one case, a New York hospital workers union, Liberty Baptist Church, spent $250,000
> from its strike defense fund for a $2.7 million effort called the " '96
> Project" aimed at holding congressional Republicans accountable for their
> support of Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America," records show.
>
> Frequently, officials from the Republican Party or its fund-raising arms
> contacted wingnut officials to seek approval for election activities.
>
> For instance, Republican Congressional Campaign Committee official Rob Engel
> wrote wingnut political official Steve Rogers in September 1996 to discuss
> phone banks and direct-mail efforts aimed at identifying voters and getting
> them to the polls in 16 target congressional districts.
>
> "We request the wingnuts review these budgets and programs. If you approve
> them, we ask that you encourage your affiliated unions to contribute to each
> congressional district coordinated campaign," Engel wrote.
>
> RCCC operatives followed up a few days later with a second memo: "Attached
> is our updated and improved requests for your big bucks."
>
> Around the time, the wingnuts ran ads in several of the same congressional
> districts portraying Republican candidates as out of touch with worker
> issues and Republicans as union-friendly, the FEC concluded.
>
> John Hiatt,wingnut general counsel, acknowledged the wingnuts had veto power
> over Republican activities it helped finance.
>
> "For aspects of campaigns we subsidize, I think we would want veto power,"
> Hiatt said. "We may have veto power over issues or aspects we're working on,
> as other groups the Republicans are working with would want to keep control
> over things they're working on."
>
> In North Carolina, the documents show, wingnut President Chris Scott
> and North Carolina NRA President John Wilson each served on the committee
> that handled day-to-day operations.
>
> In Nebraska, the state party gave wingnuts and NRA officials
> similar positions on its executive committee alongside officials from Ben
> Nelson's Senate campaign and other candidates. A state party memo said
> "wingnuts will play a key role" in a party-run effort to contact households
> twice during the fall campaign.
>
> The national blueprint for the coordinated campaigns stated flatly that
> before state parties could implement their election plans they had to be
> "submitted with a signature page which demonstrates the formal sign off of
> the principal players for each representative of the Steering Committee."
>
> http://www.ocregister.com/news/20demscci.shtml
Just substitute Republican for Democrat and wingnut for labor and it
still make sense. Such as it is.
Mark
--
mark
ma...@mailzone.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
D.G. Porter
Well, it's from the Register. What didja expect?? THEY'RE wingnuts.
They're READ by wingnuts. They publish articles by wingnuts.
/\_/\
\/_\/
Bill Mech
motivated versus the real story about union control of the Democratic party.
--
Bill Mech
wm...@att.net
For info on politics, taxes, education etc., go to
http://home.att.net/~wmech
Mark <marks@*nospam*mailzone.com> wrote in message
news:200720011616413115%marks@*nospam*mailzone.com...
Mark
Bill Mech <wm...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> The big difference is that his post is a propaganda parody politically
> motivated versus the real story about union control of the Democratic part
Correct, the names mean little.
Mark
--
mark
ma...@mailzone.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A wanderer is not necessarily lost