Free trade's victims turning against Bush, GOP

[kskiska]

More evidence the South is turning on Bush.*

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- This year's highly publicized job losses in North Carolina manufacturing, including the Pillowtex bankruptcy, could mean trouble next year for President Bush in a region that was a stronghold in 2000.

Bush won more than 56 percent of the vote in both North Carolina and South Carolina in 2000. But his strong support of free trade has turned some against him in the South, where U.S. trade policies are blamed for the loss of jobs in textiles and other manufacturing sectors.

Andy Warlick, chief executive officer of Parkdale Mills in Gaston County, said he doubts he will repeat his 2000 vote for Bush next year.

"He made a lot of promises and he hasn't delivered on any of them," Warlick said. "I've had some firsthand experience of him sending down trade and commerce officials, but they're just photo ops. It's empty rhetoric."

Fred Reese, the president of Western N.C. Industries, an employers' association, said executives are beginning to raise their voices against Bush and are planning education and voter drives.

more…
http://www.heraldsun.com/state/6-384857.html

[Bluzmann57]

1. Finally!

As I have been saying all along, this lousy economy, which is NOT Clinton's fault, is going to bring this version of bushonmics down. All the other crap doesn't help, but the economy and massive job losses will be his undoing. Nice to see that people are waking up. Its just too bad that they have to lose their jobs to awaken.

[TXDemGal]

2. This is VERY heartening to read!

Thanks for posting it. Not that I'm happy that anyone has lost their job, as so many have under this regime's corrupt hands. But it gives me hope that people are really starting to open their eyes to the reality and mobilizing to throw the crooks out in '04.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bandit]

13. That is one sick picture you have ~ No matter who's face is attached

America what has happened to you? :-(

[ThorsteinVeblen]

4. The Perfect Storm

Free Trade
Jobs going overseas
The Economy
Unemployment
WMD lies
WTC air lies
Americans dying in Iraq
No hope of support of the UN or the international community in Iraq
Energy Deregulation causing blackouts

[0007]

14. And big corporations hiding money in off shore banks

to cheat on their taxes.

[VaLabor]

5. Let's just hope

Let's just hope that these otherwise conservative voters realize it's more important to have a job and give your kids a future than it is to stop two gay men from exchanging vows in San Francisco.

To keep these voters in his block, Bush is going to go all out on the gay marriage issue. Just watch.

[Frances]

6. The excerpt below is a real opening for Dean

Dean is talking about job losses and how the U.S. has to insist that other trade partner countries must have the same job and environmental protections as the U.S.

When Dean was asked if that applied to developing countries, he said, "They deserve a middle class too."

<<In South Carolina, voter drives are planned for the first time at Milliken & Co., which has about 30 plants in the state. Mount Vernon Mills of Greenville, S.C., is forming a political action committee.

The company's president Roger Chastain, a one-time Bush voter, doesn't expect to support the president or Jim DeMint, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Ernest Hollings.

"We're basically liquidating our whole middle class, polarizing people on the two extremes, have and have-nots," Chastain said of the manufacturing job losses. "We'll be a Third World country." >>

[monobrau]

7. Tried to warn ya, folks

It's all a bunch of liberal clap-trap until it's YOUR job that goes south, I suppose.
But welcome to the club anyway, brothers and sisters, we have a big tent to share.

[aquart]

8. Great.

If they hadn't gifted him with the South, maybe their jobs would still exist. Because they aren't coming back. None of the choices for 2004 is a genie.

[Frances]

9. I know that Bush will try to get people to vote

against the Democrats on gay and religious issues. But I think reform of NAFTA etc. will trump the religion card in places where decent jobs are at stake.

The statistics are not good. The U.S. is losing manufacturing jobs, which are well paid. It is gaining in service jobs which are not.

Also Bush will try to blame Clinton. But the Democrats should say Clinton is now irrelevant. It is what is happening now and in the future that is important. There's no point in arguing about Clinton. He's not president any more. Bush will have had 4 years in office and he is the one who will be judged for his term.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

11. It's still the economy.

Social and religious idealogy is the first victim when people are out of work. Those idealogies are the luxury that comes with economic stability. You have the time and inclination to worry about things like: "I wonder what my neighbor is doing with his/her genitalia?".

Thermonuclear Class Warfare, as practiced by Chimpy, the neo-cons and the oligarchy, has a point of diminishing returns everywhere. Especially in America, where people can see and feel the contrasts: The contrast between their lives now and their lives 3 years ago, and the contrast between themselves and The Ruling Class(Pro Tempore).

[fizzana]

10. Bush's problem is that the only group that has truly benefited

during his 3 years are very rich white males who mighth have a lot of money to give to his campaign but are actually a very small percentage of the electorate.

His only support in 2004 will come from that group and from people who are too stupid to realize they aren't part of that group and will still vote for him.

His constituency is shrinking rapidly.

[NNN0LHI]

12. Grab someone by their wallet and their mind will soon follow n/t