Michelle Malkin » Sebelius calls her SEIU “brothers and sisters” to battle; Dennis Rivera decries “terrorist tactics”

Sebelius calls her SEIU “brothers and sisters” to battle; Dennis Rivera decries “terrorist tactics”

By Michelle Malkin • August 7, 2009 03:11 PM

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held a brief conference call with SEIU members this afternoon.

She hailed them as her “brothers and sisters” and urged them to show up at town hall meetings.

She gave the same stultifying mini-lecture about the sanctity of Medicare. “Change is not easy,” she droned. “We need to roll up our sleeves.”

No mention of how SEIU thugs rolled up their sleeves and attacked a black conservative protester in St. Louis or ran interference in Tampa Bay.

In an attempt to reassure SEIU members that senior citizens would not suffer under Obamacare, Sebelius said “Saving lives saves dollars.” Which might come as news to Zeke Emanuel.

Sebelius thanked an SEIU member who showed up at the Tampa Bay melee and urged more to get involved. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”

SEIU heavy Dennis Rivera then took over, taking calls from scripted SEIU members who read statements (one of which was painfully, barely coherent).

Rivera closed by railing against the “radical fringe” of “right-wingers” and urged his “Purple Army” to fight “terrorist tactics.”

Pot and kettle.

***

Fun fact about Anna Burger’s staff from Culture of Corruption:

Another Stern administration protégé, Annelle Grajeda, rose to power after the SEIU president installed her as president of the 80,000-member Local 721 in Los Angeles. She ascended to positions on the union’s state council and international executive board. Like Freeman and Jackson, Grajeda had been voted onto Stern’s official administration slate at the SEIU convention in 2008. The Times published damning details of how Grajeda’s ex-boyfriend, SEIU official Alejandro Stephens, collected multiple salaries and consultant fees from the union while also pocketing a salary as a Los Angeles County health services employee. Grajeda had arranged an eight-month leave of absence from the job on behalf of her ex-lover. He was fired after he refused to return to work. Grajeda quit her California posts after catching public flak and found a new job – as special assistant to SEIU secretary-treasurer Anna Burger in Washington, D.C.! Her former chapter heralded the move. Grajeda will now oversee efforts to “partner with the Obama administration” to secure more public funds for SEIU projects. What could go wrong?

Former SEIU 721 President Annelle Grajeda assumed her new role as special assistant to the International Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger for the Public Sector Mar. 9.

According to a staff announcement from the International Union in Washington, D.C.: “With more than two decades of service, Annelle has played a critical role in winning strong contracts for tens of thousands of union members, preserving trauma centers in Los Angeles County, fighting for health care reform, defeating ballot initiatives in 2005 that challenged working families’ livelihoods and uniting more than 80,000 workers into SEIU 721 for greater strength and a stronger voice for public service providers. She brings this wealth of experience and talent to the national level in her new role.”

…The International’s announcement went on to state “While there has been no finding of wrongdoing on Annelle’s part, she has decided to change the capacity in which she serves the Union in order to take on the challenge of developing quality public services at a time when funding is threatened like never before.”

In her new role, Annelle will expand SEIU’s work in the public sector partnering with the Obama Administration to secure more funds for key infrastructure projects and core public services including care for the elderly, health care, education and social services.

Posted in: Health care, SEIU

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#771151

On August 7th, 2009 at 8:24 pm, rightisright said:

On August 7th, 2009 at 3:28 pm, Misscheryl said:

My head hurts.

My heart hurts as my country is being bleed to death by left wing Marxist’s and lazy sob’in citizens on the dole.
#771168

On August 7th, 2009 at 8:37 pm, rightisright said:

I feel better when I come here and read but even Bill O’reilly is agreeing with the left that it is right wingers doing this and he is not giving credit to the people.

so who is o’really but a news commentator, repeating stories written for him. I quit watching him months ago, instead of years ago, that’s what a bad habit will do to you, just like smoking. you know it’s wrong and not good but you keep doing it. o’really panders for viewers, he doesn’t have enough guts to make a stand say what it is he is, left, right or sit on the fence. He reminds me of what I heard that idiot McShame say about running for the presidency…”i want to be a candidate for everyone”…no wonder he lost.
#771176

On August 7th, 2009 at 8:43 pm, purealchemy said:

T-Bone and Rags,

Trying to find you.

Sounds like Chaps is going to lose his cat.

If you care, show up at the Don’t Taze Me Bro’ blog.
#771310

On August 8th, 2009 at 12:51 am, Cosmo said:

Yes, Commissar Sebelius, we need to “roll up our sleeves” …or risk getting shetek all over our Brooks Brothers dress shirts, right?

Thick. Wade-through-it thick.
#771322

On August 8th, 2009 at 1:31 am, Pat said:

Unions are also forcing contractors to hire union-only in stimulus projects and will sue them until they agree to it.

Solar Energy and CURE
#771418

On August 8th, 2009 at 6:00 am, GDSuffern said:

They’re getting pretty free with that word, “terrorist,” aren’t they? Funny how I keep hearing that popping up regarding Americans.
#771461

On August 8th, 2009 at 7:52 am, TommyBoy1 said:

Kathy Sebelius is a hypocritical joke. Her brothers and sisters in the SEIU? Give me a break. This is the same Kathy Gilligan I knew growing up in Cincinnati. I am sure she had a lot of contact with her union brothers and sisters at the very private Catholic girls school (Summit Country Day) and Trinity College that she attended. Or maybe at the family vacation home in the upscale Traverse City Michigan area. Not. BTW- her early connection to health care must have been the family funeral home business which has several funeral homes in Cincinnati. When the new Obama care takes effect my guess is that the family business will experience a significant uptick in business.