EditorDNC officials mocked Sanders, wanted union allies to ‘stage a strike’ for RNC Convention
Among the many discoveries contained within Friday’s Wikileaks’ release of more than 19,000 emails from the Democratic National Committee is how deep the DNC’s quid pro quo relationship is with unions.
While several emails from DNC officials “criticized and mocked Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont during the primary campaign,” among the emails released, several demonstrate how DNC officials worked with the SEIU, as well as other unions, in attempt to cast last week’s Republican National Committee’s convention in Cleveland in a negative light, as well as disrupt it.
According to one email sent out from DNC Press Assistant Rachel Palermo, there was even a desire for a meeting with the “hotel trades, SEIU, and Fight for 15 about staging a strike” during the RNC’s convention.
In the same email chain (called its Counter convention sketch), Palermo suggests a myriad of other tactics the DNC would use at the RNC’s convention—many of them the types of tactics used by those who have studied the community organizing tactics of Saul Alinsky.
* Host a fake president’s panel: where presidents in movies gather and show they are more qualified than Trump to be president
* Engage local radio
* Have a unity conference with Sanders surrogates (See if ODP will host)
* Hand out barf bags
* Host a Happy Hour/Safe space for women to get away from the GOP’s sexism and misogyny
* Use billboards or airport advertisements
* Hold signs in airports about Trump as people exit planes for free advertising
The DNC’s coordination with unions does not just end with the attempted disruptions of the RNC’s convention, however.
A number of the emails discuss an extraordinary amount of cooperation and other coordination between the DNC and unions.
Surprise! NEA to DNC "love to figure out how we can work together and be most helpful to each other." https://t.co/SBT2NNrVZG #DNCLeaks
— Trey Kovacs (@TreyKovacsCEI) July 23, 2016
Did members know this? "SEIU has office space in downtown Cleveland close to convention that can be the base of operations" #DNCLeaks
— Trey Kovacs (@TreyKovacsCEI) July 23, 2016
(1/2) "Infiltrate friendly union hotels and properties around the convention" https://t.co/M9jMOfqqNG #DNCLeaks
— Trey Kovacs (@TreyKovacsCEI) July 23, 2016
AFT/AFL-CIO request talking points/research from #DNCLeaks https://t.co/aaaqerI0aX
— Trey Kovacs (@TreyKovacsCEI) July 23, 2016
While the DNC-union coordination was arguably a failure by most accounts, the exposure of the DNC’s reliance on its union allies is revealing to say the least.
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