(Harris) Miller Defends Lobbying Stances

[Judi Lynn]

Miller Defends Lobbying Stances

By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 9, 2006; Page B01

Harris Miller saw the future of American industry, and it was based on global cooperation.

So as a lobbyist for an information technology trade association, Miller trekked to Capitol Hill, arguing for the international interests of industry heavyweights such as Oracle and Microsoft and actively supporting legislation like the Northern American and Central American free trade agreements that loosened trade barriers.

But as Miller heads toward Tuesday's Democratic Senate primary against former Navy secretary James Webb, his support for a borderless trade world has gotten him into trouble with a key portion of the Democratic base: unions. Leaders for several sectors of the labor movement have blasted Miller positions that they say have hurt U.S. workers.

The union leaders have gone after Miller for his stewardship of the Information Technology Association of America, saying the organization played a crucial role in opposing restrictions on outsourcing.

They also have criticized comments he made before a congressional subcommittee in 2003, when he was asked to discuss the effects of sending American high-tech jobs overseas: "Outsourcing -- rather than trying to build and retain a substantial in-house capability -- remains the most effective strategy for conducting a wide variety of IT operations."
(snip/...)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060801650.html

[geek tragedy]

1. He makes Joe Lieberman seem like a champion

for the little guy.

[Virginia Dare]

2. Another one of the revolving door politicians...

they are rife within both parties unfortunately.

In my opinion this is one of the things that is fundamentally wrong with this country.

Having said that, he has raised alot of money for Democrats here in Northern Virginia, and I can't fault him for that.

[queenbdem87]

3. If that idiot wins our primary.....we are doomed

Allen will wipe the floor with him....there are some things money just can't buy...
Vote Webb!

[SquireJons]

4. I agree that Miller is a weak candidate

But I am in somewhat of a dilemma. Despite Miller's stance on labor protection (particularly in the IT sector), he has a strong track record of supporting democrats for several decades. Webb, on the other hand is saying all of the right things now, but I don't get the whole "Clinton fatigue' thing. What's so bad about success? Is he really that concerned about a BJ that he's willing to overlook the six years of sustained growth in jobs and the economy? Or perhaps he didn't like the way the Clinton administration put out the fire that was raging in the Balkans? Maybe he really likes the deficit and national debt, since Clinton was the only president who actually brought that number down.

I'm all for bringing the Reagan Democrats back to the Democratic Party, but this thing about blaming his wrong positions on Clinton just doesn't wash with me. For christ's sake, Clinton wasn't even liberal, he was moderate at best. But at least he did a good job for the country. But Webb supported Bush and Allen in 2000, and for what reason is beyond me. Bush has been so bad for so long, that they should go ahead and add a W to words like failure and loser. What was there to see in his candidacy?

(I have to give Webb a bit of a pass on Allen, since I too voted for him (for governor not senator)... sorry about that. Allen lied about his policies during his campaign and I couldn't vote for Terry. I should have just not voted for governor that year)

I remember Webb from when he was Secretary of the Navy. Back then he was gung ho for a 6oo ship navy. The only purpose that served was to further involve the american military into the affairs of other countries. It's an aggressive military expansionist policy, one that directly lead to the flagging of Kuwaiti oil tankers... which lead to military confrontation with Iran, and eventually to the military support of Kuwait itself. That conflict was the father of the current Iraqi war, and the wing nuts in the Reagan administration are the godfathers of the neocons of today. What are his feelings on that? It seems he tries to white wash his close ties to republicans, which is not so easy to do.

Will he stand up to oil companies and big business? Will he take global warming and the environment seriously? What about corruption and cronyism in Washington? What is his commitment to getting america off of oil dependency? How about Israel? They get 2.5 billion in aid from the U.S. each year and then thumb their nose at everything the U.S. tries to accomplish in the Middle East. How does Webb feel about the disputed elections of 2000 and 2004? Is he concerned about having large numbers of votes counted by partisan hacks with no accountability? What are his view on the media and their responsibility to accurately inform the american public? What does he have to say about Ann Coulter and her ilk?

I'm leaning towards voting for Webb because I think he can beat Allen (who is a complete boob). But I sure have my reservations.

[307 MMS]

5. Vote counting

"Is he concerned about having large numbers of votes counted by partisan hacks with no accountability"?
That says it all, right there for me of any candidate of any party anywhere in this country. It's the most paramount issue out there. But I'm not hearing much about it from the politicians themselves.