The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), with 1.9 million members throughout the country, is deliberating over which Democratic candidate to support.  This brief piece on the Times website probes into the thinking of the SEIU delegates.  It seems that the candidate that the union is most excited about (John Edwards) is not that who is viewed as having the best chance of success in a national election.  On the one hand, after the experience in recent presidential elections, one could argue that it is good to see that the union is being pragmatic about how to best advance its members' interests.  On the other hand, it is interesting to note that some within SEIU, despite its vast membership, are playing "follow the leader" instead of shaping which candidate is the front-runner.  This blog is not about politics, but it is about the middle class.  While one union is certainly not equivalent to the middle class, there is an interesting question of whether that segment of American society is able to be an agenda-setting force in the political or policy world, or if it too is only able to play "catch up".