By Doug Cunningham

(Chicago) - Illinois Democratic U.S. Senator Barak Obama told workers at the AFL-CIO convention here in Chicago that no matter what happens at this convention labor must stay united in its vision of America…

“This has always been the way with us – at the edge of despair, in the shadow of hopelessness ordinary people make extraordinary decisions that if we stand together we rise together.”

Obama said labor’s vision of America is the polar opposite of Bush’s “ownership society”- which Obama called nothing more than social Darwinism. And he said politics is part of the solution - to strengthen the right to organize so workers can secure our health care and our pensions.

Our vision of America is not one where big government runs our lives . It’s one that gives every American the opportunity to make the most of their lives. It’s not one that tells us we’re on our own, it’s one that realizes that we rise and fall together as one people.”