Teamsters look set to endorse Gephardt

WASHINGTON - The Teamsters union is poised to endorse Rep. Richard Gephardt's presidential campaign, according to three labor sources familiar with the union's plans.

An endorsement from the 1.4-million member union could give Gephardt, D-Mo., much-needed political momentum as he and other Democratic presidential candidates attend an AFL-CIO meeting next week in Chicago to court union leaders from across the country.

The Teamsters are part of the AFL-CIO. A Teamsters endorsement would be the most potent political force yet to back Gephardt's campaign, which has struggled to meet its own fund-raising goals, sparking questions about his ability to compete as a top-tier candidate.

He has secured the endorsements of nine other smaller unions, including two maritime labor groups that announced their support for Gephardt on Thursday.

more: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/75DD307D37B73FEF86256D750019DF5A?OpenDocument&Headline=Teamsters+look+set+to+endorse+Gephardt

yikes. (Dean can win - say it slowly until you realize it)

The Teamsters endorsing a Democrat for president. Things get wierder every day.

This is especially interesting in light of the way the Teamsters have sucked up to Bush.

I wonder what the Carpenters, Bush's "pet union" will do.

Gephardt missed the Overtime vote. I was getting e-mail every other
day from the AFL-CIO about that vote.....now they are going to support
someone who missed the vote?! Please correct me if I'm mistaken
about this.

has been in the pocket of big-labor for years. This is not a shocking relevation.

basically, unions are his only true constituency.

Getting more. See - voting against corporate trade agreements can pay off later. Gephardt is a serious candidate that can win the general election against Bush, unlike some of the other candidates.

I like Gephardt's international minimum wage idea, too, and the health care plan.

this will change the dynamics of the race

and he's becoming more pro-gay since his daughter came out

Gephardt is well within the mainstream of the Democratic party on social issues. But it's his economic issues that set him apart from the Deans, Kerrys, and Liebermans.

DLC=GOP say it again and again until you understand.

Alaska Teamsters official Jerry Hood will not challenge Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the 2004 GOP primary, he said Wednesday.
Hood, the 56-year-old secretary treasurer for Alaska Teamsters Local 959, said he can better serve Alaska by staying put.
"I think staying right where I am at and working on those issues from this position, I can do more for Alaskans, I can do more for the Teamsters than entertaining a race for the United States Senate," Hood said.
Hood was one of several potential GOP challengers to Murkowski, a first-year federal lawmaker seen as one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the Senate.
Hood also was one of several Republicans passed over by Gov. Frank Murkowski when he chose his daughter for the seat he held for more than 22 years.
<snip>
Hood is a former Democratic National Committeeman who switched parties to campaign for Frank Murkowski in his gubernatorial bid.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/073103/sta_leghood.shtml

Just an example of what I'm talking about.

I suspect you meant 2000 and yes but they went with the Red Ink Republicans in 2002 and still support republicans. They just built a brand new union hall in Houston and used non-union labor to build it. They said they wanted to save on labor costs.:wtf: Fuck them and the horse they rode in on.

AFSCME kicked it in for Clinton. It would be very hard for a Dem to win without their support.

Why are they endorsing Gephardt? Why did they endorse Gore in 2000? The Teamsters have not endorsed a Republican nominee for President since 1988.

DLC=GOP

you think gephardt can't win because he opposes nafta ? since when does the dlc support getting rid of nafta. doesn't the dlc consider that one of their biggest proudest accomplishments ?

I guess they are just friends.

The Teamsters supported Gore.

because our so called liberal media made a big deal about Hoffa being hosted at the Pukes convention in Philly. You see, the Teamsters witheld their endorsement until they had spoken to both sides and had them nailed down on where they stood on the issues important to the Brotherhood. They indeed did throw their support to Gore after this process in 2000.

No mistake the international leadership (not the TDU's) is GOP.

and so what if they supported republicans at times. they supported gore, hillary, bill clinton also. they are supporting gephardt because he has supported unions for a long time. i'm in california and there are union guys here that think he is great. a few years ago i remember seeing pro gephardt stickers at some labor union place. so i'm not surprised he is getting all these union endorsements.

the Teamsters seem to have worked very close with him.

Gephardt of the announced candidates has always been the one most favored by organized labor, and add to that the efforts of the DNC and DLC to trip the leftward candidates, Gephardt has the inside track.

When he concedes in November 2004, Hillary is immediately annointed the 2008 candidate. Very neat.