I have been screaming about the mass deportation of American manufacturing jobs for over twenty years now. I loathed NAFTA under Clinton and I wept as I continued to read about jobs pouring out to the more easily exploited/abused workforces in Indonesia and China. Now that the American economy has been well and truly cut off at the knees, more people are noticing that we need a damn manufacturing base to maintain a middle class. For more than two decades, politicians have done little or nothing about the flow of “outsourcing”, because they need those campaign donations from the filthy bastards getting filthy rich by destroying companies and sending jobs to 12 year old girls in Morocco or whatever.
Well, something is finally getting started, at least. I am proud to report that a couple of Democrats have stepped up with the Bring Jobs Home Act. This is legislation introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in the Senate (S. 2884) and by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) in the House (H.R. 5542).
Wow. Democrats actually doing something besides wringing their hands! Did they get their spines back? Will it last?
The GOP certainly knew what to do when faced with a Democratic attempt to help working families – it tried to keep from being voted on and thus becoming a political liability to the outsourcing friendly party and their heartless asshat leaders. As recently as a few days ago “the response from Republicans has been for John Boehner to refuse to allow it to come to the floor for a vote in the House” but there was a chance that the Senate MIGHT be “voting on the bill later this month”.
However, the news media (remember the forth estate?) actually ran an article or two about the Bring Jobs Home Act, after it had been extensively covered by liberals and labor unions on the interwebs of course. It helped that the Whitehouse issuing a statement making the Bring Jobs Home Act #1 on it git-er-done list. Not all of the media coverage was centered on American needs, though. Ever that bastion of Big Business, The Wall Street Journal was careful to cover the concerns of Indian software outsourcing companies. Yes, that should definitely be uppermost on the political mind during the economic crisis crippling America, Wall Street Journal. You are awesome, WSJ.
Nevertheless, the coverage generated enough heat that the Senate actually had to vote on the bill. This means that GOP messengers are scrambling to come up with reasons why it is GOOD for them to stab the American worker in the back:
Matt Frendewey, Michigan Republican Party communications director, said some have raised concerns about how the bill would affect international companies headquartered in the U.S., such as the Detroit Three automakers. “The lifeblood of Michigan is routed in global companies like Ford, Chrysler, GM – companies that have to operate internationally,” he told MLive.com. “Companies like that could be hurt by this bill because they have to operate in foreign companies in order to compete globally.” Frendewey [also] said the bill seems “to be more of a political stunt than a serious policy … If she’s serious about helping job creators, she needs to repeal Obamacare,” he said.
As I write this, I am waiting to see how the vote will turn out. Will the GOP shoot it in the face again, like House Republicans did last week?
*sound of clock ticking*
Annnnnndddddd …. McConnell and his Goat Blowers scuttled it. Four Republicans — Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Dean Heller of Nevada – broke ranks to vote for it. The rest of the GOP simply whipped out their dicks or pseudo-dicks and pissed in the face of struggling American workers who are desperate for jobs. This is the shit-sauce for the steaming plate of fuck you the Republicans are currently serving up the unemployed.
Rat bastards.
“If she’s serious about helping job creators, she needs to repeal Obamacare?” WTF??? So all the American workers can die and they can outsource ALL the jobs???
Gah.
I’m with Sheri – how would repealing Obamacare create jobs?