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 Stern's turn ... and Starr returnsLooking for that union label in the 'hang test'
By John Mercurio
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Andy Stern isn't a household name like, say, James Hoffa. The word "Teamsters" raises eyebrows in any crowd, but the letters "SEIU" mostly get shrugs. Stern is short and mild-mannered. He doesn't personify Big Labor like his burly counterparts, Hoffa and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees' (AFSCME)Gerald McEntee. But none of that means much to the eight '04 Dems who'll be on hand at the Washington Hilton and Towers today when 1,500 members of Stern's Service Employees International Union (SEIU) hold a political organizing conference to gear up for 2004. In small, closed-door meetings and remarks delivered to the entire crowd, Democratic presidential nomination candidates will plead for the union's backing -- which could come as early as Wednesday. The one Dem no-show: Bob "Super-Doodle" Graham, will be raising money in New York. What does mean much to these candidates is that Stern has established his union as a key player in labor and Democratic politics. While most other unions are struggling to maintain current membership levels and political clout, the SEIU has added 535,000 members since Stern took over in 1996. With a total 1.5 million members, it is now the largest of 66 unions in the AFL-CIO. Stern also has a private channel into the AFL. John Sweeney, his predecessor at the SEIU, backed Stern as his successor in 1996, helping Stern topple an interim president and secure the top post. For 12 years before that, Stern was the union's organizing director and an architect of Justice for Janitors. The SEIU was also the second biggest dispenser of unregulated "soft money" in the 2002 midterm elections (the biggest was AFSCME). The day begins at 9 a.m. EDT with a speech from Stern. The scheduled order of appearance is as follows: • John Kerry (11 a.m.). • John Edwards (11:20 a.m.). • Carol Moseley Braun (11:40 a.m.). • Howard Dean (2:40 p.m.). • Dick Gephardt (3:40 p.m.). • Joe Lieberman (6:15 p.m.). • Dennis Kucinich (6:55 p.m.). • Al Sharpton (7:15 p.m.). Before they deliver their remarks, each Democrat will face Stern's "hang test," a meeting with 30 union members for decidedly informal bull sessions. Stern's idea here is to see whether each candidate can "hang," sans script or handlers, and relate to working people. The sessions are private, but the SEIU last week planned to hold a press availability at 4 p.m. EDT for union members to talk about their candidate face-offs. The SEIU's conference continues Tuesday, when they'll hear from a bipartisan congressional panel comprising Rep. Hilda Solis; Sen. Susan Collins; and Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Elijah Cummings. On Wednesday, Donna Brazile will address the group before it adjourns around noon. At that time, Stern and the union's 60-plus member executive board are expected to meet to decide whether to endorse an '04 Dem. If so, when ... and whom. Starr in the chamber
Across town, the Supreme Court returns from its summer recess for a special four-hour session to review a case that could have an even greater impact on 2004 than the SEIU -- we're speaking, of course, about the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (CFR), aka the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. On deck to argue on behalf of pro-soft-money plaintiff Mitch McConnell is none other than Ken Starr, former independent counsel and solicitor general under former President Bush. Starr, who will have an hour to argue against the soft money ban, will square off against his longtime friend and fellow Republican, the current solicitor general, Theodore Olson. Considering the devastating impact the CFR has had on Democratic fund-raising efforts, it's anyone's guess which Republican (Starr or Olson) Democrats will root for today.
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