Last Tuesday, a pair of seeming coincidences occurred: The first was an article that appeared in the Hill about the SEIU splitting the costs with Priorities USA Action on an anti-Mitt Romney ad in Florida. The second was an e-mail that went out from 1199SEIU featuring ex-1199SEIU boss and current political heavyweight, Patrick Gaspard. While the two appeared unrelated, what they do have in common is the SEIU’s influence on the Democratic Party and the presidential election itself.

Even before the Service Employees International Union became known in center-right households for its thuggish behavior during the 2009 health care debate, the SEIU was already a well-known political powerhouse in Washington. By 2009, the union’s then-president, Andy Stern—already a polarizing figure who successfully broke up the AFL-CIO in 2005—became known as the hand inside Barack Obama’s puppet from his visits to the White House. However, after Stern and his SEIU ‘changed America forever‘ through the imposition of health care reform, Stern abruptly left the union movement.

Although Stern became a corporate insider soon after his departure from the union movement, to many, he still remains the public face of the SEIU. This is despite the fact that there is a far lesser known and much more powerful SEIU operative running both the Democrat National Committee, as well as Barack Obama’s re-election campaign machine, Organizing for America.

Meet Patrick Gaspard. In an e-mail last week from 1199SEIU to its members, the union begins with: “In a series of recent interviews, our brother Patrick Gaspard discusses the presidential election…” Outside of the Beltway Bubble and the SEIU, few people know who Patrick Gaspard is, nor do they know just how politically powerful he really is.

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Last Tuesday, a pair of seeming coincidences occurred: The first was an article that appeared in the Hill about the SEIU splitting the costs with Priorities USA Action on an anti-Mitt Romney ad in Florida. The second was an e-mail that went out from 1199SEIU featuring ex-1199SEIU boss and current political heavyweight, Patrick Gaspard. While the two appeared unrelated, what they do have in common is the SEIU’s influence on the Democratic Party and the presidential election itself.

Even before the Service Employees International Union became known in center-right households for its thuggish behavior during the 2009 health care debate, the SEIU was already a well-known political powerhouse in Washington. By 2009, the union’s then-president, Andy Stern—already a polarizing figure who successfully broke up the AFL-CIO in 2005—became known as the hand inside Barack Obama’s puppet from his visits to the White House. However, after Stern and his SEIU ‘changed America forever‘ through the imposition of health care reform, Stern abruptly left the union movement.

Although Stern became a corporate insider soon after his departure from the union movement, to many, he still remains the public face of the SEIU. This is despite the fact that there is a far lesser known and much more powerful SEIU operative running both the Democrat National Committee, as well as Barack Obama’s re-election campaign machine, Organizing for America.

Meet Patrick Gaspard. In an e-mail last week from 1199SEIU to its members, the union begins with: “In a series of recent interviews, our brother Patrick Gaspard discusses the presidential election…” Outside of the Beltway Bubble and the SEIU, few people know who Patrick Gaspard is, nor do they know just how politically powerful he really is.

Read More →