MSNBC Says AFL-CIO To Stump For McCain?

I just heard on MSNBC that the AFL-CIO labor union, which backed Hillary, will be sending out 6,000 of its members to 22 states to talk to people about John McCain. I think MSNBC reported this as a plus for McCain, which is where the confusion is coming from. Apparently CNN seems to think it's an endorsement for McCain. I think the news organizations have this wrong.

If this is true, we've got to have our unions come down hard on the AFL-CIO. John McCain is NO FRIEND to labor unions and to labor rights!

EDIT: Apparently I heard wrong. They'll be stumping AGAINST John McCain. Damn MSNBC.

I think MSNBC reported this wrong:

"John McCain is getting more help from organized labor, the AFL-CIO announcing it will send more than 6,000 of it's people to more than 22 states over the next two weekends to talk about Senator McCain."

•  tip jar

  by slinkerwink on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:41:53 AM PDT

  •  "Talk to people"

    I could talk to people about John McCain too. And say what an asshole he is.

    slinkerwink, this isn't even a diary. This is four sentences!

    by Eddie in ME on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:43:17 AM PDT

    •  And if you heard wrong

      then don't update the "diary". Delete it.

      by Eddie in ME on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:47:55 AM PDT

      •  He didn't hear wrong...

        ...I heard it too.  MSNBC (as in the quote the diarist provided) clearly mislabeled this AFL-CIO action as stumping for McCain when it was the opposite.

        "John McCain is getting more help from organized labor, the AFL-CIO announcing it will send more than 6,000 of it's people to more than 22 states over the next two weekends to talk about Senator McCain."

        This was an informative and well presented diary.  We don't all want to spend 10 minutes reading a 2 minute story.

        The diarists one BIG mistake was admitting to making a mistake that MSNBC actually had made.  This is a trap John Kerry used to fall into all the time.

        by neoeconomist on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:26:44 AM PDT

  •  WTF?

    How can they go from Hillary to McCain? Was there any rationale given for such an abrupt switch?

    Lisa

    by Boston to Salem on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:43:55 AM PDT

    •  AFL-CIO DID NOT ENDORSE HRC

      The AFL-CIO has not endorsed anyone. Not HRC and Not McCain.

      by unionsally on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:14:01 AM PDT

  •  "Talk to people about"

    isn't necessarily positive.

    They could be going out to persuade people against him. Could you update with more information and clarify whether the story you saw was absolutely categorical about what kind of "talking" they're going to be doing?

    by sab39 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:44:33 AM PDT

  •  No tips till you verify this

    And I'm not buying it till I hear it from the AFL-CIO and not from some putz on TV.

    by Ivan on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:45:05 AM PDT

  •  No tips for this -- please delete

    by ATL Dem on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:45:11 AM PDT

  •  fixed your tags.

    by Wee Mama on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:03:02 AM PDT

  •  They Had Already Committed $$$ To Beating McCain.

    Either they reported it wrong, or you heard it wrong. Either way, I think its time to put this one in the recycling bin....

    by Steve Singiser on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:04:55 AM PDT

  •  slinkerwink, while I enjoy your posts

    There will be no tips for you for this one.

    by Friar on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:20:36 AM PDT

•  That's a slap in the face

  Wow.  I'm speechless.

  by Czar Chasm on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:43:32 AM PDT

•  You have to be fucking kidding me? nt

  by Dreggas on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:43:35 AM PDT

  •  Corrected: They're stumping against him.

    by ObamaManiac2008 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:44:30 AM PDT

•  I think you have it wrong.

  "Talk about John McCain" probably means tell everyone how much he sucks.

  I heard from a friend who worked at the AFL-CIO that the AFL-CIO is spending $60 million "to support the Democratic nominee."

  by Cat Servant on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:43:54 AM PDT

•  I amend my previous comment, you were kidding me

  by Dreggas on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:44:04 AM PDT

•  This story doesn't pass the smell test

  by Sagebrush Bob on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:44:12 AM PDT

•  not FOR McCain

  AGAINST McCain.  Your title is wrong.

  by winsock on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:44:17 AM PDT

•  OK, then delete this diary

  by ATL Dem on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:44:33 AM PDT

•  did it only say "talk to people about"

  or did it say support?

  At this point that report is highly ambiguous.  We need something more concrete.  

  And how many times, if at all, has the AFL-CIO supported a R for president in the last 50 years?  

  by G2geek on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:45:06 AM PDT

•  "To talk to people about McCain..."

  Perhaps to tell voters that McCain is no friend of workers?

  More info needed.

  by deben on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:45:29 AM PDT

  •  Exactly

    The AFL-CIO has not endorsed a candidate, but they have issued essentially an anti-endorsement, endorsing the defeat of John McCain. They are working to convince their members that McCain is bad news for working families. Check this out: http://www.aflcio.org/...

    by democrattotheend on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:56:00 AM PDT

    •  apparently CNN's reporting the same as MSNBC

      I don't know who's feeding them this information.

      by slinkerwink on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:57:50 AM PDT

•  AFL-CIO will spend millions

  against McCain. I read the 'to talk to people about McCain' as that they will be exposing him. Believe me, people in the labor movement think that this an epochal election and that the DEMOCRATIC PARTY must win.

  by yellowdog on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:47:16 AM PDT

•  CNN just announced the AFL-CIO

  was "backing" McCain. This needs some 'splainin!

  by moose67 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:48:01 AM PDT

  •  CNN said AFL-CIO to back McCain?

    Did they parrot the line from MSNBC?

    by slinkerwink on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:57:19 AM PDT

•  I call BS because they launched $53mil campaign

  against him in March

  http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...

  by DWKING on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:49:20 AM PDT

•  I heard the same thing on MSNBC. Hoping this

  is wrong.

  by Leftovers on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:52:40 AM PDT

  •  I heard it too! Mystified! eom

    by orangeuglad on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:54:34 AM PDT

•  msnbc is dumb...

  they are going after mccain

  by Irishkorean on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:54:49 AM PDT

•  Further nitpicking

  AFL-CIO is not a labor union, but a federation of labor unions. And Hillary was not endorsed by the AFL-CIO, as far as I know.

  by Vikingkingq on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:55:28 AM PDT

  •  She has not been endorsed by the AFL-CIO

    Some of the big AFL-CIO unions have endorsed Clinton, but the federation has not endorsed a candidate. Some of their unions have also endorsed Obama...he just picked up AFGE this morning.

    The AFL-CIO has not endorsed a candidate, but they have issued essentially an anti-endorsement, endorsing the defeat of John McCain. They are working to convince their members that McCain is bad news for working families. Check this out: http://www.aflcio.org/...

    Since March, while Clinton and Obama have been duking it out, the AFL-CIO has been busy trying to define McCain for its members and the general public, working to shed the myth that he is a maverick and demonstrate why he is bad news for working families. They have been protesting outside of his events for months.

    by democrattotheend on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:57:30 AM PDT

•  A relatively minor quibble

  The AFL-CIO isn't a union -- it's a coalition or federation of unions.  Referring to it as a union is like calling the UN a country.

  by Pesto on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:56:11 AM PDT

•  AFL-CIO

  MAY 8:

  The nation's largest labor federation announced today that it will go door-to-door in battleground states over the next two weekends to tell union voters about its concerns with Republican John McCain's economic and healthcare proposals.

  LINK

  by winsock on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:01:24 AM PDT

  •  MSNBC said below...

    "John McCain is getting more help from organized labor, the AFL-CIO announcing it will send more than 6,000 of it's people to more than 22 states over the next two weekends to talk about Senator McCain."

    I think MSNBC reported it wrong.

    by slinkerwink on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:02:21 AM PDT

    •  They'll be talking about McCain but

      it won't be pretty!

      by DWKING on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:04:05 AM PDT

    •  MSNBC needs to correct their error

      PRONTO

      by winsock on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:05:08 AM PDT

•  PLEASE DELETE THIS DIARY

  The AFL-CIO did not endorse McCain. They have not endorsed anyone.

  They have lauched a multi-million dollar campaign AGAINST John McCain.

  by unionsally on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:16:23 AM PDT

•  AFL-CIO is working to DEFEAT McCain

  Thanks for correcting the info in this diary. We at the AFL-CIO have been out front for a couple months focusing on getting out the true info on McCain's record.

  Check our website on McCain here:
  http://www.aflcio.org/...

  We're updating the McCain "Briefing Book" on the site to include his latest outrages.

  Please feel free to contact us at [e-mail] to check on any info before going public so that there's no confusion about what we're doing.

  by Tula Connell on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:16:47 AM PDT

  •  can you contact MSNBC and CNN

    and ask them to issue an on-air correction?

    by slinkerwink on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:19:32 AM PDT

    •  I work at the AFL-CIO

      and just called our media dept -- they are trying to get them to correct this misinformation.

      by unionsally on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:20:40 AM PDT

      •  Thanks, Sally.

        by slinkerwink on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:43:48 AM PDT

      •  Make lemonade out of lemons

        This is a massive, irresponsible, and pathetic screwup by whoever "reported" this story.  How many people involved in this story could have said, "Hmmm, this doesn't sound right -- maybe I'll just check the AFL-CIO's website to see what's going on" before it got on the air?  The AFL-CIO (as you know!) has a big anti-McCain pic and link on their front page.

        Or someone could have, you know, called the AFL-CIO and done some actual reporting ahead of time.  

        So hopefully the AFL can extract some groveling apologies from whatever dingbat allowed this to go on the air, and get some extra free media out of the deal.

        by Pesto on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:44:15 AM PDT

  •  Thanks Tula

    by unionsally on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:21:13 AM PDT

•  No union should ever support McCain.

  I would be shocked if that story were true.  

  by khyber900 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:34:01 AM PDT

•  Please delete.........Thanks!

  by Hope Monger on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:37:49 AM PDT

•  DELETE

  Inflammatory and stupid. No purpose, other than antagonizing, is served by keeping this here.

  by raboof on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:53:51 AM PDT

•  delete or at least change the title

  The "update" in the diary text isn't enough.  Make the title say that CNN blew it, or whatever.

  by clyde on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:14:30 AM PDT