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A Tale of Two AFSCMEs: Chapter Two

Posted December 11th, 2007 by Sarah Janecek

Last week I wrote that AFSCME Council 65's endorsement of Mike Ciresi instead of Al Franken in the DFL U.S. Senate endorsing contest was a big win for Ciresi. Eliot Seide, the executive director of the other AFSCME group, Council 5, begs to differ. In a phone conversation, Seide called Council 65's endorsement "a last gasp of the Ciresi campaign." Here's the statement, verbatim, that Seide sent to PIM:

"The struggling Ciresi Campaign is suggesting that the AFSCME Council 65 endorsement will keep their candidate alive. It won’t. AFSCME Council 5 has the capacity to help Al Franken get across the finish line. We’re one of the largest and most politically active unions with 43,000 members in 87 counties throughout Minnesota. Our member-driven endorsement comes with a war chest and an army of 1000 volunteers dedicated to electing Al Franken and restoring the middle class. Because of our track record, the media calls us 'politically potent.' With our support, Al Franken is in the strongest position to win the DFL endorsement and general election. Our members endorsed Al Franken because he’s a lifelong union member who grew up in Minnesota and will use sharp wit, hard work and progressive convictions to restore the middle class."

OK, DFL readers, your turn. What do the dueling AFSCME endorsements mean to the candidates' campaigns?

Ciresi v. Franken

On December 12th, 2007 libgirl says:

Ciresi's campaign is hardly "struggling". He just got the endorsement of Tom Bakk and recently of Joan Growe. And his list of influential legislators supporting him continues to grow. Every indication is that in outstate Minnesota, which controls about 60% of the delegates, Ciresi is well ahead of his opponents; and in the Twin Cities and inner suburbs he is very competitive.

Franken may be a "lifelong union member", but Mike has fought for middle class families all of his working life; and if by chance he does lose the election he won't be leaving Minnesota for the East or West Coasts. But if Mr. Seide believes that the middle class will likely determine this election, he should ask himself which candidate will more likely appeal to the middle class, which includes not only the progressives on the left but the vast middle of the road voters, Independent and moderate Republican, union and non union members, who make up the 40% undecided voters iin this state. Franken's rhetoric over the past decade will surely make him the issue. (Just watch Norm Coleman's recent video on Al in case you have any doubt about that) Mike Ciresi wants to make Norm Coleman the issue, and he is the only Democratic candidate who has the debating and oratorical skills, not to mention the intellect, to do so. One only need watch any of the debates among the four candidates to reach this conclusion. In fact, of the four Democratic hopefuls, Franken ranks third or fourth in speaking skills. My sincere concern is that with Franken near the head of the ticket, not only will Coleman easily beat him but Franken may well bring defeat to whomever the Democratic presidential candidate is. (John Kerry won Minnesota by only a few percentage points even with Amy Klobuchar on the ticket)

AFSCME #65 saw all of Mike Ciresi's strengths when it endorsed him..