IAM delegates welcomed former Georgia Senator Max Cleland to an "Old Fashioned Political Rally" at the Cincinnati Convention Center.

Max Cleland Headlines IAM Rally for JOBS!

Delegates at the 36th Grand Lodge Convention welcomed former Georgia Senator Max Cleland and more than a thousand union supporters from the surrounding community to a foot stomping, sign waving rally that rattled the rafters at the Cincinnati Convention Center.

The high-energy evening event, billed as an “Old Fashioned Political Rally for JOBS!” followed a full day of convention activity, including a rip-roaring address by Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO).

Cleland headlined a list of distinguished speakers at the rally who spoke passionately about the loss of good jobs.

“There is a great sense in this country that we are heading in the wrong direction,” said Cleland. “One point six million Americans are out of work and out of luck today because of this president. And it’s a crying shame that 45 million Americans are without health insurance,” said the wheelchair-bound vet. “They’re covered by George Bush’s faith-based plan — you just pray you don’t get sick.”

Calling Ohio "ground zero" for the economic malaise gripping the country, Cleland said the policies of George W. Bush were directly responsible for Ohio's record job loss rate in August, the highest in the nation. “It’s not just the State of Ohio,” said Cleland, “it is the state of our nation that’s at stake.”

Cleland, who lost three limbs in Vietnam, blasted Bush on his handling of everything from Iraq to the economy to the treatment of America’s veterans. “This country is going backward not forward but we’re going to correct that on November 2,” said Cleland, who implored union members to retake their country on Election Day.

“The American worker does have a hero,” said President Tom Buffenbarger, “and his name is Max Cleland.”