NPR: AFL-CIO to Launch $53 Million Anti-McCain Campaign

AFL-CIO to Launch $53 Million Anti-McCain Campaign

The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor union, will announce Wednesday a $53.4 million campaign to help elect a Democrat to the White House.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the union will "rely on one of the oldest strategies in the political playbook: Define your opponent before your opponent defines himself. The labor organization will launch its 'McCain Revealed' campaign to paint McCain as anti-worker and to tie him to the economic policies of President Bush."

The Hill reports that Karen Ackerman, the labor organization's political director, is scheduled to brief reporters on a teleconference Wednesday about the campaign, " aimed at exposing Sen. John McCain's anti-worker record and his ties to the failed economic policies of President Bush."

The AFL-CIO, which is an umbrella group of a number of labor unions with 13 million members, will tailor a message for each of its members. The Journal says that American Federation of Teachers for instance, will get information about where McCain stands on education.

The $53.4 million total is a record the union in a political campaign.

6:52 PM ET | 03-11-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

53M to smear McCain? I'm amazed.

I didn't know that there was any AFL-CIO godfathers left operating. I thought RICO had put the last of the union godfathers into the Marion Supermax Prison, right along with John Gotti.

But it's just union employee money. That has never stopped the AFL-CIO from being frivolous.

And if as the AFL-CIO says that all the American jobs are being outsourced, where is this smear money coming from?

Stop to think how far 53M could go to actually helping the families of union employees.

Well, if the AFL godfathers didn't use the millions to smear McCain, they'd spend it at Club Med.

Makes you think how many millions are being spent between Obama and Clinton smearing each other....and then apologizing....then smearing each other some more....than apologozing some more.

All the smearing and apologizing tactics of the Democrats is getting rather expensive.

The difference between the Democrats and McCain is all he has to do is spend maybe ten thousand (instead of 53M) putting out a full page ad in USA Today reminding America about union corruption.

Or, better yet, I can do it here for free. And think of some better ways to spend millions of smear dollars in actually helping America's workers.

Wanted: Smear tactic experts to spend millions. No experience necessary.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 10:32 AM ET | 03-12-2008

I am sure John McCain will stand by his very conservative voting record. Publicizing that record is not a smear. Despite what the talk radio clowns say, John McCain is not a liberal. Liberals, moderates, union members should not delude themselves into thinking that he is.

Sent by Mike Fleissner | 1:51 PM ET | 03-12-2008

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