Andy Stern, head of the SEIU, is "retiring" from the union. The news has a lot of people scratching their heads. The man is arguably at the top of his game, so why is he throwing in the towel?
There are a few ideas about why he's quitting, from wanting to concentrate on Obama's deficit reduction commission to preparing himself to be a Supreme Court nominee. That last one seems a bit far-fetched, though, because there would be strong opposition to his appointment by Senate republicans (and a majority of Americans, not that that really matters). The fact that he is neither a lawyer nor judge certainly should put him out of the running, even if his radicalism and conservative opposition doesn't.
No doubt he will be spending a lot of time on the deficit reduction panel, but it's also quite likely that all of his newfound free time will be spent advising a certain resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Why stop now? After all, there is still amnesty to force through. Think of all of those new Americans to put on the labor rolls! No doubt he wants to be able to work closely with his old buddy Barry O. for another heapin' helping of "social justice". Even our braindead neoPravda media couldn't miss the glaring conflict of interest if the sitting CEO of SEIU were instrumental in legislation for increasing the workforce by millions. Now he has the shiny patina of virtue in no longer being affiliated with the labor union. It's a wafer-thin patina, but that seems to be enough for this administration. It just needs the barest appearance of credibility or virtue.
There was a time, once, when the barest whiff of a scandal ruined someone for public life. Now all that is required to pursue public life is the barest whiff of respectability. Have we really become so ADD as a society that we can only give those who would rule us the quickest, most cursory once-over before moving on to the next big iWhatever/celebutant/scandal of the nanosecond? How horribly sad.
There is talk that there might be a scandal brewing at the root of Stern's resignation, but the talk is vague and non-committal. All of these instances of wild conjecture do is distract from reality.
One reality could be dissent in the ranks. Stern and SEIU have experienced some internal revolts over the past few years. In 2005 Stern and the SEIU joined the Teamsters and other unions in breaking away from the AFL-CIO, creating the Change to Win coalition. They in turn have been battling a breakaway union that has been luring thousands of unionized health care workers away from SEIU. There are also allegations of corruption by a handpicked protegee and excessive grasping for power and strong-arm tactics on opposing unions and bosses.
The other reality is that his move out of SEIU should be cause for concern, no matter what the root cause. It is far better to have people like him out in the open. When a manipulative man with power and an agenda goes under the radar, it's time to get nervous. Very nervous. This man has a huge amount of power and influence, and he has an agenda that he has been dreaming of implementing since his college days in the 1960's - a vision shared by the current commander-in-chief. He's not going anywhere, except underground.
Much like Van Jones, Andy Stern bears watching. Looking elsewhere while he positions himself behind the scenes and enabling him to fly under the radar would be a huge mistake.
Showing posts with label SEIU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SEIU. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sunday, October 25, 2009
HIJINX IN UPSTATE NEW YORK
Troy NY is embroiled in a major voter fraud scandal. So far, 38 absentee ballots have been fraudulently cast and subsequently thrown out. Needless to say, accusations are flying. A special prosecutor, Trey Smith, has been appointed to investigate the allegations. There is little doubt that there will be arrests and prosecutions, and substantial jail time is involved.
At the center of this whirlwind is the Working Families Party. This is an ACORN affiliated group co-founded by Bertha Lewis, CEO of ACORN. One would think that this would indict the democrats, and there are many who believe 'rogue' democrats are at fault.
"As soon as I heard it -- I was mad, disappointed, frustrated," says Troy Democratic Chairman Frank LaPosta. He blames what he calls "a rogue group of Democrats," and says what happened "is beyond comprehension."
According to BigGovernment.com, "Because of the unique nature of New York State election law, candidates are allowed to be endorsed and appear on the voting machine ballot as the candidate of multiple parties, winning the cumulative total of all votes cast for that candidate on multiple party lines. Minor parties such as the Conservative, Liberal and Right to Life Party have played significant roles in New York politics."
But this little caveat is the opening needed for there to be some finger-pointing over who is to blame for the fraudulent votes. Bob Mirch, the majority leader of the Renssaeler County legislature, is a Republican leader who often runs candidates on the WFP line in order to work the system to garner additional votes for conservative candidates. This process is not unlawful, and is viewed as simply a legal way of gaming the system. But Republican/Conservative use of the WFP is why there are those who are placing the blame on Republicans, namely Rensselaer County Democratic Chairman Tom Wade and Troy City Council President Clem Campana:
"A former 18-year Democratic county elections commissioner himself, Wade puts the blame not on his party's political operatives, but on Mirch, and is calling for a countywide investigation of absentee ballots. He says he does not know if the allegations are true.
"I have known Bob Mirch long enough and well enough to know he would not pay private investigators to provide information that was not beneficial to his political agenda. This entire investigation is a smokescreen to cover a back-door pay raise" the legislature granted itself, he claimed. He calls the allegations "a diversion" created by Mirch for political reasons. But the accusations and affidavits are now the province of Trey Smith, a lawyer and former prosecutor, who has been appointed as a special prosecutor to investigate the scandal. Many of the people we talked to in Troy believe his findings will eventually lead to prosecutions."
It sounds like the usual liberal projection, though. Expect the Neo Pravda media to follow this line of thinking - at least until the investigation proves otherwise. Then you can expect them to not report it at all. Mirch's use of the WFP to level the political playing field, though necessary, has given his liberal opponents temporary cover.
By all accounts, the fraud would have tipped the election in favor of Democrats, so that in itself should tell you who is at fault, but this is a country where innocence is presumed, so a full investigation must be concluded first.
It will be interesting to see how Bertha Lewis tries to distance herself from this if it gains steam (I wonder which employee will be taking the fall), but, more importantly, how will the White House distance themselves? Patrick Gaspard, the White House's political director, was Bertha Lewis's right hand man during his time with ACORN, worked with ACORN in upstate NY to set up WFP and sat on the board with Bertha Lewis.
I'm sure there is no relation to Obama whatsoever. Hey, I managed to write that with a straight face - I must be getting really jaded....
Patrick Gaspard is a highly regarded member of the Obama administration (the Huffington Post calls him Obama's 'Glue Man') who has a long history with democrat politics and union organizations. Gaspard's involvement in SEIU, WFP and ACORN fly in the face of Obama's assertion that he's 'barely aware' of ACORN's numerous ethics and criminal issues. This man is Bertha Lewis' direct contact with the White House. She has Gaspard's ear and he, in turn, has Obama's. The American Spectator has a great piece on Gaspard and his relationship with both Lewis and Obama.
The voter fraud in Troy and the WFP's connections to ACORN could potentially sound the death knell for the unholy beast that is ACORN and all of it's many affiliations. But, just like in horror movies, sometimes the beast rises again and, considering the political clout backing the organization, that scenario isn't too far fetched.
It certainly bears watching.
At the center of this whirlwind is the Working Families Party. This is an ACORN affiliated group co-founded by Bertha Lewis, CEO of ACORN. One would think that this would indict the democrats, and there are many who believe 'rogue' democrats are at fault.
"As soon as I heard it -- I was mad, disappointed, frustrated," says Troy Democratic Chairman Frank LaPosta. He blames what he calls "a rogue group of Democrats," and says what happened "is beyond comprehension."
According to BigGovernment.com, "Because of the unique nature of New York State election law, candidates are allowed to be endorsed and appear on the voting machine ballot as the candidate of multiple parties, winning the cumulative total of all votes cast for that candidate on multiple party lines. Minor parties such as the Conservative, Liberal and Right to Life Party have played significant roles in New York politics."
But this little caveat is the opening needed for there to be some finger-pointing over who is to blame for the fraudulent votes. Bob Mirch, the majority leader of the Renssaeler County legislature, is a Republican leader who often runs candidates on the WFP line in order to work the system to garner additional votes for conservative candidates. This process is not unlawful, and is viewed as simply a legal way of gaming the system. But Republican/Conservative use of the WFP is why there are those who are placing the blame on Republicans, namely Rensselaer County Democratic Chairman Tom Wade and Troy City Council President Clem Campana:
"A former 18-year Democratic county elections commissioner himself, Wade puts the blame not on his party's political operatives, but on Mirch, and is calling for a countywide investigation of absentee ballots. He says he does not know if the allegations are true.
"I have known Bob Mirch long enough and well enough to know he would not pay private investigators to provide information that was not beneficial to his political agenda. This entire investigation is a smokescreen to cover a back-door pay raise" the legislature granted itself, he claimed. He calls the allegations "a diversion" created by Mirch for political reasons. But the accusations and affidavits are now the province of Trey Smith, a lawyer and former prosecutor, who has been appointed as a special prosecutor to investigate the scandal. Many of the people we talked to in Troy believe his findings will eventually lead to prosecutions."
It sounds like the usual liberal projection, though. Expect the Neo Pravda media to follow this line of thinking - at least until the investigation proves otherwise. Then you can expect them to not report it at all. Mirch's use of the WFP to level the political playing field, though necessary, has given his liberal opponents temporary cover.
By all accounts, the fraud would have tipped the election in favor of Democrats, so that in itself should tell you who is at fault, but this is a country where innocence is presumed, so a full investigation must be concluded first.
It will be interesting to see how Bertha Lewis tries to distance herself from this if it gains steam (I wonder which employee will be taking the fall), but, more importantly, how will the White House distance themselves? Patrick Gaspard, the White House's political director, was Bertha Lewis's right hand man during his time with ACORN, worked with ACORN in upstate NY to set up WFP and sat on the board with Bertha Lewis.
I'm sure there is no relation to Obama whatsoever. Hey, I managed to write that with a straight face - I must be getting really jaded....
Patrick Gaspard is a highly regarded member of the Obama administration (the Huffington Post calls him Obama's 'Glue Man') who has a long history with democrat politics and union organizations. Gaspard's involvement in SEIU, WFP and ACORN fly in the face of Obama's assertion that he's 'barely aware' of ACORN's numerous ethics and criminal issues. This man is Bertha Lewis' direct contact with the White House. She has Gaspard's ear and he, in turn, has Obama's. The American Spectator has a great piece on Gaspard and his relationship with both Lewis and Obama.
The voter fraud in Troy and the WFP's connections to ACORN could potentially sound the death knell for the unholy beast that is ACORN and all of it's many affiliations. But, just like in horror movies, sometimes the beast rises again and, considering the political clout backing the organization, that scenario isn't too far fetched.
It certainly bears watching.
Monday, September 28, 2009
HOW HIGH DOES IT GO?
There is news breaking on American Spectator that Patrick Gaspard, a top Obama White House aide, is also a longtime ACORN operative. The man who now holds the same powerful, influential title as Karl Rove was "chief organizer" Bertha Lewis' political director in New York, and, just to add a little extra zing to his resume, he was also executive VP for political and legislative affairs for SEIU 1199. He was also registered as a lobbyist for SEIU in 2007.
If this guy was in any deeper, he'd need a snorkel.
Democrat response to all things ACORN has been rather reminiscent of cockroaches when the lights are turned on, even going so far as voting in enormous numbers to illustrate their distance. I have an issue with the House vote, however. They attached it to a bill with a few quite questionable 'poison pills'. As usual, Pelosi is taking advantage of a hot issue and passing unpopular stuff on it's coattails. Heaven forbid we have that 'dialogue' they prize so dearly.
The fact that there were some - especially in the Senate, where there was no poison pill - who voted to keep funding ACORN should raise some eyebrows. How many democrats used ACORN to 'get out the vote'? How many of them voted against defunding? Any name that comes up for both questions should be investigated for closer ties.
This organization is deeply vested in the political landscape, and there are many politicians who are deeply involved in the funding and furthering of ACORN's agenda as well. Due to the high level of corruption investigations must be undertaken.
The big question is: How high does it go?
By now, many people know that, back in 1995, Barack Obama represented ACORN in court, trained staff over a 10 year period from 1993-2003, headed Project Vote in 1992, etc, etc, etc. If you are not familiar with his ACORN history, check out this great article by World Net Daily.
His ties are deep, but during the campaign he started to distance himself from the organization, even though he paid them $832,000 to 'get out the vote'.
ACORN is deeply involved in this administration, and this new revelation of Patrick Gaspard's high level appointment shows how deeply Obama is still involved with ACORN.
Isn't it amazing that Watergate, a case of wire-tapping and spying on political opponents, would have such deep repercussions, and yet ACORN's ties to Obama and it's long, long list of corruption, embezzlement, voter fraud and money laundering is something the administration expects to shrug off?
If this guy was in any deeper, he'd need a snorkel.
Democrat response to all things ACORN has been rather reminiscent of cockroaches when the lights are turned on, even going so far as voting in enormous numbers to illustrate their distance. I have an issue with the House vote, however. They attached it to a bill with a few quite questionable 'poison pills'. As usual, Pelosi is taking advantage of a hot issue and passing unpopular stuff on it's coattails. Heaven forbid we have that 'dialogue' they prize so dearly.
The fact that there were some - especially in the Senate, where there was no poison pill - who voted to keep funding ACORN should raise some eyebrows. How many democrats used ACORN to 'get out the vote'? How many of them voted against defunding? Any name that comes up for both questions should be investigated for closer ties.
This organization is deeply vested in the political landscape, and there are many politicians who are deeply involved in the funding and furthering of ACORN's agenda as well. Due to the high level of corruption investigations must be undertaken.
The big question is: How high does it go?
By now, many people know that, back in 1995, Barack Obama represented ACORN in court, trained staff over a 10 year period from 1993-2003, headed Project Vote in 1992, etc, etc, etc. If you are not familiar with his ACORN history, check out this great article by World Net Daily.
His ties are deep, but during the campaign he started to distance himself from the organization, even though he paid them $832,000 to 'get out the vote'.
ACORN is deeply involved in this administration, and this new revelation of Patrick Gaspard's high level appointment shows how deeply Obama is still involved with ACORN.
Isn't it amazing that Watergate, a case of wire-tapping and spying on political opponents, would have such deep repercussions, and yet ACORN's ties to Obama and it's long, long list of corruption, embezzlement, voter fraud and money laundering is something the administration expects to shrug off?
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