I just saw an ad for Stephen Fincher (TN-8) where he blasts the Obama stimulus for spending money on windmill parts in China. "Jobs for China but not here," it says. Can't find the link right now but I can't impress on Democrats enough the importance of the job outsourcing issue. Clearly it's polling well for Republicans or we wouldn't keep hearing the stimulus slammed for creating jobs overseas.
I realize this isn't the same issue as the U.S. Chamber foreign funds deal, but in a way it is: Republicans are using the words "foreign corporations" as a pejorative. And the GOP is the party who has always been all "free markets" and "free trade"! They fight any hint of protectionism -- until election time, when it's convenient to exploit so they can send their free-trade loving Republicans to Washington D.C.
Wake up, Tennessee and America ... you're being played!
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Anyone who doubts the wisdom of Democrats hammering Republicans on the foreign money issue need only watch this NRCC ad attacking Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Lincoln Davis, in the fight of his life to keep his seat.
Watch it here and tell me what you notice. Is that the Republican Party attacking a Democrat by alleging the stimulus "sent your tax dollars to foreign corporations who ship jobs overseas"? That's the Republicans saying that, right?
If the Republican Party thinks this message resonates with voters, then by all means the Democrats should, too.
This is typical Republican Party political strategy: try to tar your opponent with the very horrible thing you yourself have been doing for years. Republicans do everything with mirrors, it’s the root of the IOKIYAR meme, and they are very, very good at it. They are thinking you won’t remember the shit storm they kicked up about the "Buy American” clause in the economic stimulus. Whaah it’s just a sap to unions, whaaah it’s going to spark a trade war, whaaah it’s going to cause the price of everything to go up, whaah it violates our trade treaties, whaah whaah whaah. Cranky John McCain tried to strip the clause from the bill completely. Here’s that pinnacle of patriotism, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on the “Buy American” clause:
Thomas Donohue, head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, added, "If we refuse to buy foreign-made goods, then our trading partners will refuse to buy from us. And since we are the world's largest exporter, who will be hurt more?"
Got that? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce thinks “Buy American” is bad for America.
So yeah, that’s another thing the Democrats caved on. And fat lot of good it did you because now the NRCC is running ads against Democrats for not doing it. Fucking maroons, you got played. Again.
So yeah. Keep hammering them with this, Democrats. You’re on the right side on this one. Don’t cave.
