Clarification: The labor rally at Westlake yesterday starring King County Executive Dow Constantine was scheduled before the Occupy protests began. So, Constantine and labor were not formally courting the occupy movement.

Today's Winner: Occupy Seattle

Occupy Seattle comes out on top today—despite the city's attempts to clear the protesters from Westlake Plaza, the movement is still holding onto its turf in the downtown park.

What's more: the group—comprised of a regular crew of hippies, punks, and homeless—that's holding down the fort is now being courted by the area's biggest labor groups and big name politicians. This morning, Democratic King County Executive Dow Constantine addressed the protest at a rally put on by  local labor groups including the Washington State Labor Council and the King County Labor Council.

Constantine went full-on 99 Percenter:

I grew up across the bay—in West Seattle—my parents were teachers, my grandfather and his father were mill workers. My friends’ parents made a good living from an honest day’s work at the steel mill, or the docks, or of course an airplane factory down in the Duwamish Valley. I’m not being nostalgic—I’m simply stating what should be obvious: a small group of powerful people—public and private—has worked aggressively to undermine middle class stability.

Today, together, we say enough.

Our shared vision and commitment can succeed, but regional economic stability only really counts if great prosperity is also broad prosperity. ... For jobs. For families. For all of us.

Thank you for seeking to hold the powerful accountable.

Great stuff, but....

Today's Loser: Dow Constantine (and Local Labor)

The crowd at the rally this morning was lacking in Occupy folks and was mostly made up of union members thanks to  city's attempt to clear the park early this morning. Parks Department officials, backed by SPD officers, confiscated some protesters' possessions and took them to a Parks facility in Ballard; protesters were chasing down their belongings late this morning.

In other words, this morning's big show from Constantine was more like a local Democratic leader talking to labor unions. Yawn.

Labor groups also missed out on a chance to have a real chance to coordinate and show solidarity with the Occupy protesters. We have a message in to King County Labor Council leader David Freiboth to see what he thinks about the group's insistence on defying the city and occupying the park.

When we asked Constantine's office about his position on Mayor Mike McGinn's attempts to clear the park, Constantine's spokesman Frank Abe told us that "the Executive believes [Occupy Seattle is] an authentic expression of people's frustration with this terrible economy and the forces that caused it not being held accountable for their actions. He appreciates the difficult position of the city in trying to accommodate protest while letting people go about their business."