UPDATE – I’m not sure what the difference is between a progressive and a liberal, but progressives were hitting the phones today. They seem to be building a theory – that with at least one strong pro-business candidate in the race and one progressive Fletcher doesn’t really have much of a voter base. Listening in (forgive me!) today I heard another interesting theory – that if there is a ‘south of 8’ candidate and a Republican and Fletcher again this puts Fletcher in a bad spot. I just have a hard time believing that the leaders of the progressive community – and I’m usually against them every time but I will admit they have principles – would be cynical enough to give Fletcher a free shot.
The question is the same though – what will the unions do. The municipal union has already endorsed Fletcher. It sounds like the firefighters are next. Fletcher claims that he has the labor council wrapped up (I’ve heard this second hand enough that I’m about 99% sold that this is what he is saying). I’m getting convinced this isn’t true. My take: the labor council has built a name for itself over the past several years under former employee now Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez for being a force for social justice and progressive politics. A Fletcher endorsement would in essence be abandoning that reputation. I don’t write that lightly or as a crack against Fletcher. He’s not a progressive. He’s not a conservative. He’s ambitious.