THE BIGGEST LOSER IN THE PRIMARIES: UNIONS

The biggest losers so far in the political primaries are American labor unions.In Iowa, labor was supposed to be Democratic Sen. John Edwards’ secret weapon, although Sen. Hillary Clinton had strong union support as well. But no national union had given support to Sen. Barack Obama.

In fact, Obama spent a good deal of time complaining about the spending of union-affiliated groups, known as “527’s,” that were targeted at him. Union leaders accused him of dissing the rights of union employees to participate in politics and accused him of sounding like a Republican.

“I’m taken aback that somebody like Obama would think that Oprah Winfrey has a greater right to participate in the political process than the 4 million people I represent,” Edward J. McElroy, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, said referring to the talk show host’s highly-publicized round of campaigning for Obama. McElroy’s union is backing Clinton.

In the end, Obama won Iowa by eight percentage points, and Clinton slipped to third…READ THE REST AT WOMEN’S VOICES FOR CHANGE

AND VISIT MY WEBSITE TO READ ABOUT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT’S RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE!

COMMUNITY-ORGANIZER-IN-CHIEF OR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF?

At the debate in Las Vegas Senator Hillary Clinton dominated the round table. Seated fortuitously in the center, she seemed like the CEO in a boardroom discussing issues with two feisty but competent subordinates. She was knowledgeable and forceful. She was inclusive as she asked Senator Obama to co-sponsor legislation. She was take-charge as she insisted on injecting answers on which she had passionate convictions, like the welfare of children. She took aggressive swipes at the current president, calling him “pathetic.”

Hillary was in her element at this last debate. She’s a policy wonk a la her husband, but without the homey rhetoric and charm of a storyteller. She’s more like a distaff Al Gore, less wooden but equally serious, focused and humorless. Hillary’s who you wanted in your study group in college, but not who you wanted to party with after finals. But we’re not electing a friend; we’re electing a chief executive for the country. For that role, Hillary came across as fully and proudly ready to lead…READ THE REST AT HUFFINGTON POST

And visit my webpage to read about Eleanor Roosevelt’s presidential campaign!

2,025 Reasons to Remain Focused

There are 2,025 reasons for Sen. Hillary Clinton and her supporters to stay calm, focused and resolved going forward. That’s the number of delegates some suggest is needed to win the Democratic nomination.The other important number is 174. That’s the total delegates that will have been chosen by the time the fourth vote is taken in South Carolina on Jan. 26.

Sen. Barack Obama and Clinton each picked up nine delegates in New Hampshire. Nationally, Obama currently leads with 25 pledged delegates. Clinton is in second with 24, and John Edwards has 18. (A closer look at the full scorecard, including super delegates, is available here.)…read the rest at Women’s Voices for Change

FIRST WIVES CLUB

Her husband was president, midway through his first term. She was his wife, but hardly a retiring first lady. She was involved in all aspects of policy and legislation, a passionate advocate for the poor.Her path seemed obvious – if radical. Her husband’s political mastermind came to her sitting room: “If you want to be president,” the strategist said, “tell me now so I can start getting things ready.”

The year was 1935. The strategist: Louis Howe. The First Lady: Eleanor Roosevelt…READ THE REST IN THE NEW YORK POST

HILLARY THE TEA BAG

Clinton-fatigue drove independents and young voters into Barack Obama’s caucus corners in Iowa last night. Hillary Clinton’s gender, as radical a change for the presidency as Obama’s race, was trumped by voter familiarity with her fifteen-year, often controversial reign as the most prominent woman politician in the country. She looked more like news from the 1990’s than the future first woman president of the United States.

Clinton’s strategy consciously invited voters to look back, not just at her early work and legislative record, but at the respected legacy of her husband’s White House years. Her campaign seemed to believe that because Clinton is a woman, the “change thing” would take care of itself. After all, anyone could look at her and see she represented change.

But voters wanted more. They wanted to feel a sense of movement, of difference. They wanted to feel the emotional exhilaration of hope for the future after seven bleak years of Bush despair. Unlike Barack Obama, Clinton tried to skip the heart part and go upfront with beating up on Bush and pounding out her policy ideas. It isn’t an awful strategy, but it also isn’t the right strategy for this moment in time.

Now the heat is turned way up for Clinton to regroup. Independent voters are even more likely to be a big percentage of the vote in New Hampshire than they were in Iowa. Obama had the message in Iowa that hit them in the right place, right now. Clinton has an even more compelling narrative around change and hope, because she will know how to deliver. Fashioning that message, however, and delivering it with strength and purpose will be hard because Obama’s rhetoric is out in front. That’s why it’s a good time for Clinton to think about one of her favorite Eleanor Roosevelt quotes: “A woman is like a teabag. She doesn’t know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.” Facing the voters of New Hampshire, Clinton’s about to find out how strong she really is.

TO READ ABOUT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT’S RUN FOR PRESIDENT GO TO ROBIN GERBER’S WEB PAGE.