Jun

28

The two contenders for the seat in the Oval Office are as different as the political parties and ideologies they represent. It could be said that they’re standing on opposing ends of the same spectrum on many issues regarding America and its citizens.

John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election. A Navy veteran of the Vietnam conflict, he retired with the rank of captain after suffering nearly 7 years as a prisoner-of-war. For a Republican, he’s considered as a “political maverick” that’s known for his passionate delivery and temperament. He supports the current Bush administration’s policies, particularly on economy and taxes.

Barack Hussein Obama is the junior United States Senator from Illinois. He is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 presidential election, the first ever African American to earn the privilege.

Prior to his political career in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney. He’s a firm opponent of many of the Bush administration’s policies, regarding Iraq and trade.

These two men are challenging each other’s platform while striving to convince the American people that one of them is wrong and the other has the right answers. A present and prevailing issue that’s on the table these two candidates are facing to fight over is the issue of “outsourcing”.

Outsourcing is where a skill or a process, such as manufacturing and design, is subcontracted to another company in the interest for lower costs and efficiency. The trend in outsourcing today is directed to outsource “off-shore”, to foreign countries whose resources and labor pool are cheaper and more trainable.

In a nutshell, the Republican McCain maintains that American companies have every right to pursue their business interests abroad, even if it means delegating jobs away from Americans. It is his convictions that this can challenge Americans to be innovative and competitive. His administration aims to support policies and processes in order to improve America’s chances in the face of this global trend of outsourcing.

On the other hand, the Democrat Obama tends to lean from neutral to negative in regards to outsourcing.

He introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to reward a tax credit to companies that keep or increase the number of the full-time employees in the US, relative to those outside the country. He is also for policies that improves American competency but is against established free trade agreements that he feels are one-sided and neglect basic homeland welfare.

Here’s a comparison on the two candidates’ stance on outsourcing as can be evaluated from various excerpts during their respective campaigns.

John McCain on Outsourcing:

The following excerpts were taken the Issues section from the John McCain official campaign website.

John McCain Will Reward Saving, Investment And Risk-Taking. Low taxes on dividends and capital gains promote saving, channel investment dollars to innovative, high-value uses and not wasteful financial planning. John McCain will keep the current rates on dividends and capital gains and fight anti-growth efforts by Democrats.

John McCain Will Improve Business Investment Incentives. John McCain proposes to permit corporations to immediately deduct the cost of equipment investment, providing a valuable pro-growth investment incentive. Expensing of equipment and technology will provide an immediate boost to capital expenditures and reward investments in cutting-edge technologies.

John McCain Will Reduce The Federal Corporate Tax Rate To 25 Percent From 35 Percent. John McCain believes the taxes we impose on American companies should be no higher than the average rate our major trading partners impose on theirs. We currently have the second-highest combined corporate-tax rate in the industrialized world, and it is driving many businesses and the jobs they create overseas.

Promoting Trade and Competitiveness

John McCain Will Lower Barriers To Trade. Ninety-five percent of the world’s customers lie outside our borders and we need to be at the table when the rules for access to those markets are written. To do so, the U.S. should engage in multilateral, regional and bilateral efforts to reduce barriers to trade, level the global playing field and build effective enforcement of global trading rules. These steps would also strengthen the U.S. dollar and help to control the rising cost of living that hurts our families.

The following statement was declared March 2004, in opposition to the amendment to the Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act that requires all federal service contracts be fulfilled using U.S. workers and not delegated to the manufacturing and service sectors in foreign countries.

“Straight talk — I do not support the amendment offered by the Senator from Connecticut. If we do not allow the purchase of foreign-manufactured defense equipment, then sooner or later they will retaliate by not purchasing ours. This could have a significant effect.”

The following statement was remarked on January 1, 2008 during his speech to the Americans for Prosperity’s Defending the American Dream Summit in Livonia, Michigan.

“Globalization is here to stay. That is not something to fear. It is an opportunity to be seized. But globalization will not automatically benefit every American.

Change is hard, and while most of us gain, some industries, companies and workers are forced to struggle with very difficult choices. …”

Barack Obama on Outsourcing:

The following excerpts were taken the Issues section from the Barack Obama official campaign website.

On Trade. Obama believes that trade with foreign nations should strengthen the American economy and create more American jobs. He will stand firm against agreements that undermine our economic security.

* Fight for Fair Trade: Obama will fight for a trade policy that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. He will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world and stand firm against agreements like the Central American Free Trade Agreement that fail to live up to those important benchmarks. Obama will also pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.

On Technology, Innovation and Creating Jobs. Obama will encourage the deployment of the most modern communications infrastructure to reduce the costs of health care, help solve our energy crisis, create new jobs, and fuel our economic growth.

* Support Job Creation: Barack Obama believes we need to double federal funding for basic research and make the research and development tax credit permanent to help create high-paying, secure jobs. Obama will also make long-term investments in education, training, and workforce development so that Americans can leverage our strengths – our ingenuity and entrepreneurialism – to create new high-wage jobs and prosper in a world economy.

* Invest in U.S. Manufacturing: The Obama comprehensive energy independence and climate change plan will invest in America’s highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world. Obama will also provide assistance to the domestic auto industry to ensure that new fuel-efficient vehicles are built by American workers.

The following excerpt is from an interview on Public Affairs with Cliff Kelly on radio station WVON, 1450 AM February 27, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois.

“The No. 1 priority is jobs and job loss and that is something that is hitting communities downstate as well as here in Chicago. Everywhere I go people are out of work or they are insecure with the jobs that they have.

The whole issue of outsourcing is enormously important. Not only are blue collar jobs being exported now, but you have got white collar jobs going to India and Singapore, and so people feel enormous economic insecurity and that has to be priority No. 1.”

Excerpt below is taken from a speech at a rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 16, 2007 regarding the Virginia Tech Massacre that occurred earlier that day and violence in American society.

“There’s also another kind of violence though that we’re gonna have to think about. It’s not necessarily physical violence but that the violence that we perpetrate on each other in other ways. […]

We [inaudible]…. There’s the violence of men and women who have worked all their lives and suddenly have the rug pulled out from under ’em because their job has moved to another country.”

Excerpt below is from a speech spoken on US economy at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina this June 9, 2008

“I understand that the challenges facing our economy didn’t start the day George Bush took office, and they won’t end the day he leaves.

Some are partly the results of forces that have globalized our economy over the last several decades.

Revolutions in communications and technology have sent jobs wherever there’s an Internet connection, have forced children in Raleigh and Boston to compete for those jobs with children in Bangalore and Beijing. We live in a more competitive world, and that is a fact that cannot be reversed.”

Fighting words on outsourcing have been flung by each candidate; only time and the vote of American people will decide which one can take their words to action.

Outsourcing Solutions, Inc. – your outsourcing partner!

 

References:

  1. “McCain Economic Plan.” The John McCain Presidential Campaign Official Website. Accessed 27 June 2008. Link here
  2. “John McCain Speeches”. The John McCain Presidential Campaign Official Website. Accessed 27 June 2008. Link here
  3. McCorMack, Richard. “A Spirited Debate over Outsourcing and Trade: Senate Republicans Dilute Proposal Aimed At Keeping Government Service Jobs in U.S.” 19 March 2004.  Manufacturing and Technology News. Accessed 27 June 2008. Link here
  4. “Obama on Economy” The Barack Obama Presidential Campaign Official Website. Accessed 27 June 2008. Link here
  5. “Barack Obama Speeches” The Barack Obama Presidential Campaign Official Website. Accessed 27 June 2008. Link here
  6. “Obama Address US Economy.” Transcript. 9 June 2008.  CNN News Room. Accessed 27 June 2008. Link here
  7. “John McCain”. 11 March 2002. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 20 June 2008. Link here
  8. “Barack Obama”. 18 March 2004. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 20 June 2008. Link here

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