breaking news

The LA office was already opened a few weeks ago. Next Monday is the official opening/debate watching event in San Francisco. The two hour YouTube/CNN debate is on Monday night and they are opening up their offices for up to 500 supporters. It must be a pretty big place.

Here are the details:

What: Hillary for President San Francisco Campaign Office Opening

When: Monday, July 23
Come Early to Watch the Debate: 4 p.m.
Official Party Kick-Off: 6 p.m.

Where: 1122 Howard Street - Top Floor
San Francisco, California, 94103
(Between 7th and 8th Streets)

Who: Local elected officials, fellow supporters and you

RSVP: Via email mmartin@hillaryclinton.com
(RSVP today as we only have room for 500)

Man I wouldn't want to be mmartin, dealing with all of those RSVP emails and random questions. This thing would have been better dealt with by an online response form.

SEIU has not endorsed anyone yet, but Anna Burger, one of the top leaders at SEIU International is leaping to his defense, following the insinuations by the NYT that his poverty work was improperly motivated. Burger calls it "insulting to the workers around the country he's lent his tireless support to over the years." She has penned a piece for the Huffington Post on the subject.

Ask them what they think of Edwards' work on poverty, and they will tell you about the difference it's made in their lives. When 450 poverty-wage janitors went on a two-month strike in Miami for a better life for their families, Edwards didn't hesitate to offer his support. When Edwards was asked to join the hotel workers campaign, he rolled up his sleeves and made those workers' struggles his own. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he traveled to Louisiana not for a photo op, but to do real work for those affected. And he held a summit on the failed response to which I and other national leaders were invited to devise ways to ensure the mistakes of the federal government were never repeated.

Burger sounds personally offended by the NYT article, which the Edwards team has been aggressively pushing back on.

To call into question the motivation of a person who has done so much to advance the cause of workers is unwarranted and unjust. Voters have a right to reject or support a candidate based on the facts. My union, SEIU, hasn't endorsed a candidate yet because we feel strongly that it's still early and our members need time to evaluate where the candidates stand. But voters can't make an informed opinion when reporters focus their efforts on trying to raise controversy where there is none.

Edwards efforts to woo the support of labor is paying off. He may not have an endorsement, but he has vocal backup.

Last week I wrote about the cars currently taking residence in the presidential candidates garages and said:

Judging by this treatment, I expect a hybrid purchase in Obama's near future, even though he now has Secret Service driving him around.

It didn't take long. The Detroit News reports today that the Obama camp says the Chrysler 300C was sold a few weeks ago and the family now owns a Ford Escape hybrid.

Democracy for America invited all of the candidates to address their membership on global warming via YouTube. Here is Dennis Kucinich's response.

The AFL-CIO continued its series of appearances by presidential contenders yesterday with Sen. Joe Biden's speech to a packed Plumbers and Pipe Fitters hall in Florida. AFL-CIO blog:

In his opening remarks, Biden went after the Bush administration’s appalling record on workers’ rights.

This president didn’t just declare war on Iraq, he declared war on the union movement in this country…for this (administration), labor reform means get out of the way.

Biden went on to praise the union movement as “the only thing that keeps the barbarians at the gate.”

“There is a middle class in this country for one reason and only one reason: the union movement,” Biden said to roaring applause.

Bill Richardson will officially announce his candidacy for the presidency on Monday in Los Angeles. AP:

Richardson, who was born in California and lived there briefly, will make his announcement at the Los Angeles Press Club. Aides to the governor said the backdrop will be several Hispanic leaders, underscoring Richardson's Hispanic heritage and the importance of California's Feb. 5 primary.

This is no surprise, but it should get some media attention, both for the location and the emphasis on his heritage.

Salladay reports that the DNC is set to announce shortly that California has been picked to host one of the six officially sanctioned DNC debates. CBS will broadcast the debate live from LA on December 10th. It will be a great opportunity to hear more from the candidates on the issues Californian's care about most.

Yesterday, Obama addressed hundreds of working men and women in New Jersey as part of the AFL-CIO's series of townhall meetings with presidential contenders. AFL-CIO blog:

He said every worker deserves the freedom to form unions without intimidation, bargain in good faith and work in a safe environment. “Those rights are in jeopardy today,” Obama warned. When workers join unions, “not only do workers prosper, America prospers.”

Obama promised to “make the Employee Free Choice Act the law of the land” and to make universal health care coverage a reality.

We can have universal health care by the end of the next president’s first term, by the end of my first term.

The AP asked the presidential contenders the fiction book they read most recently. Most were ho-hum John Grisham type answers, but Richardson's made me laugh out loud:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: "The administration's energy plan."

Gotta love snark.

She and the host team up to talk about the rising costs of coverage, testing of prescription drugs for kids and the millions of uninsured.

Grist blog post on the problems with coal-to-liquid fuel programs.

Obama was off in claiming Japanese cars get 45 MPG. It closer to 30 MPG.

[UPDATE] Turns out Obama was right.

Kerry put out a statement supporting it. Oh and Al Gore says it's "very creative".

So far Richardson is the only one to agree to come to the Democratic candidates forum on the Morongo Band of Mission Indians reservation in Cabazon in August. It does have a great name: "Prez on the Rez."

Ari Berman has excerpt up from a column on Mark Penn, Clinton's pollster, whose company runs anti-union campaigns.

Schwarzenegger is hyping the new Obama energy plan, which in turn references Arnold.

CBS had to shut down the ability to leave comments on stories about Barack Obama due to the large number of racist comments that were being submitted.

Someone added up the face time at last week's debate. Hillary had 12 minutes of talking, Dodd by contrast just had 5.

More fun than informative. The AP asked what one thing would the candidates would want on a desert island.

The difference between Rep. Stark's carbon tax and Sen. Dodd's proposal is laid out in the ChronBlog.