Democratic Hopefuls Court Union Support
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
CHICAGO, Aug. 7 -- Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton came under sharp attack from their Democratic presidential rivals in a highly spirited debate here Tuesday night, with Obama rebuked as irresponsible on foreign policy and Clinton accused of being too cozy with corporate America and Washington lobbyists.
The debate, which was sponsored by the AFL-CIO, turned into the most animated encounter of the Democratic campaign, suggesting that the battle for the party's nomination may be entering a new phase, one that is likely to grow increasingly contentious after Labor Day.
The candidates appeared far more willing to challenge one another directly, and in more pointed language, than in previous debates. Elbows flew throughout the night, and the challengers appeared more eager to mix it up, stoked perhaps by the enthusiasm of a large and boisterous audience.
Obama (Ill.) and Clinton (N.Y.) held their respective ground when the criticism came their way. Clinton deflected it by arguing that she is the candidate best prepared to defeat the Republicans in 2008 and lead the Democrats back to the White House.
"For 15 years I have stood up against the right-wing machine, and I've come out stronger," she said. "So if you want a winner who knows how to take them on, I'm your girl."
Obama forcefully fired back at his rivals, who included Clinton, arguing that those who were now attacking him had helped authorize the Iraq war, which he called "the biggest foreign policy disaster in our generation."
An estimated 17,000 union workers and their families filled end-zone seats at Chicago's Soldier Field, home of the NFL Chicago Bears. They cheered and occasionally jeered the seven candidates who were on a stage constructed on the field.
Clinton has opened a wide lead in recent national public opinion polls, making her a target for rivals, but the night's exchanges demonstrated that she hopes to stay above the fray as long as she can by talking about beating the Republicans.
Obama's enormous fundraising success and his grass-roots support have made him Clinton's leading challenger, but his more experienced opponents are now eager to undermine his standing by questioning his readiness to serve as president. His performance showed a determination not to let their criticism stick.
Also on stage were former senator John Edwards (N.C.); Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.); Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.), who trumpeted his experience and union fealty; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who promised to banish "union-busting attorneys at the Department of Labor and OSHA and all our agencies"; and Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio).
Throughout the 90-minute debate, each sought to show superior labor credentials, producing one memorable scrape between Edwards and Biden.
"It is fine to come up on this stage and give a nice talk," said Edwards, who is competing hard for union endorsements. "The question is: Who's been with you in the crunch? In the last two years, 200 times, I have walked picket lines. I have helped organize thousands of workers, with 23 national unions."
Minutes later, Biden issued a withering putdown, saying he has walked with and fought on behalf of labor for more than three decades, often in difficult circumstances. "That's the measure of whether we'll be with you when it's tough," he said. "Not when you're running for president in the last two years, marching on 20 or 30 or 50 picket lines."
Kucinich played often to the union audience and drew laughs when he called himself the "Seabiscuit of this campaign," referring to the unlikely champion racehorse. But in a less jocular moment, he called out his opponents for not joining him in vowing to end the North American Free Trade Agreement and pull the United States out of the World Trade Organization.
"No one else on this stage could give a direct answer because they don't intend to scrap NAFTA," he said, adding: "I'm your candidate if you want to get out of NAFTA."
The longest and sharpest argument came when moderator Keith Olbermann of MSNBC mentioned Dodd's reproach of Obama last week. Obama had said that he would threaten unilateral U.S. military action inside Pakistan in pursuit of al-Qaeda terrorists if Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf did not root them out.
"I think it is highly irresponsible of people who are running for the presidency and seek that office to suggest we may be willing unilaterally to invade a nation here that we are trying to get to be more cooperative with us in Afghanistan and elsewhere," Dodd said Tuesday night.
"Well, look," Obama responded, "I find it amusing that those who helped to authorize and engineer the biggest foreign policy disaster in our generation are now criticizing me for making sure that we are on the right battlefield and not the wrong battlefield in the war against terrorism."
Clinton then jumped in to say that, regardless of the soundness of Obama's policy, he should avoid speaking hypothetically as a candidate for president.
"I think it is a very big mistake to telegraph that, and to destabilize the Musharraf regime, which is fighting for its life against the Islamist extremists who are in bed with al-Qaeda and Taliban," she scolded.
Biden reprimanded all of them by pointing out that what was being debated was already settled U.S. policy. "It's time everybody start to know the facts -- the facts," he said.
Edwards proved the aggressor against Clinton, as he was Saturday in a debate at the Yearly Kos bloggers convention, when he called on all the candidates to stop taking contributions from Washington lobbyists, which Clinton does.
On Tuesday, Edwards wrapped up a question about NAFTA -- which he criticized as the product of Washington lobbyists, not of representatives of working men and women -- by saying: "The one thing you can count on is you will never see a picture of me on the front of Fortune magazine saying I am the candidate that big, corporate America is betting on."
It was a direct reference to an issue last month of Fortune magazine, which featured Clinton on the cover and the headline "Business Loves Hillary! (Who Knew?)."
Offered the chance to respond, Clinton turned the issue around. "You know, I've noticed in the last few days that a lot of the other campaigns have been using my name a lot. But I'm here because I think we need to change America. And it's not to get in fights with Democrats. I want the Democrats to win. And I want a united Democratic Party that will stand against the Republicans."
Her concluding comment, "I'm your girl," drew applause, and a grin from the candidate.
The subject of lobbyists' contributions then sat for much of the rest of the debate until the final minutes, when the issue came up again. Edwards and Obama do not take such contributions, and Clinton was asked about why she does.
Clinton said she has fought against special interests for many years, from insurance and drug companies on health care to banks on the issue of bankruptcy. "My record on standing up and fighting for people really speaks for itself," she said.
Union officials had hoped that the debate would focus largely on labor issues, but with Olbermann at the helm, the questions ranged widely. The opening question was about last week's bridge collapse in Minnesota and the nation's infrastructure. Trade and NAFTA brought predictable answers from the candidates with few specific commitments.
The most emotional moment came when retired worker Steve Skvara choked back tears as he told the candidates of his forced disability retirement from LTV Steel. He later lost a third of his pension and now cannot afford health insurance for himself and his wife. "What's wrong with America, and what will you do to change it?" Skvara asked.
Edwards talked briefly about pension reform and health care but quickly moved to broader topics.
Former senator Mike Gravel (Alaska), the eighth Democrat running for president, was not included in the debate because he did not complete a candidate questionnaire, an AFL-CIO spokesman said.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.