April 09, 2008

Postal Workers Union Back Sen. Barack Obama for President

APWU Executive Board Endorses Barack Obama for President

The APWU National Executive Board has voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for president. “Sen. Obama’s message is one of hope and change,” said union President William Burrus. “His message is special, and the timing is right.”

"We believe he will be a strong advocate for working people, and we believe he can win the nomination and the election."

“We are most impressed by Sen. Obama’s commitment to eradicating the undue influence of special interests in the political process,” Burrus said. “Our current political system does not allow for the voices of citizens to be heard over the demands of corporate lobbyists and big-money campaign contributors.

“Sen. Obama has vowed to change that, and his campaign has flourished through the participation of new voters and small contributors,” Burrus said. “We believe he will be a president who will strongly represent the interests of working Americans.”

“His ability to bring new participants into our nation’s democratic process — to get young people involved and to persuade ordinary citizens that they have a real stake in politics — is an inspiration.”

“Sen. Clinton has a proud and effective record as a public servant,” Burrus noted. “The main reason for refraining from endorsing the New York senator is because her campaign is based upon her intent to achieve change through the political system as it now exists, where every act of government is influenced by political lobbyists,” he observed.

“Sen. Clinton has willingly accepted contributions from special interests, and these contributions do not come without a price. Despite her best intentions, under the current system she would be thwarted in many of her initiatives,” Burrus concluded. “Her attempts in the early 1990s to establish national healthcare offers a textbook example of how the system resists change, and how no single individual is sufficiently powerful to effect fundamental improvements.”