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Obama Labor Backer Open to VP Vetting
June 16, 2008 9:52 PM
ABC News' Teddy Davis, Tahman Bradley, Gregory Wallace, and Alexa Ainsworth Report: One of the unwritten rules of politics is that if you want to be vice president, you don't lobby for the job. But one of Barack Obama's most prominent labor backers has put herself in the running.
A Friday e-mail entitled, "New possibilities for Obama's VP," touted Anna Burger, the chair of the powerful "Change to Win" federation, to be the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee. What was unusual about the missive to reporters is that it originated from a press secretary working at one of Burger's own unions.
"Thought you would be interested in this from David Sirota's column today on possible VP picks for Barack Obama," wrote Mark McCullough of the Service Employees International Union.
McCullough then bolded this line from Sirota's column: "[O]utside the electoral arena there are people like Anna Burger -- a leader of one of the largest labor unions, who was recently hailed by the Wall Street Journal as one of the 50 most influential women in America." The focus of the column by Sirota, who recently wrote "The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington," was finding an "anti-Clinton," populist candidate for vice president.
When ABC News contacted S.E.I.U. to find out if Burger was prepared to be vetted for the vice presidency, Burger spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller said, "certainly."
She quickly added, however, that while Burger is flattered to have been mentioned by Sirota, she does not expect the Obama campaign to vet her for the job.
"More than anything else," said Mueller, "that Burger's name was mentioned in a column about Obama's running mate is a reflection of the unprecedented involvement of workers in this election and of the incredible impact that the election will have on the lives of working people in this country."
"She is going to work as hard as she possibly can to make sure that he is the next president," said Mueller, referring to the work that "Change to Win" and its member unions are already doing on behalf of Obama.
Asked why SEIU was taking the unusual step of promoting the head of its labor federation for the job, Mueller explained that Burger did not want the press to overlook a handful of populist candidates that Sirota touted in his column. In addition to Burger, the Sirota excerpt emailed to reporters by SEIU also touted Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
"I think there have been a number of really good suggestions made, and we wanted to make sure that all the people who have been put out there are in the mix," said Mueller. "Use the information as you will."
While noting that Burger originally hails from the battleground state of Pennsylvania, Mueller acknowledged Burger's dark-horse status.
"She's not waiting for a phone call," said Mueller.
June 16, 2008 in Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (24)
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NO! Absolutely not! No Labor people as Pres or VP ever. NOT GOOD! For one, they are too pushy, good for labor disputes, but that's it!
Posted by: irma | Jun 16, 2008 10:02:27 PM
When would someone finally realize that it's the union that kill all the jobs and move them overseas??? They demand so much.
Posted by: hannah | Jun 16, 2008 10:35:52 PM
Oh please, no way Obama would pick her.
Posted by: erin | Jun 16, 2008 10:43:06 PM
Now the rest of the companies that had a some faith in this country are now getting ready to pack their bags and leave if Obama gets elected. WOW Obama will create jobs now.jobs
Posted by: jobless | Jun 16, 2008 11:07:05 PM
I love how rampant speculation can begin. Has the Obama camp even mentioned her as a possibility? If it's a woman it will be 1 of 4. HRC(Unlikely after the PSD appointment), Janet Naplotiano, Kathleen Seibelius and Claire McCaskill(one of Obama's closest friends in the Senate)
Posted by: Steven | Jun 16, 2008 11:16:09 PM
irma: You speak for me on this one. No special interest group, period.
Posted by: Gillis | Jun 16, 2008 11:49:37 PM
If Obama wants the Hillary supporters votes he will chose Hillary for vice president or he will lose the election, because to many democrats already have elected to vote for Mc Bush, Me I am writing Hillary in come November.
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | Jun 17, 2008 12:12:26 AM
She shouldn't wait for a phone call either. Obama needs someone with real National Security experience and too much change (a woman other than Hillary)would not be embraced.
Personally, I think the Hillary supporters would be Pissed Off if any woman is offered the slot over her. It wouldn't make him any more attractive to me to vote for.
HILLARY SUPPORTER FOR McCAIN.
Posted by: Debra | Jun 17, 2008 1:09:17 AM
Obama campaign was talking to Patty Soleis Doyle before she left Hillary and this position he gave her today put the kabosh on any VP dream (not that I would want it, Hillary would be blamed for any little thing). I am a big Hillary supporter who will vote McCain....no write in's, no sitting it out....that allows Obama to inch closer to WH, and that is just unacceptable.
Exit polls should show loud and clear to DNC, Hillary supporters en masse for Senator McCain. You can't shove Obama at us when Hillary was the popular vote candidate and he limped to the finish line, losing 9 out of 14.
McCain '08/Hillary /12
Posted by: Debra | Jun 17, 2008 1:21:13 AM
"Malik Obama confirms his half-brother Barack grew up a Muslim "[updated]
By Israel Insider staff June 13, 2008
Bookmark to del.icio.usDigg This Story
Malik holds a photo of Obama and him in Muslim dress, reportedly when the two first met in 1985
Apparently the Obamas of Kenya have been reading those scurrilous emails to which Barack likes to refer, because they have no doubt -- contrary to the claims of the Obama campaign, that the presidential candidate was raised a Moslem. They take that as a given.
As the Jerusalem Post reports, "Barack Obama's half brother Malik said Thursday that if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background. In an interview with Army Radio he expressed a special salutation from the Obamas of Kenya."
The Obama brothers' father, a senior economist for the Kenyan government who studied at Harvard University, died in car crash in 1982. He left six sons and a daughter. All of his children - except Malik -- live in Britain or the United States. Malik and Barack met in 1985 in the US.
"He was best man at my wedding and I was best man at his," said Malik in a 2004 interview with an AP reporter. Their paternal grandfather, Onyango Hussein Obama, was one of the first Muslim converts in Nyangoma-Kogelo, Malik said."
Why does Obama always lie?
Posted by: why lie? | Jun 17, 2008 1:30:48 AM
Obama says in his Audacity book "I will stand with the Muslims if the political winds shift in an ugly direction".
B. Hussein....MUSLIM.
Posted by: Debra | Jun 17, 2008 1:34:51 AM
Hillary would be a fool to accept the vice presidency under B O!
She would be spending her days cleaning up after his gaffes and other boneheaded mistakes.
She can play nursemaid when Chelsea has kids!
COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY!
Posted by: lend an ear!l | Jun 17, 2008 1:35:25 AM
Sirota has no cred with me anymore.
His support of Obama when he rallies against candidates beholden to special interests is a joke. I expected more of Sirota then that.
Posted by: alpaig | Jun 17, 2008 2:29:02 AM
I must admit a woman pushing herself is a candidate I'd look at twice. But reality is she doesn't have 18 million voters, no one of the Obama wishes do. Clinton is the one to unite, and she is the one who earned it.
Posted by: Sylvia Johnsen | Jun 17, 2008 2:44:25 AM
Al from NJ
your list look a lot like the list Republicans roll off about Bill Clinton.
Some of your points have some import. But since no politician can reach national stature without shaking some dirty hands any national political figure could have similar points made.
But what prompted me to post was a couple points you made in particular.
"They don’t want a candidate that has a Muslim father."
and
They don’t' want a candidate named; Barack Hussein Obama"
I will do you the service of not commenting anymore on these two points anymore then singling them out by quoting them in mine. I am also from NJ and you deserve at least that much.
there are a lot of things in this world to hate. Just not the ones you seem too.
Posted by: BonVivant | Jun 17, 2008 7:37:48 AM
Obama's chickens, or shall I say favor seekers, are coming home to roost. Those that paved the way for Obama are calling in their chips. They can bully weak Obama. That is why they wanted Clinton gone.
Posted by: geevill | Jun 17, 2008 10:07:18 AM
I am so sick of so called hillary supporters you are not that special she lost end of story . by the way i am a women but i guess not your type of woman. Obama has aright to pick whom ever he chooses. And by the way if he choose to hire Ms. Doyle remember hillary fired her.Move on
Posted by: pia | Jun 17, 2008 11:50:41 AM
Huh? Who is she? Anyway, go Obama go! We here in PA are signing up new voters for you every day. It is fantastic, positive!!! Don't look back or you'll turn to salt, so you can't worry about those angry Clinton people who say they won't vote for you. They are nothing but negative and that's too bad, it's awful. That is their loss, that is their derangement. They want to throw away their vote to that McBush guy, so be it. P.S. Where is Hillary Clinton and her support of Obama like she promised?
Posted by: RuthieM | Jun 17, 2008 11:56:04 AM
Tell us why we should support Obama, we supported Hillary Clinton in the primary because we believe she is the best candidate for the presidency.
We did not support Obama then and will not change our opinion of him, which is he is inexperienced and his ideas of CHANGE, is something we do not believe in.
Hillary might have promised her supporters will support Clinton but she could only ask, and ask she did, but we have gently told her, no deal.
RuthieM and other females come and join us at puma.com and say NO Way NO Obama
Posted by: TerryDo | Jun 17, 2008 12:49:17 PM
352 superdelegates and Al Gore were wrong.
Posted by: Sylvia Johnsen | Jun 17, 2008 12:52:02 PM
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