RSS Feed for This PostCurrent Article

“American Workers Should Build America’s Defense”

By SusanUnPC on April 16, 2008 at 11:20 AM in Bush/Cheney, China, Employment, Hillary Clinton, Indiana, National Defense, Pennsylvania, Unemployment, Unions

In this just-released ad, Hillary argues for protecting American jobs that directly impact our nation’s defense — rather than outsourcing to the Chinese:

Hoosiers for Hillary today launched a new 30-second television ad highlighting Hillary’s plans to protect American defense manufacturing jobs from being sent overseas. The ad features former employees of Magnaquench who lost their jobs along with more than 200 Hoosiers when the company closed its Indiana plant and shipped production of high-performance magnets used for the U.S. military’s “smart bombs” to China.

As President, Hillary will fight to keep the nation’s defense jobs here at home, because “American workers should build America’s defense.” The spot, titled “Closed,” will air throughout Indiana.

And here is the script:

Hillary Clinton: Right here over 200 Hoosiers built parts that guided our military’s smart bombs to their targets.

They were good jobs, but now, they’re gone to China.

And now America’s defense relies on Chinese spare parts.

George Bush could have stopped it, but he didn’t.

As your president, I will fight to keep good jobs here, and to turn this economy around.

I’m Hillary Clinton and I approve this message because American workers should build America’s defense.

Right on, sister.

::::::::::::::::::::

P.S. I don’t like the idea of the Chinese making components in the prescription drugs I take. I want AMERICAN WORKERS to make my vital prescriptions.

  • Mary

    Perfect! Now I want her to use some stuff from the NAA speech Monday. For instance:

    “I believe in the power of the presidency to set big goals for America and to solve the problems of Americans, to ensure that our people have the tools they need to turn challenges into opportunities, to fulfill their God-given potential, and to build better lives for themselves and their children. That’s the kind of president I will be every day in the White House, whether the issue is health care or child care, foreign policy, or the future of our economy.

    “I am running for president because I believe in the promise of America and I believe in the power of the presidency to help fulfill that promise. Now, that’s not a sound bite. It’s what I have learned, experienced and intended, as best I could, throughout my life.”

    Take a look at this awesome picture of what a Clinton presidency will be like:

    http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=204874-1

  • blobert

    Superb. Hillary is on a ROLL!

  • workingclass artist

    Great Ad….And Yes IT’S A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE…. jeez

    • Fredster

      Oh I agree with this! It’s one of the reasons I was upset about the A.F. contract on the tankers.

      Sure, that might help one state, AL, with one part of the Airbus contract but look at how much of the rest of it is NOT being done in the States. If we can’t at least keep DOD manufacturing here in the states it kind of makes what the prez candidates say meaningless.

  • rwc

    A good first step but she needs to go further.

    Needs to promote a “America only” law for DoD work.

    IOW make it illegal for DoD contractors to outsource work to factories in foreign countries.

    She could do that with a executive order and bypass the nitwits in Congress who would fight tooth and nail against such a law if she tried the conventional route.

    • simon, too

      Sometimes, well, our IT, google types are supposed to be brilliant, cutting edge, right?

      But sometimes, in reality, they’re stupid, just like Obama, arrogant, culturally obtuse, projecting intellect, as opposed to being brilliant.

      If you want to throw someone off the scent, the best thing to do is send one of the obtuse idiots over, and call him “the future of American defense.”

      So I’ve heard, I don’t KNOW that…

  • Patrick Henry

    Right On…Sister…!

    Good topic to focus on Susan..

    Built in the USA….Buy American..Stop exporting jobs..stop Building Foreign..If black Americans want to walk the Walk..Build Factorys and shops here..start thier Own clothing Lines..Start thier own Sports equipment factorys..Start thier own Foundations and Grants…

    Look at what That white American couple has done by financing smmll business startups in Africa..Brick factorys..Food distribution…Water wells etc..

    Look how much Money is being Stolen from Grant Money..by Contractors and developers…look at the kickbacks..look at the corruption ..Chicago is the biggest Enviromental Disaster in America..So many Hypocrites, Liars, thiefts and Corruption, so much Ant American hatred and Propoganda..So much Violence..

    Obama was a NV or Against on many bills that would have benefited the very people he is exploting now..

    Look at Pastor Wright..All Hypocrites..taking money from poor Folks to live in a 10,000 sq foot retirement Mansion…same Old “Exploitation” he blames on the “God Damn Rich White People”..same old SCAM..

    You want Good Government..Someone You can Trust…

    VOTE HILLARY CLINTON…”Right On…Sister..”
    ..

    • blobert

      China for spare ribs.
      America for spare parts.

      • beebop

        Saying that might upset your banker ;)

      • http://Supergram.blogspot.com Melissa

        LMAO great comment! Spare Ribs!! ROFL

  • Ugo

    When a coutry can not grow its produce, that country can not feed itself. Likewise if you can make your own weapon, you can not use it or fix it.

    You remenbered when the military was waiting for a part of it weapon from Europe, because that very country disagreed with the war and would not deliver on time.

    World inter-dependency is good to some extent, but not with the essentails.

    • kenoshaMarge

      Hell, for the most part we don’t even manufacture underwear in this country anymore. Now that could be a real problem. :(

      • Kevin

        Not really – just means everyone goes “commando” which will lead for a chaffed and more politically active electorate…

      • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

        Yeah but nobody will die if our underwear misfires.

      • TeakWoodKite

        Senator Dorgan was doing his comedy skit on this Monday, keep it up Senator Dorgan!

        Why does an “American” bank buy sewer pipes in Germany? Aside from the tax write off, Obama Bullshit streches for miles…it has to go some where.

  • JoeySky

    She’s spot on. I have been worried about this issue for a long time. And the Bush government never wanted to do anything with it.

  • Patrick Henry

    Yes…and Now…It is so much about “COMMODITYS”

    The war started over Greed for Oil and Competition for that resource…but now is expanding to diminishing Food supplys..while the cost of Living is Sky rocketing and the dollars VALUE is cut in half…Look at all Indexsa since Bush took office Eight years ago..He is ruining our Dollar, our economy, Our Tax burdens, our Foreign relations..
    The Russians could not have done a better job at creating HAVOC for the USA if they tryed…Maybe thwey Have and They ARE..??

    There are HUGH..potenially Disasterous Problems facing America..and the World..and its Peoples and global Economys..there are MANY Nations and ideologys Competing for powre and influence and Control of People and resources..

    We MUST have the BEST Leadership Possible..ASAP..

    John McCain is way to far Right Wing..Republican..

    Barack Obama is to far Left Wing..Liberal..

    They are both out of Touch with REALITY..and too Idelogical and “POLITICAL”..

    We MUST Have Moderation..Middle of the Road..America First GOVERMENT and representation..

    VOTE HILLARY……………VOTE AMERICAN…

  • zozosmom

    Bruce Springsteen endorsed Obama today. What a disappointment. I like Bruce. I guess he is trying to give Obama some working-class cred. There is no contact info for Bruce but here is the contact for his publicist:

    Shore Fire Media 32 Court Street, Suite 1600
    Brooklyn, NY 11201 Telephone: 718.522.7171
    Fax: 718.522.7242
    Email: info@shorefire.com

    Let them know you are disappointed in him.

    • SensibleWoman

      I’m throwing out my CDs as of this moment.

      • zozosmom

        Spoke to someone at ShoreFire

        the email address to send a message to Bruce is nlyons@shorefire.com

        They were very nice.

        • simon, too

          That’s too bad, REM, too, which was one of my favorite bands.

          They just fall for the crap, the fuzzy foam, as opposed to the truth.

          Both Bruce and REM have seen better days, it’s the musicians who see through Obama that interest me…

          I mean, how could Bruce endorse Obama, after the elitist remark, after Obama’s connections to Auchi, all that 9.11 type stuff?

      • CeeHussein

        Aaaaaw. No more Glory Days for you?

    • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

      Yeah he endorsed Kerry too. Look how well that worked out.

    • ChrisXP

      Bruce Springsteen endorsed Obama today.

      :(

      Has Billy Joel endorsed anyone yet?

      Glad at least Elton John put in a good word for Hillary (“Philedelphia Freedom” is ringing in my ears at the moment). But I worry if Billy Joel (“Allentown”) will jump the shark (if he hasn’t already).

      Please Billy don’t!

      Don’t prefer country music as choice, but if Garth Brooks and George Strait is what is only left to sing about the REAL working families, then that’s what’s left. Already abandoned most music today, since it’s about everything I don’t relate too. :(

      • simon, too

        Not true, you just don’t HEAR good music, because radio is owned buy the same idiots who gave us Bush, are trying to give us Obama, and who LOST the wars…

        Try some of the Internet radio, a lot of musicians are bypassing the traditional channels, and going straight for the Net.

        And it’s still great stuff.

        • ChrisXP

          Not true, you just don’t HEAR good music

          To me, music that I knew died in 1991 when “grunge” took over. There’s some rare exceptions, mostly folk singers that I’d listen too (e.g., Blue Rodeo), but most of the music now I consider trash.

          If it’s not the 60s/70s/80s fare, I’m not getting it. When music was a ballad; was funny (yes, I did have fun in the disco era and not ashamed to state it); and even techno (yeah, loved the cheeziest synth-pop of the 80s, too). Not interested in the gansta rap (though I REALLY LOVED the early 80s rap, especially of Grandmaster Flash and Salt ‘n Pepper); grunge; the “American Idol” crap; Britney or whatever over produced junk.

          Bruce I wasn’t very well connected too, except his major hit album, and his 1984 song, “Dancing in the Dark” (played the 45 so much it was ENGRAVED!). But Billy, he was the guy I was listening too between the New Wave invasion (prefer the keyboards more, and was shocked — shocked!! — that Eddie Van Halen tickled the ivories in that blockbuster song, “Jump”).

          Music is a snapshot of the years you wish to remember. Despite all of the fuss of the 70s and 80s, those were my “growing up years”, and my Foobar2000 list reflects it!

          • simon, too

            I’ve been listening to the Shins, and the more I hear them, the more I like them.

            During the Bush years, music took a dive, all that Britney produced plastic junk, plastic rap, they projected a singer, and even that they didn’t do right, production was horrible, ie, they produce music like they do elections, very uncreative and formulaic. They don’t get it.

            I was one for throwing on my headphones and listening, for hours, found myself without that luxury the past seven years, but there was nothing I really wanted to hear, anyway.

            But recently, the hooks, and the melodies of the shins (“there’s no connection,” from Phantom Limb) have been drawing me in, I’ve been appreciating them purely on an aesthetic level, which is nice, been a long time. Same with Neko Case, and a few others.

            And I write, and I guess now that I’m older I can write what I want to hear, and that has been very satisfying, too.

            I try to keep my ears open, I don’t want to be stuck in any one decade, I remember as a kid hearing the older boomers say “Oh, this stuff you listen to is garbage, there isn’t anyone like the Stones (and they were speaking of one of the greatest songwriters ever, Elvis Costello).

            I don’t want to be like that…

        • jwrjr

          That’s why I have a CD changer in my car. What they broadcast on the radio these days is mostly crap.

          • simon, too

            What they broadcast on the radio these days is mostly crap.

            Truer words never spoken.

            Radioparadise is a net station, I think you can get it on satellite, but I don’t want to pay (other expenses), I just plug in my ipod.

    • beebop

      Maybe he’s just scared of death threats?

  • militarytracy

    I think people with a lot of military experience understand what a giant security breach it is to ship our defense technology jobs to China. My husband can go on for hours and hours about all of the dangers this poses and it isn’t pretty when people who know exactly what they are talking about start telling you what can happen doing this.

    • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

      I regard China as a huge threat, especially considering they own most of our debt paper. China has been stealing our technology for years. They flooded the market with 10 billion dollars in knock offs last year alone. We give them our drawings, they steal them and knock us off. They cannot be trusted to have our security secrets. It’s not as if we haven’t caught them spying on us either.

      Because we are indebtedt to them financially they are taking full advantage of us and getting away with a huge trade deficit. Unless we stop borrowing money from this place and until we reoup our debt, they own us.

    • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

      I spent decades in aerospace, and if you only KNEW. We had a contract where we had to transfer technology to them and they were constantly trying to spy on us. We had to stick them in a closed area and never let them out to feel even a modicum of safety. And they weren’t the ONLY country we had problems with. Messing with our defense contracts with foreign entities is not very smart at all. And that includes EVERYWHERE in the middle east. And Israel and Taiwan were no saints either. American defense contracts should not be anybody’s business but America’s and anybody who thinks different is just downright stupid in their greed. I remember also outsoursing printed wiring boards to Taiwan and Mexico. We got our lunch eaten on the defects. It ended up costing more. American defense line workers are hugely skilled people and to outsource their stellar skilled work for knock off crap in China and other places is a travesty that will one day come back and bite us. It’s one thing for walmart to have their 4000 little sweat shops to make plastic drink umbrellas. It’s quite another to be building things like radar and sonar units there.

      • simon, too

        Yep, we did too, working on some military and space stuff.

        And espionage was always a threat, but, given we live in a free society, it wasn’t too difficult to bypass classified materials, all it took was a little ingenuity to figure out what they were trying to hide.

        Our career government isn’t as stupid as it appears, though, again, a benefit of democracy.

        • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

          LOL you probably won’t believe this, but we caught a Taiwanese in the venting system. That’s when we locked them up completely in a closed area that had a door you didn’t even know was a door. lol.

          • simon, too

            For us, for a brief time, it was the French, of all people.

            No kidding, had to watch out for those French engineers, we would get the rudest email, ever.

        • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

          Another thing came to my mind. During Desert Storm, I was asked to manage the Repair and Return area for burnt or damaged radar boxes for a number of different aircraft that came back from the field (NOR),and those workers had to get them repaired and operationally ready fast and right. Try shipping those things to China and see how well that works out.

      • TeakWoodKite

        The theft of the new engine designs for the next gen Nasa motors by a network intrusion trased to an IP address in So. America. Trail went cold.

        The US Taxpayers are out several billion dollars of R&D and the advanced technology edge.

        I hear you Uppity. So Does Hillary Clinton.

        Nasa engines
        http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg17523561.100-nasas-new-shuttle-designs-stolen-by-hacker.html

  • Nancy

    Great ad and wow is our girl Hillary right on target again or what? It’s time we brought all defense manufacturing back home, where it belongs. Hillary is really on a roll and a half.

    Interesting… I saw my first ad (here in Pa) for Hillary sponsored by an unaffiliated group involving healthcare. It highlighted the very important differences between Hillary’s and Barak’s health plans. It was well done and effective. I missed the name of the group. I’m glad they have her back, no matter who they are.

  • ChrisXP

    Let’s bring those jobs home.

    A strong America is everyone’s best interest. Joe and Jane Sixpack happy with a honest job and pay, is the soul food this country has been lacking for over a decade.

    China and the rest of the world can build their own components — like America HAD. The world didn’t fall apart when countries made their own goods, it was even expected.

    Exporting UNIQUE goods is fine, as trade isn’t a bad deal. But the USA has to be self-sufficient, and by doing so Americans (it’s really sweet to hear Hillary using that term — “Americans” — not “the American people” or whatever term used to describe some global village) can also have HONEST work to keep them in clothes; fed; entertained; and their kids having more than their parents — the gift all parents want to give to their kids, that better life.

    It’s not asking much.

    • jwrjr

      America is as weak as the countries it gets products from. Start with national defense. But energy needs to be a close second with food and pharmaceuticals tied for third.

      • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

        Bingo!

        Ironically they made it “illegal” to purchase the drugs that are made in America from Canada, because they want to make sure Americans pay MORE for those drugs. Their lame argument was “safety”. So what happens? We find the FDA has to get involved with drugs that were manufactured in China and shipped here.

        The pharmaceutical companies spend scores of billions on TV to tell plant ideas of their drugs into people’s heads (which should be illegal!) and at the same time they tell us that we have to pay more for their drugs for “research”…only for us to find that much of their research is funded by us to begin with.

  • http://cujo359.blogspot.com Cujo359

    I’d be fine with Chinese workers making stuff for the American market if their management had to follow roughly the same standards of quality, environmental protection, and workplace safety that we do. They don’t, though, and this is what’s wrong.

    The truth, BTW, is that much of what goes into our weapons has been made overseas for a long time. Do we even have semiconductor plants in America any more? They’re mostly overseas now, where they can pay the workers less, work them harder, and they don’t have to worry about where they dispose of the effluent.

    So, while it’s nice that Senator Clinton thinks we should make our weapons here, we need to be making more than just the weapons to have a strong defense manufacturing base.

    This isn’t so much a criticism as a reminder.

    • beebop

      A nation that can poison dogs and children has no problem with screwing up bombs. What happens is that they have a poor result and America takes the wrap. There really isn’t enough left from the payload to find that “made in China” stamp and dodge the responsibility for the result.

      • http://cujo359.blogspot.com Cujo359

        They certainly don’t see the “Made In Indonesia” or “Made In Taiwan” stickers on defective integrated circuits that cause weapons system failures, either. And yet potentially, that’s the situation we’re in now.

        Having a manufacturing infrastructure is about a lot more than just who gets to put the kit together.

      • simon, too

        The manufacture most of our medicines, now, too, CIPRO being an example.

        CIPRO was the only antibiotic capable of fighting anthrax, right?

        They shipped it’smanufacturing overseas after 9.11, to China.

        Gosh, Cheney and Bush were brilliant, weren’t the?

        damn.

  • http://http//unityindiversity-spiritedpolitics.blogspot.com jm korbel

    Have family member who is National Engineering Mgr. with major defense connections. He has been worried for some time over the inferior parts from China being used in our defense products- not to mention the laughable lack of motivation they would have in maintaining the quality of US defense. They can’t even make safe toys and lace poison into food product exports to save costs. How crazy we’ve become!

    Now our youth wants to turn the Presidency over to a far left pro-Arab whom they think can chat his way around extremists in informal chats with terrorist leaders. Wake Up America!

    Just started a blog. Hope you like. I love No Quarter. All welcome – come and take a new poll. Hope this link works (if not let me know);

    http//unityindiversity-spiritedpolitics.blogspot.com

    • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

      I’ve been in that movie and your friend is VERY right.

    • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

      JM, you need to add comment section at the end of your posts so people can say Hi.

  • http://www.sugarnspice.typepad.com Sugar

    Hillary is the ONLY sensible choice for the next POTUS!!!

  • zozosmom

    Well, those defense contractors love the shoddy spare parts, because it means stuff breaks down more, which means more work for them, more revenue from the government teat. De-fence shme-fence!

  • pm317

    Susan, OT, could you bring attention to this issue of women’s backlash in November — nobody talks about it much. This NYMag article is a start but not enough. Thanks.

    http://nymag.com/news/features/46011/

    • simon, too

      Speaking of, I read, this weekend, “girls like us,” by Sheila Weller, about Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, and Carole King.

      She traces their artistic and personal development through the lineage of modern day feminism, it was a history lesson, very very enlightening.

      Some say feminism died in the nineties, I don’t think it did it all, it changed, it gained more control.

      But I thought any woman unaware of what this country was like pre 1960 should read that book.

    • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

      They will learn about backlash the hard way. But they will learn.

  • Fleaflicker

    I could go on and on about the Chinese. I actually like their people and their culture BUT I don’t trust them in the least and George W. Frickin Bush has mortgaged our future to them.

    This is an excellent ad. Go Hillary!

    • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

      It’s not their people Flea. It’s their government.

  • http://Supergram.blogspot.com Melissa

    My son is in the military along with my daughter in law. My siser is an Air Force vet. I DO NOT wnat any foreign company making anything my son or his wife might have to deal with. Strange isn’t it that the Boeing scandal went away so fast?? Anotehr example of exporting our defense.

    Oh and did I read somewhere that one of Obama’s brothers work and lives in China, you know, the brother that studied at Stanford (physics?) What are the chances that Obama is going to take a job away from his brother and give it to a poor embittered Amerian?

    • http://Supergram.blogspot.com Melissa

      Sorry about the spelling errors. So mad I can’t type!

    • CeeHussein

      Maybe The internet firm that cracked down on Tibetan dissents AND gave money to Bill Clinton will be used on us.

      A firm that has donated to the president’s charity is accused of collaborating with the government in its crackdown on Tibetan activists. Hillary Clinton has spoken out against China’s actions.

      http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-clintonchina13apr13,0,499290.story

  • ChrisXP

    And another thing, since this topic is about national defense: If Hillary is elected as president, I want a WM (Woman Marine) — like the DI who taught me all the intrinsic details of being a Marine — to teach Hillary how to correctly salute, and board a ship.

    If she can do this, this one tiny detail that may mean nothing to the Far-Left that hates our military, she’d seal the deal.

    A salute may not mean much to civilians, but in the military it’s a sign of respect. If a CiC can’t do it right, it shows they have distain for the military. It’s even more critical if the CiC is a woman, especially one with zero military experience. Bill learned it the hard way, it’ll be a disaster if Hillary doesn’t learn how to snap a salute like a vet (and god forbide trips trying to get aboard a aircraft carrier; or doesn’t return the salute of the boarding officer).

    Remember the message has to fit the action. Talk is very cheap. Respect is earned.

    • simon, too

      She has Wes Clark on her side, along with the rest of the flag officers.

      Obama apparently drew the drunks.

      • ChrisXP

        Flag officers won’t matter: what matters is the CiC is “one of the them”.

        Why in the military you’ll hear about service people saluting the brass, not the person (because some officers are absolute aholes — and in extreme cases, they were even fragged by their own troops).

        It’s a little things that has a huge return. In the military everything has to be proven. It took Iraq, with all of it’s hell, to get them to see service women more than secretaries and “support”. This is the first war, that service women are actually dying doing their MOS, not a accidential casuality/or invasion spoil (e.g., nurses getting caught in the crossfire). They’re passing the combat arms test, and who knows, that last barrier in the military may even be lifted (so needed for career advancement). Heck, I’m even seeing service women in color and honor guards now — OOORAH!!

        With all that effort and sacrifices, the first female CiC, has to do it right.