by Jim Kouri, TCV Staff - The AFL-CIO Will Announce Plans For A $53 Million Effort "To Paint McCain As Anti-Worker Today, according to their newsletter.

The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor union organization, will announce plans Wednesday for a $53 million effort to elect a Democrat to the White House.

The AFL-CIO will rely on one of the oldest strategies in the political playbook: Define your opponent before your opponent defines himself. The labor organization will launch its
'McCain Revealed' campaign to paint McCain as anti-worker and to tie him to the economic policies of President Bush." (Brody Mullins, "AFL-CIO Targets McCain With $53 Million Campaign," The Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire" Blog, blogs.wsj.com, 3/11/08)

Both Obama And Sen. Clinton Have Criticized Special Interest Spending In The Past:

Obama's Campaign Attempted To Turn Independent Expenditures Into A Campaign Issue, Claiming "This Kind Of Politics Needs To End." "No outside groups have distributed mailers or run advertisements on Obama's behalf in New Hampshire, and Obama has attempted to turn that distance into a campaign issue. 'The case has never been clearer - this kind of politics needs to end,' Obama campaign manager David Plouffe wrote in a recent fundraising e-mail." (Sarah Liebowitz, "Edwards, Clinton Bankrolled From
Afar," Concord [NH] Monitor, 1/4/08)

Obama: "[Y]ou can't say yesterday, you don't believe in 'em, and today, you're having three-quarters of a million dollars being spent for you. You can't just talk the talk." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, (Oskaloosa, IA, 12/22/07)

When Asked About Eliminating 527 Organizations, Sen. Clinton Claimed She Would "Have No Problem With Eliminating Any Group That Is Misusing Their Financial Position To Spread Inaccurate Falsehoods."

CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "Do you agree with the president? He'd like to see all of these so-called 527 advocacy groups that are putting out all these attack ads, attack ads against John Kerry, the Swift Boat ads, attack ads against the president, would you like to see those 527 organizations removed?" Sen. Clinton: "You know, I have no problem with eliminating any group that is misusing their financial position to spread inaccurate falsehoods." (CNN's "Late Edition," 8/29/04)

But Both Candidates Have Benefited From Millions Of Dollars Unions Have Spent On Their Behalf:

Unions Have Spent More Than $3.7 Million On Independent Expenditures Supporting Obama's Campaign. "There's another dimension to union support for the candidates both in Ohio and nationally: money. Independent expenditures [sic] on behalf of candidates are legal but can't be coordinated with the candidates' campaigns. Unions backing Clinton have made more than $3.6 million in such expenditures, while unions backing Obama have spent more than $3.7 million, according to the Federal Election Commission." (William Hershey, "Ohio Unions Split Between Obama, Clinton," Cox News Service, 3/1/08)

"SEIU Alone Has Spent More Than $3 Million On Obama's Behalf, Including Money For A TV Ad For Obama In Ohio That Has Sparked Controversy." (William Hershey, "Ohio Unions Split Between Obama, Clinton," Cox News Service, 3/1/08)

"Unions Backing Clinton Have Spent At Least $3.6 Million." (Brett Lieberman, "Primary Epicenter Shifts To Pennsylvania," Newhouse News Service, 3/5/08)

In Previous Elections, AFL-CIO Spent Millions On Partisan Attacks Against Republicans:

Claiming To Be "Non-Partisan," The AFL-CIO's Message Comes "Straight From The Democratic Party Playbook." "The AFL-CIO hosted a press conference today to announce its most expensive mid-term election effort ever, $40 million, aimed at electing what it called pro-worker candidates to Congress as well as statehouses across the country. John Sweeney, president of the organization, called it a 'non-partisan' effort more than once. But some of the language the union officials used came straight from the Democratic party playbook." (Frank James, "Big Labor's 'Non-Partisan' Campaign," Chicago Tribune's "Swamp Politics" Blog, http://www.swamppolitics.com, 2 /28/06)