Opinion: Big union comes to Clinton’s rescue

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Talk about good timing!

One of the nation’s most influential unions -- the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees -- came through today with its expected endorsement of Hillary Clinton, easing the pain her camp may be feeling over the first seriously negative debate reviews she has encountered (conveniently aggregated by Time magazine’s The Page blog here).

As this item in the New York Times’ Caucus blog notes, the union’s backing could prove particularly valuable in Iowa, where it has about (typo alert: make that 30,000) and where polls show that the Democratic presidential race remains competitive.

The union may be especially motivated to show its clout in Iowa, where it was embarrassed in the 2004 campaign after its chosen candidate, Howard Dean, went from front-runner to also-ran in a flash after finishing third in the state caucuses.

-- Don Frederick