Goin' courtin'

MSNBC on the likely SEIU endorsement:

SEIU's "passion is with Dean," [union spokeswoman Sara] Howard said. "He's gained the most support among our members. There's no chance of an endorsement going to anyone else."

While it is not a done deal it is almost certain that SEIU support will not go to anyone but Dean.

This creates an interesting dynamic. Dick Gephardt knows that he can't get the nod from the union, but he might think he can stop them from giving the nod to Dean (just like Dean managed to halt Gephardt's drive to get the AFL-CIO endorsement). This might be possible. But there is another factor at play here: the other big service union endorsement that may come from the AFSCME. Apparently the leader of the AFSCME does not like the leader of the SEIU so the conventional wisdom is that if SEIU endorses Dean then AFSCME will most likely drop any idea of endorsing Dean as well.

But the SEIU leadership knows this as well so the fact that AFSCME is waiting on their decision might actually give them the final push over the fence. Both of them want to be known as kingmakers in this race so both of them would probably be desirous to be the first to endorse Dean if either of them are going to endorse him.

In other words, Dean may be in the enviable position of being courted by the two biggest unions in America.