Today in Washington DC, ten Presidential candidates spoke to the non-partisan International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) union, vying for support.
The IAFF endorsed Gore in 2000, and Kerry in 2004.
Here's how I rank their speeches and how I thought it connected with the audience. You to can also watch all the speeches here. I encourage you to watch the speeches, except for the Republicans.
1) John Edwards- He truly is the labor candidate. Today in my view I am confident Edwards will carry most of the Labor support. And if he does, it's because he has walked the picket line. His mother and father do have health care in their retirement because of the unions. He also gave the best speech at the event and was very energetic.
2) Hillary Clinton- Edwards may be the Labor candidate, but if anyone else is going to run away the IAFF endorsement it's going to be Hillary Clinton. A long time friend of the IAFF President and the clout of being a strong leader during and after 9/11 for the firefighters and their union bodes well. She was well received at the event and gave a very strong speech and was on the GOP hunt today.
3) Joe Biden- Talked about his loyalty and bond with the Firefighters. He said they have always been there in his life with his family, life, and with his political campaigns. When he talked about his wife and daughter dying in a car crash I literally cried. When he talked about the other incidents it really gave me a different impression of Joe Biden. Great speech.
4) Bill Richardson- Quite the charmer today. He does have the best resume in the field. And he's admitting of being in the second tier something interesting came up that I didn't know. He said he's the only pro-second amendment candidate in the Democratic field. I think he is. Along with having a long great resume there's another thing he can add to the list. Best line of the day was by Richardson in his closing "If you don't endorse me I'll love you, if you do endorse me I'll love you more".
5) Barack Obama- Very serious speech. Most would admit not his best, it sort of reminded me of his DNC Winter Meeting Speech. Obama surprises me at times. He can be very charming and electrifying and yet at times he can also be somber and serious. He did choke me up talking about the Veterans and taking care of them when they return home from war.
The Republicans- I didn't watch them, you can. But I really don't care about that extremely weak field. They didn't even invite their front-runner at first.
I am 99.99% sure that they won't endorse the Republican nominee. Go Democrats!
http://hotlineblog.n..."States have been fulfilling the promises that Washingtom makes," Richardson said.
The New Mexico governor, currently the chair of the Dem. Governors Assoc., said Democratic governors in states were making daily decisions to help firefighters. He referred to his own state, where Democrats and some Republicans supported a measure of collective bargaining for firefighters. He said Republican governors in several states had taken the opposite course.
"It makes a difference to have a Democratic governor," he said.
Richardson downplayed Democratic chances of taking control of either chamber of commerce in 2006. "Our Democrats governors have 22" state houses, he said. "And we have the greatest chances to win a majority of 25" in the next election.
Richardson them took aim at the Democratic Party, implying that eager 2008 presidential hopefuls were deliberately (or, at least, effectively) saving their playoff performances for that cycle.
"We won't wait for 2008," he said, echoing a theme that resonates among DGA fundraisers. "America can't wait for '08 and a Democratic president." He continued and raised his voice: "46 million Americans without health insurance...can't wait...students..in underperforming schools can't wait..."
But then Richardson seemed to address his own 2008 presidential aspirations. He repeated a line about how, despite his gringo name, he was an Hispanic. He pledged not to let Republicans hijack the language of faith to win elections and revealed how a conservation with his priest helped him to push for a minimum wage increase in New Mexico. He called himself a "new progressive," which he loosely defined as a believer in private enterprise whose ultimate goal is social justice. Sounding a theme from President Bill Clinton, he spoke about opportunity with accountability. He mentioned his penchant for cutting taxes.
I'll cogitate on that awhile....
Well, I know who I'm backing.
Man, I half expected this post to mention how Wes Clark gave the best speech, and then ran away with all the support of course meaning he will be the unanimous IAFF endorsement despite not even speaking!!
P.S. You probably already know this, but the "On Notice" thing is totally tongue-in-cheek. I mean, everybody gets that it's only half-serious, right?
P.P.S. Don't make fun of the Clarkies! Trust me, they can make your life very uncool.