McCain returns to battered Youngstown area

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=582224&c=y

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Associated Press Writer

Published on Friday Jun 27, 2008

John McCain planned his second visit in three months to the Youngstown area Friday, an economically depressed region cool to the Republican's position on trade and jobs.

McCain was expected to hold a town hall meeting with workers at the sprawling GM plant in Lordstown, about 20 minutes northwest of Youngstown, followed by fundraisers in Youngstown and Cleveland.

McCain has his work cut out for him. The Mahoning Valley is a Democratic stronghold that blames its economic woes on the kind of free trade policies that McCain supports.

The region lost 16,600 jobs from 2000 through 2007, almost all of them in the manufacturing sector. During McCain's April visit to Youngstown, one labor leader quipped that NAFTA was a four-letter word.

"Sen. McCain's going to Youngstown, Ohio?" a skeptical Gov. Ted Strickland, who represented the area in Congress, said Thursday.

"I could not imagine Sen. McCain could hope to gain political advantage in the Mahoning Valley," said Strickland, a Democrat who backed Hillary Rodham Clinton and now supports Sen. Barack Obama.

FULL story at link.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. They call it returning to the scene of a crime where I come from.

He wants to be sure the place doesn't ever recover.

They should ride him out of town on a rail.

[Rick Myers]

2. My hometown...

McCain doesn't have an icecubes chance, it's a big Dem stronghold, always has been...

[OhioChick]

3. Good to Hear!

:toast: