McCain Should Stand Up for American Workers in Sarkozy Meeting
March 20, 2008
The Democratic National Committee today called on McCain to stand up for American workers when he meets with French President Nicolas Sarkozy tomorrow. As David Broder noted in today's Washington Post, McCain already missed a chance to distance himself from President Bush on the war when he failed to demand political progress from Iraq's leaders earlier in his weeklong, taxpayer funded trip to Europe and the Middle East. Instead, McCain continued his pattern of marching in lockstep with the Bush Administration on the war. [Washington Post, 3/20/08]
Now, with reports showing U.S. jobless claims rising faster than expected, McCain has an opportunity to distance himself from President Bush's failed economic agenda and stand up for America's working families. Reports show that McCain helped steer a $35 billion Air Force tanker deal to Airbus and EADS--a European defense contractor that three of the lobbyists in his inner circle lobbied for. McCain can repair the damage by calling on Sarkozy to send those jobs back to America. According to reports, Boeing's bid would have immediately produced 44,000 American jobs. Instead, the EADS deal McCain preferred will create 20,000 fewer U.S. jobs, and those that are created will not be in the United States until 2010 when assembly is scheduled to move from France to Alabama. At the very least, McCain should call on Sarkozy to accelerate the transfer of those jobs back to the United States.
"Not only has John McCain admitted that he doesn't understand the economy, but he also doesn't seem to understand that one of a President's primary responsibilities is to fight for American workers and their families," said DNC Communications Director Karen Finney. "Since McCain likes to brags about his self-professed expertise in foreign policy, he should put those skills to work rescuing the jobs he helped ship to Europe."
John McCain and American Jobs
John McCain: 63,000 Lost Jobs "Not Terrible." At a town hall in Atlanta this morning he said that "Today's unemployment figures are not good. They're not terrible, but they're not good. The unemployment rate did not go up." [McCain Town Hall, Atlanta, 3/7/08]
Jobless Claims Grew Faster Than Expected. "The number of newly laid off workers filing for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level in nearly two months, providing more evidence that the weak economy is having an adverse impact on the labor market. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for jobless benefits totaled 378,000 last week. That was an increase of 22,000 from the previous week and was a far bigger jump than had been expected." [AP, 3/20/08]
Air Force Tanker Deal to Outsource Tens of Thousands of Defense Jobs. According to reports, McCain consistently weighed in against a Boeing contract that would have resulted in the immediate creation of 44,000 new manufacturing jobs in at least 40 states. Under best case scenarios, the European tanker deal will create 20,000 fewer U.S. jobs, and most that are created will not be in the United States until 2010 when assembly is scheduled to move from France to Alabama. [AP, 3/8/2008:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5603827.html;
Business Week, 3/3/08 (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23448928/]
1993: McCain Said America Must Protect Defense Industrial Base... In 1993, John McCain said "the defense industrial base is the foundation on which American military power rests, and it is all too clear that democracy cannot be secure in the world without that power." He even warned that "we are watching defense airframe manufacturers merge or become subcontractors at a time our civil aviation manufacturing industry faces a major downturn" and wrote to defense officials about his concerns that their plans did not adequately address having aircraft purchases "sufficient to sustain an adequate military aircraft industry," [Congressional Record, 3/3/93]
...But This Year John McCain "Pressed the Pentagon" to Ignore Airbus Subsidies When Considering Deal. "They say he pressed the Pentagon not to factor into its selection criteria alleged subsidies that Airbus was receiving from European governments, even thought the U.S. had sued the European Union at the World Trade Organization over subsidies provided to Airbus." [TheHill.com, 3/6/08: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/boeing-blame-game-is-played-2008-03-06.html]
McCain Dismissed Impact of Tanker Deal on U.S. Workforce. Asked about the deal, McCain said: "I've never believed that defense programs, that the major reason for them should be to create jobs." [Associated Press, 3/3/08]
