Democratic debate being held at Soldier field to a nearly sell-out crowd. Republican debate, being held in a airport hanger, 4 tickets sold.
But anyway, Keith Olbermann, another boyfriend of mine, is going to be moderating this one.
Democrats debate; unions delight
In national spotlight, candidates to court Big Labor in Chicago
They will probably sound like a giant barbershop quartet, singing different notes in the same song.
And that's perfectly fine with leaders of the AFL-CIO, who are savoring the prospect of the Tuesday night debate among seven Democratic presidential candidates that the labor federation is sponsoring at Soldier Field.
"All of them are talented and all of them are our candidates," Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees told a group of union political activists this weekend in Chicago. The forum will be "the biggest job interview ever," he added with a broad smile.
The labor federation's glee is easy to understand.
The candidates' eagerness to court organized labor is viewed as a message that labor is still a major player in national politics, despite its steadily shrinking numbers and a deep division within its ranks that led to a splinter federation two years ago. Organized labor, with 16 million members, today represents about only 1 out of 8 workers in the U.S.
The AFL-CIO's leaders are similarly pleased by the fact that the candidates' wooing will be very public.
More than 12,000 union members and their families are expected to attend the 90-minute gathering that will be broadcast live on MSNBC and WMAQ-Ch.-5 and over XM Satellite Radio, starting at 6 p.m.
In fact, the meeting was switched from McCormick Place West to the massive open-air stadium when ticket requests soared beyond expectations, union officials said. More than 17,000 tickets have been handed out to unions in the Chicago area, added officials with the half-million-member Chicago Federation of Labor.
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann will be the moderator. The candidates also will field questions from about 10 union members, who have been selected from across the U.S., as well as questions culled from several thousand submitted to the AFL-CIO over the Internet.
But anyway, Keith Olbermann, another boyfriend of mine, is going to be moderating this one.
Democrats debate; unions delight
In national spotlight, candidates to court Big Labor in Chicago
They will probably sound like a giant barbershop quartet, singing different notes in the same song.
And that's perfectly fine with leaders of the AFL-CIO, who are savoring the prospect of the Tuesday night debate among seven Democratic presidential candidates that the labor federation is sponsoring at Soldier Field.
"All of them are talented and all of them are our candidates," Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees told a group of union political activists this weekend in Chicago. The forum will be "the biggest job interview ever," he added with a broad smile.
The labor federation's glee is easy to understand.
The candidates' eagerness to court organized labor is viewed as a message that labor is still a major player in national politics, despite its steadily shrinking numbers and a deep division within its ranks that led to a splinter federation two years ago. Organized labor, with 16 million members, today represents about only 1 out of 8 workers in the U.S.
The AFL-CIO's leaders are similarly pleased by the fact that the candidates' wooing will be very public.
More than 12,000 union members and their families are expected to attend the 90-minute gathering that will be broadcast live on MSNBC and WMAQ-Ch.-5 and over XM Satellite Radio, starting at 6 p.m.
In fact, the meeting was switched from McCormick Place West to the massive open-air stadium when ticket requests soared beyond expectations, union officials said. More than 17,000 tickets have been handed out to unions in the Chicago area, added officials with the half-million-member Chicago Federation of Labor.
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann will be the moderator. The candidates also will field questions from about 10 union members, who have been selected from across the U.S., as well as questions culled from several thousand submitted to the AFL-CIO over the Internet.
