Posted on 04/30/2019 2:28:16 AM PDT by Kaslin
PITTSBURGH -- Joe Biden's decision to kick off his presidential campaign in Western Pennsylvania Monday shows that he is not just in a battle for the soul of the country; he is in a battle for the soul of his party.s
That battle begins and ends with long primary contests that many Democratic experts and officials believe will be decided exactly one year from now, on Pennsylvania's April 29 primary voting day.
"This nominating process certainly has all of the ingredients to go long, and the Democratic voters in this state hold the key to help defining our party as being the party of the working class," said Harold Schaitberger, the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, in an interview with The New York Post.
The IAFF, which represents more than 316,000 full-time firefighters and paramedics, announced its endorsement of Biden in Pittsburgh, something Schaitberger said is one of the earliest endorsements it's ever done, and one it did not give Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the 2016 election.
"That marked the first time we've ever not endorsed in a presidential election," he said.
Schaitberger bluntly admits Clinton just did not connect with labor, but Biden does.
"We're also responsible to make sure that, quite frankly, the nominee isn't a nominee that is gonna take the party off the left cliff," he said. "It seems that too many candidates have high-minded, aspirational ideals, but it's not a recipe for winning and succeeding. And it doesn't really reflect in many ways the heart and soul of workers, middle-class workers."
If you think the IAFF's influence in the Democratic primary process is not of significance, a moment in the 2004 election cycle is often overlooked, when former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean had captured the imagination and speculation among the press and pundits.
"As you know, Howard Dean was gonna be the nominee. It was that simple -- at least, that is what everyone said, until all of a sudden, we snuck up and literally carried John through Iowa and through New Hampshire," Schaitberger said of John Kerry. "And then he was off and running in the rest of the world."
The decision to back Biden has already annoyed President Trump, who tweeted Monday, "The Dues Sucking firefighters leadership will always support Democrats, even though the membership wants me. Some things never change!"
Often, where the firefighters go, so do other union workers.
Harold McDonald, a Democratic committee man from Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, and retired council representative for the Carpenters Union, is convinced this race is going long: "This is truly the battle for the soul of our party. You have pundits and reporters on the national news saying our party is one thing, and then you have the rank and file voters here saying that's not what we are voting on at all."
McDonald, who is African American, said voters here worry about health care and education. "That is what is important to me as well," he said. "That is why I am supporting Biden already."
The same goes for 22-year-old Hannah O'Toole, who sang the national anthem at the Workers Memorial Day celebration in Pittsburgh ahead of Biden's visit along with her father, 60-year-old Marty O'Toole, who is the business manager for Plumbers Local 27.
"Joe Biden's been a big part of the way we think and want to go and he has always been a front runner for us here in Pennsylvania," said Marty O'Toole, who is personally supporting the former vice president.
Hannah O'Toole is also leaning toward Biden. "I've liked him since Obama," she said.
Darrin Kelly, president of the powerful local labor council here in Western Pennsylvania and a city firefighter, said the Party has drifted too far left. And this is the state where, not just in the general but mostly in the primary, that will be decided.
"Today is an important reminder of what is important to voters in Pennsylvania in a Democratic primary and we expect the Democratic Party to truly start listening to what our message is, stop polarizing us and start welcoming us back, we want FDR style politics," Kelly said. "If our strength is truly our diversity then the party has to start listening to the working class, they have to welcome us back and our voice will be heard in the primary in this state and that the message we want about job creation, health care and pension security is what will bring us out in a general."
Well if the firefighters want to elect an idiot child molester, then they have their man.
This is all part of a quid pro quo. Many municipalities out there are facing bankruptcy, which will result in firefighter layoffs and perhaps even terminated pensions. Biden has no doubt agreed to support Federal bailout packages in exchange for their endorsement.
Democrat politics is a religion. They vote for corrupt democrats while their communities crumble just as Catholics go to Christmas mass even though they don’t like the church policy changes.
Why do govt workers need a union to begin with?
They can endorse him all they like, I know a lot of their members, they won’t be voting for Joe.
Ms. Zito has once again dusted off the glaringly obvious and handed to us a her own. Trump, my dear, is not so much bitter as he is resigned to the fact that a Democrat front group masquerading as a grass roots union, run for and by the Democrats will always support the Democrats. That’s how they get paid. That is their job. So, sorry Ms. Zito this is nothing new and Trump is not “bitter.” He is very intelligent and has been reading people his whole life. He knows what and who these people are. Besides it won’t mean a thing anyway.
Since when firefighters unionize? What a joke. It is supposed to be a volunteer militia type job. What next? Not allowing people who are not in a union to own a fire extinguisher?
Frankly if you are in a labor union and you support a guy who was No 2 in an administration that thought 1.5% GDP growth was acceptable as the “new normal”, then you are just plain stupid.
They don’t care. They don’t care if others do without. They only care if they get theirs. The union doesn’t care.
Convincing voters that something they know to be true is not is going to be tough sledding for joe. He’s already slurring speech after a few days.
And he hasn’t even faced Trump yet. It’s gonna be a massacre at the debates.
I’m good friends with Hubby’s union Pres.....which is part of the IAFF. We’ve had this conversation before. When you support Democrats because they’re supposed to be better for workers, they get in office and raise taxes which takes away the raise they just helped you get. How does that help us? Secretly I think he votes Republican but could never just say it.
This is what I suspected and just has to be the case.
I hope you are correct. Alot of people that work hard hat jobs supported Trump in 2016.
The UNION might have... I expect some backlash
:) That would be cool.The men and women are ashamed of this endorsement.I was reading their posts on facebook.They removed my remarks.
Years ago, we thought that the Union heads were all good fellas, I doubt if it has changed much. Lots of $$$$$ changed hands for votes. My parents were Union Members and registered Democrats, but when it came to election time they voted who ever they liked, and boy did they like Ike. As they put it, if you joined the Union you had to convince them you were a democrat to keep the job. Both parents were piece workers, so they did well. They produced more and they earned more. The hourly worker earned $1 an hour regardless of how many they produced. If they made 10 or 50 it was still an hourly wage. Unions saw that as fair? Unions protect the mediocre workers, not the hustlers. Go Union if you have to, but vote with your heart and mind for what is best for the country. When the economy grows, everything else falls in place. “Its still the economy stupids.”
Firefighters didn’t endorse Plugs, Schitburger did.
“Biden will not win the nomination.”
I was thinking that this endorsement belies that the DNC has already decided that Biden will be the nominee.
There are 19 other candidates who want the nomination. If the DNC tells them to not attack Biden on his record (there is plenty to attack) then they are rigging their primary again, which will backfire and drive their voters to stay home on election day.
I predict those 19 candidates will start to destroy Biden very soon....after the warm glow of his announcement fades and the campaigns really start to heat up.
Just wait until Biden stands on a stage debating the others and watch him be destroyed.
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