The Power Broker is dead; Long live the Power Broker
John Bailey was the Democratic Party boss of Connecticut for many years. He was one of the first party bosses to support JFK in 1960.
By 1968, the Democratic Party decided they had had enough of party bosses, and, with a series of reforms, essentially ushered the modern primary system, in which all but the super-delegates are elected by voters in primaries or caucuses, and delegates are allocated proportionally.
Obama Endorsed by Culinary Workers Union
Despite losing Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, Sen. Barack Obama secured the endorsement of the Culinary Workers union.
The endorsement of the 60,000-member Culinary Workers union is seen as the biggest get in Nevada, a state which votes Jan. 19. At 11 p.m. E.T. on Tuesday, a 12-member panel which controls the 60,000-member Culinary Workers union held a conference call to decide which ‘08 candidate to endorse. The panel making the decision is the executive committee of UNITE-HERE, Culinary’s parent union.
In the low-turnout Nevada Caucus on Jan. 19, this union’s influence is predicted (uh-oh) to be pivotal.
I’m an Obama fan, and am delighted at this endorsement.
And I have no problem with the union bosses at the CWU having a big say in Dem. Party politics, no matter who they backed.
But if you hate the influence of party bosses, and insiders, and big money, … it’s just a hard thing to legislate out of existence.
New York City power crunch
Electricity in Iraq
On defunding the war
Weekend reading
Powder Line: “I’ll bite your legs off.”