Obama Considering Mary Beth Maxwell for Labor

Mary Beth Maxwell is the choice of the gay and lesbian community.

Politico: Gay and lesbian activists, who had been getting a bit restless about the Obama transition's centrism, were welcomed into transition headquarters yesterday for a big meeting with John Podesta, who's leading the transition, and Jim Messina, personnel director of the transition and a deputy chief of staff in the new White House. Participants said afterward that the session, which drew about 60 attendees and a cadre of senior Obama advisers, was very positive and productive. A prominent lesbian activist will chair the White House Council on Environmental Quality. And at the meeting, Obama officials said they're giving serious consideration to two favorites of the community – John Berry for Interior and Mary Beth Maxwell for Labor.

WSJ: For the rainbow cabinet of the nation’s first African American president, Mary Beth Maxwell is the perfect labor secretary you’ve probably never heard of: a gay woman, community organizer and labor leader with an adopted African American son. And this founding executive director of American Rights at Work is about to get the full-court press.

Maxwell already had the strong backing of former Rep. David Bonior, who despite repeated attempts to get his name removed from consideration continues to be on the short list of potential labor secretaries. Bonior, 63 years old, says it is time for his generation to turn over power to a new generation, and Maxwell, whose labor-backed organization pushes for expanded collective bargaining rights, is his pick.

Some labor leaders from both the AFL-CIO and Change to Win, a splinter union group led by the Service Employees International Union, back her as a consensus choice, citing her efforts on behalf of legislation to allow unionization at workplaces with the signing of cards, not secret balloting.

More on Mary Beth.
Here is Mary Beth speaking on workers rights as human rights:

Change To Win Distances Itself From Blagojevich

Can you imagine selling a senate seat? Does every person in power have to end up a complete jerk? Not to mention stupid. Read more.
Apparently, the Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, tried to trade Obama's vacant senate seat for things, including a job at Change to Win but Change to Win, which backed Obama in the election, says that ain't so. In one scenario, Dumbo allegedly tried to set up a "pay to play" arrangement for Valerie Jarrett to take Obama's senate seat. Obviously, she didn't do that. She's Obama's adviser. 
Chicago Tribune has a big spread. Read the FBI complaint here. Full video coverage by Chicago CBS.

The following is a statement from Change to Win communications director Greg Denier on the federal investigation involving Governor Blagojevich.

“No one connected with Change to Win ever considered, discussed or promised any position at Change to Win to Governor Blagojevich, his staff or his advisers. In the affidavit released by the United States Attorney, a position at Change to Win is discussed only in conversations between the governor and his advisers. The first time Change to Win learned of any of the matters raised in the criminal complaint was with today’s public release of the affidavit.”

What Obama said in response to Blagojevich's arrest (he's out on bail):

President-elect Barack Obama said this afternoon he had no dealings with Gov. Rod Blagojevich over who would replace Obama in the U.S. Senate.
"Obviously, like the rest of the people of Illinois, I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the U.S. attorney's office today," he said at his transition office in Chicago with Vice President-elect Joe Biden and former Vice President Al Gore at his side.
"But as this is an ongoing investigation involving the governor, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time."

There are indications that Obama didn't go along with Blagojevich's scheme. But if Obama knew about the scheme, why wouldn't he say anything? Maybe he did. DK speculates that Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, brought down Blagojevich. All of this is too sketchy right now. Why was Change to Win even mentioned? 
Read Patrick J. Fitzgerald's comments. He is the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Or watch him here:

Apparently, Dumbo allegedly tried to pressure the Chicago Tribune to fire some members of its editorial board who were too critical of the governor. But an editorial writer, John McCormick, says it didn't work:

"The feds say somebody wielding power and money tried to muscle Tribune Co. at a difficult time for our industry – and didn't get away with it," McCormick e-mails Alan Mutter. "The Tribune Co. was the object of a huge extortion attempt and didn't budge."

Sketchy, sketchy, sketchy.

Survey: Obama Best for Restoring "American Dream"

change to win is a union coalition. here is their press release:

Voters believe Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is the candidate with the best vision and plan to restore the American Dream and is bringing increased enthusiasm to the 2008 presidential election, according to a new survey released today by Change to Win. The dream, according to the majority of voters surveyed, is a good job with a wage that can support a family, affordable health care, a secure retirement and the opportunity for a better future. This is the fourth poll of the American Dream survey series conducted by Change to Win over the past two years.

As Lake Research Partners president Celinda Lake noted during a news conference call with reporters earlier today, voters are more worried than ever that the American Dream is slipping away, especially in light of the current administration's policies. However, voters are markedly more enthusiastic about this November election compared to previous elections with nearly three out of five voters (58%) saying they are more enthusiastic, up from 44 percent in September 2007. The intensity of their enthusiasm has also increased with 42 percent saying they are much more enthusiastic compared to only 25 percent in September 2007.

The survey results also found that the candidacy of Barack Obama and his vision for restoring the American Dream is a significant factor in this increased enthusiasm, with 70 percent of the voters who believe Sen. Obama has the best vision for restoring the American Dream saying they are much more enthusiastic about the 2008 election than the previous elections. This enthusiasm and the basic working family economic concerns that make up the cornerstones of the American Dream are at the heart of Change to Win's election efforts on behalf of Senator Barack Obama.

Change to Win unions have been on the ground in key March 4th primary states for the past ten days fighting to turn out union members to vote for Sen. Obama and help turn the dream into a reality. An army of union volunteers along with national and local union leaders have been pounding the pavement, working the phones, and conducting member-to-member outreach at worksites across Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island.

"Working families see the American Dream at risk, and Change to Win is making sure their concerns, their aspirations and their voices are heard on Tuesday," said Anna Burger, chair of Change to Win.

"This election is about a vision for the future. Sen. Barack Obama has instilled a new enthusiasm in the political process turning voters' economic anxiety into feelings of hope rather than despair. We believe he is the candidate with the best vision and program to restore the American Dream for America's workers. That's why thousands of our members are volunteering in a massive grassroots movement to elect Obama as the next president of the United States," continued Burger.

Thousands of Change to Win activists -- many who are getting involved for the first time -- have committed their time and energy to getting out the vote for Sen. Barack Obama. With nearly 300,000 members in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island, Change to Win has sent out more than half a million pieces of mail, members and volunteers have made hundreds of thousands of phone calls, knocked on tens of thousands of doors, and conducted member-to-member outreach at worksites across the three states.

In Ohio alone, Change to Win volunteers have contributed over 14,000 hours in an effort to mobilize the 175,000 members through an aggressive canvass program in every major city - from Toledo and Cincinnati to Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland and Youngstown - knocking on more than 50,000 doors. Change to Win is also running similar grassroots programs to educate and mobilize the 70,000 Change to Win members in Texas and 25,000 members in Rhode Island.

In addition to Change to Win's aggressive efforts on the ground, Change to Win affiliates including the United Food and Commercials Workers (UFCW) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have been on the air in Ohio with television ads promoting Obama's message of change.

Up to date delegate tracker
Everything barack obama
Blueprint for change

Obama’s message
Obama's legislative accomplishments
Obama’s mathematical delegate lead