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An ominous development for Congresswoman Bean.
The state’s trade and labor unions refused to endorse Democratic Congresswoman Melissa Bean’s re-election bid Tuesday, a rejection that amounts to political payback for her vote against the unions’ wishes on trade deals.Illinois AFL-CIO President Margaret Blackshere said the debate over whether to endorse Bean in the 8th Congressional District was the most heated of any office in the state.
Blackshere said union members “felt betrayed†by Bean’s vote for a Central America trade pact last year.
Bean, who relied on union support to oust 35-year Republican incumbent Phil Crane, responded to the rejection by largely ignoring it.
Some union leaders I’ve spoken with claim Bean is dishonest and can’t be trusted. But what happens if Bean loses and the Democrats fall one seat short of taking the US House?
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 5:45 am
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She has a rating of 65% on union issues I think. What a dumb move to risk giving that up…
Comment by Bill Baar Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 8:03 am
They should have found a candidate in the primary and worked their asses off to get that person nominated instead of Bean. Instead, they are doing what too many Democrats are doing also, refusing to support the lesser-of-two-evils when they didnt even try to get a better candidate.
There is no Democratic party, just a bunch of interest groups with a self-interested elite of consultants and elected folks being one of them.
Comment by wjmaggos Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 8:53 am
1. This will HELP Bean. Of course, she is a great fit for that district since she is a conservative Democrat, but this will probably add two points to her win. Updated prediction: Bean wins 56-44.
2. Does the AFL-CIO really think the Republican will do more for them than Cong. Bean? Has the leadership recently fallen on its collective head?
3. No wonder unions are leaving the AFL-CIO. With leadership like this, they deserve to be treated like unions are treated in red states.
Comment by Skeeter Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 9:07 am
Unions, like any other group, have a right to define their own interests.
In this case, they feel that Bean let them down, so why should they support her?
If Bean loses and the Democrats fall one seat short of taking the US House, you better believe that the Democrats will have a more union friendly candidate in Illinois 8 in 2008.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 9:41 am
wjmaggos: There is no way Bean would have been defeated in the primary.
Comment by Just Observing Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 9:43 am
This district thinks Republican, and like what they heard from Bean. She won by combining that appeal with hard-core Democratic supporters.
The problem is that she crossed the line. While it is true that the majority of her district agrees with her union stand, they already have a candidate - a Republican one. Bean will not get enough of the hard-core Democratic support she needs enough to counter Republican voters returning to their candidate.
She needed the Union support. Without it, she will lose.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 9:47 am
Skeeter- Your logic or lack thereof is amazing.
Comment by Ron Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 9:56 am
She is between a rock and a hard place. She cannot vote the way she wants to because she is an a republican district. i commend her for not thumbing her nose at them. It is a good survival move for her, but she now loses her precint workers. Since she is a coward and afraid to debate, good luck with that race and getting her message out. McSweeney has local voters walking for him. The union army that she did have has evaporated.
Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 9:58 am
Skeeter is right, this will actually help her in this District. The day when Unions can deliver elections is over anyway, so this won’t be a factor in the race.
Comment by Dusty Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 10:12 am
This just goes to bolster the argument of thosewho contend that State AFL-CIO head Margarget Blackshere has the political savy of a turnip. Bean has a 65% approval rating on labor issues, which is probably as high as she could have gone without handing the seat back to the Republicans on a silver platter, at least in her first re-election bid. Blackshere and her allies have been too busy kissing up to Rich Daley’s and Mike Madigan’s political mistletoes to be able to think things out for themselves. Do they expect Bean’s opponent to be with them more than 65% of the time? If Heaven Forbid that jerk the GOP nominated wins in November, he’ll probably have a nice round number in terms of supporting labor… 0%!
Comment by Randall Sherman Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 10:12 am
And the AFL-CIO disowning Bean harms her how given the 8th’s constituency?
…This helps to show her independence and distance her from left-leaning “special interests”…
Despite the loss of any boots on the ground or bits of money, this only helps her.
Comment by NW burbs Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 10:30 am
I would have to think that Skeeter is right. The lack of endorsement will soothe fears of more right leaning voters.
What are the union voters going to do, vote for the anti-union repub? She should send a thank you to the AFL-CIO.
Comment by Merlin Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 10:41 am
Randall, calling names? I still remember you questioning McSweeney on some comments he made regarding Canada and immigration. You look pretty silly now with another 18 terrorists planning something big up there.
Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 10:52 am
wjmaggos: There is no way Bean would have been defeated in the primary.
But she could have been roughed up, made to spend money. She got a MAJOR pass with no opponent.
The “really” big thing will be what the unions do come election day with turnout efforts.
Right now, it looks to me like this is a shot across her bows. No real damage, but a remimder to be a good girl next time.
If the unions don’t to any turnout/precint walking it will be more serious than a warning.
But they’d have ran SOMEONE if they were really pissed.
Comment by Pat Collins Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 11:28 am
I think it’s largely a wash. Any vehemently anti-union right-wingers whose fears have been “soothed†will be canceled out by vehemently pro-union liberals who – rightfully or not – will take this as one more reason to not vote at all.
And if we have learned anything from the past 3 election cycles, it’s that rally the base has become just as, if not more, important than capturing the middle. So, that being said, VM is right: without a unified, pro-union Democratic base at her back, it may not matter how many independents and moderate Republicans she can hold onto.
Comment by grand old partisan Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 1:04 pm
I guess Bean didn’t promise Blakeshere’s kid a job.
Comment by Phocion Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 1:55 pm
CAFTA was a good vote! Wake up dems, we must modernize our message, not play to special interest groups and limit ourselves. We are in danger of becoming irrelevant as a party unless we start to do something different and new.
Comment by Wake up dems Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 2:40 pm
Oy… this won’t effect the race in any way. The one thing that is does do, it makes me remember why I dislike unions….
Comment by Lovie's Leather Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 3:42 pm
Maybe Bean could give one of her kids a job.That seems to be the going price for her endorsement.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 3:53 pm
What I can’t understand is why the AFL-CIO endorses people just because they’re Democrats (or Republicans when they have a change of heart or a brain fart). That’s the response I got when I queried one of their employees about why they were supporting Blago. I wonder what either of the parties has done for the union that is so wonderful. It certainly isn’t in jobs. Blind allegiance to party is foolhardy. Vote your pocketbook. The days of partisanship are over for the middle class. They get “nuttin’ from nobody.”
Comment by Disgusted Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 8:07 pm
Phocion:
Blackshere’s kid, Mikey, has a pretty darn cushy job at DCEO with a salary to match. But that’s OK. She says he has a diploma and is eminently qualified.
Comment by Papa Legba Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 8:12 pm
Bean has a serious problem with Hispanics as well.
she has voted for the infamous Sensenbrenner bill, as well as a couple of other anti-immigrant votes. Plus she is very disrespectful of their leadership and their issues. Her problem with them is that many are conservative Catholics, so unlike labor, they have somewhere else to go!
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Jun 7, 06 @ 10:12 pm
Cong. Bean voted against the interests of working Americans by supporting CAFTA. I’ll wager that a poll conducted in her GOP leaning district wouldn’t support CAFTA either. Some Washington staffer’s knee jerk reaction just cost her the support of organzied labor.
Comment by BillDemo Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 7:03 am
Bean also has a problem with debates and lying. Now she is trying to smear McSweeney with Enron (as reported in the Pioneer Press Schaumburg Review) and she is afraid to debate him.
Comment by Wumpus Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 10:27 am
I thought it was very odd that the AFL-CIO is supporting Blagojevich until I read….
“The Chicago Sun-Times recently reported that Margaret Blackshere, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, recommended her 45-year-old son, Michael Blackshere of Mount Prospect, for a state job. He is making $69,684 working for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, where he began in August 2003.”
Do you see the connection??????????
Comment by girl friday Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 9:28 pm
Debates & lying? I am sure she will debate McSweeney in the fall during the campaign season. I read he was asking for 24 debates (they have 24 townships in the district - get it?). If they did that, they would turn off EVERY voter in Illinois!
I have not heard the Bean people comment on McSweeney’s Enron problems though… Did they react to his Fastow issues? I am anxious to hear!
Comment by MaryGelman Thursday, Jun 8, 06 @ 10:56 pm
For those of you who do not know, we are very hopeful that an independent, Bill Scheurer, will soon be announcing his spot on the ballot against “democrat” Melissa Bean, and republican Dave McSweeney. With Bill on the ballot, the voters will have a chance to vote for someone who shares their views on many things, from education to the war. We will have the opportunity to vote in someone who is by the people and for the people. Without Bill on the ballot, we have only big-business war supporters, Bean and McSweeney. Go BILL SCHEURER.
Comment by waterskier Sunday, Jun 18, 06 @ 3:10 pm