Uh oh. Kerry not strong enough on issue most important to majority - jobs.

[AP]

This was over in LBN. It only had two replies.

This is important folks. I've said before that Kerry doesn't appeal to Democratic strengths (middle class opportunity, jobs/economy, class). He is a patch for Democratic weaknesses (national security). I've said that Dems have to talk about Iraq, but they really have to play on their homeflied -- their strengths -- if they're going to win. If they act like Bush's view of the world is right, that war is the most important thing, no matter how much you try to pretend you can deal with it, voters will go with Republicans because they've always been louder on and more committed to this issue.

Poll: Most Say Jobs a Top Campaign Issue

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmhttp://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040221/ap_on_el_pr/jobs_poll_2

American jobs and foreign competition will be important issues in the 2004 elections, say nine in 10 in a poll released Saturday that highlighted the increasing importance of jobs to the campaign.

Two-thirds of those polled for Newsweek said those issues would be "very important."

More than half in the poll, 55 percent, disapproved of how President Bush (news - web sites) is handling the issues of jobs and foreign competition, while 32 percent approved.

Bush had a slight lead over Democratic front-runner John Kerry (news - web sites) on how well each would handle those issues.

[lancdem]

1. Apparently in your zest to bash Kerry you didn't read the whole article

While Kerry gets 31 percent, Edwards gets 18 percent. Sorry to burst your bubble.

BTW, the story is misleading, because I think they included the two Dems and Bush as the three choices. So if you add Kerry and Edwards together, 49 percent easily beats Bush's 35 percent.

[AP]

2. Edwards will close that gap as people get to know him nationally. This

is the issue on which he closed the gap in WI when he had the attention of the media.

Where's Kerry going with this issue? He'll never score better on this than he will today.

Where's Edwards going? The more people who know what Wisconsins know, the wider the gap will be over Bush (and Kerry) on this issue.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

10. Better read this article AP

Trade issue holds perils for Edwards

"...Edwards' drive to exploit disappearing jobs could be an iffy proposition given
his own support of bills giving China preferable trade status and the president
"fast-track" authority in future trade deals.

Edwards also runs the risk of tarnishing his reputation for positive, uplifting
campaigning - a winning tactic for him thus far - by putting too sharp an edge
on his comparisons with Kerry...."

"...Clyde Prestowitz was a trade negotiator in Japan for President Ronald Reagan.
He was an adviser on trade to Howard Dean's ill-fated campaign and has given
advice to many politicians.

"I think that all the Democrats are handling it very badly and that nobody is talking sense. What we are talking about are fundamental forces at work in the global economy, and nobody is explaining what is happening," he said."

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/emaf.nsf/Popup?ReadForm&db=stltoday%5Cnews%5Cstories.nsf&docid=52B2B8BE6D0C818D86256E41002205FA

[AP]

20. Edwards is talking about in terms of valuing work.

EE made the point yesterday that America can't be a nation of low-paid hairdressers and dance instructors if we're going to be strong.

It's not about price competion vs market protection. It's about protecting the value of labor, and I'm sure Reagan's former trade negotiator know that and is worried that talking about this issue in terms of where the profit is going (ie, not to workers and not to consumers) is going to be effective.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

23. Reagan's former trade negotiator who advised Dean

just want everyone to note that fact.

[AP]

28. Does that say something about Reagan, the advisor or Dean?

[littlejoe]

25. I believe Prestowitz is right. No one has done a good job so far

in articulating problems with NAFTA or disappearing jobs, or even a jobs program that can be understood by the general population. Something needs to change quickly, or bush will skate by again in the general election.

[anti-NAFTA]

4. You wait till Edwards gets more media.

Edwards will talk about trade to bring jobs. Kerry is fixated on the idea that canceling the Bush tax cuts will magically create jobs and only gives lip service to trade.

[mouse7]

18. Cancelling the tax cuts to the rich WILL magically create jobs.

Millions of them.

When 400-500 billion dollars of capital per year that the rich are currently hoarding gets injected back into the economy to be spent by lower and working class families, millions of jobs are going to be created almost overnight.

That's the way it works. The more you tax the rich and reduce the capital they hoard and stop from flowing throught he economy, and put that capital back into the flow of the economy, the more energized the economy gets. Every dollar the lower classes get to put into the economy, the faster the economy grows. Every dollar spent by the lower classes gets spent multiple times through the economy.

[littlejoe]

32. Edwards has recieved plenty of media attention, but

from what I have seen, (and I am not an Edwards supporter, so this may be an unfair characterization), all I have seen him talk about is how he has seen what happens when a mill closes.

Now he has had plenty of time to illustrate just what his plans are, but frankly, I haven't heard anything but rhetoric.

[SangamonTaylor]

37. do some research....I'll help

John Edwards Plan To Create Jobs, Strengthen the Economy, and Stand Up for Working Americans

Edwards on Creating Jobs:
"Jobs are not just about paychecks. They are about respect and dignity. It is time for leaders to honor working Americans again…Instead of giving tax breaks to companies that move their headquarters overseas, we should offer tax incentives for companies to manufacture here in America. We should be exporting American products, not American jobs."

Edwards on Rewarding Work:
"This administration’s economic vision has one goal: to get rid of taxes on unearned income and shift the burden onto people who work. They want a world where the only people who have to pay taxes are the ones who do the work…I believe the backbone of the American economy is the hard work, determination, and ingenuity of the middle class, not the insiders. I believe the way to grow the economy is to grow and strengthen the middle class, not shrink its size and add to its burdens. I believe the way a rich nation gets richer is by giving all its citizens the chance to get richer, not by only helping those like me who’ve already succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."

Edwards on Corporate Responsibility:
"Our economy, our people, and our nation have been undermined by the crony capitalists who believe that success is all about working the angles, working the phones, and rigging the game, instead of hard work, innovation and frugality…We will never turn this country around until we put our economy and our government back in line with our values…My ideas are based on principles as old as America. Corporate books should be honest. Rewards should be based on accomplishment. Executives and other insiders should be accountable. And businesses have responsibilities to their workers, not just the other way around."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following is a detailed look at Edwards' Jobs and Economic Growth Plan

Create Good Jobs Here At Home
Negotiate Fair Deals For American Workers

Free trade has to be fair trade. As president, Edwards will be a tough negotiator on trade, and will only negotiate trade Agreements that meet these basic principles:

- Agreements should be fair and enforceable.
- Agreements should have strong labor and environmental protections.
- Agreements should have real, tangible benefits for U.S. businesses and U.S. workers.

Both sides should give up something, not just America.

Stand Up for U.S. Trade Rights

Our country needs to enforce the trade agreements that we have on the books.

For example, we run a $100 billion trade deficit with China - the largest in history between any two nations - in part because of lax Chinese trade law enforcement. It's time to hold other countries to their commitments.

Keep Companies At Home

Some in Washington are pushing tax proposals that could encourage corporations to move overseas at the same time as they protect tax cuts for corporations that renounce their U.S. citizenship.

Edwards believes that at a time when we have lost more than 2 million manufacturing jobs, we should keep jobs here at home.

He will give a 10 percent tax cut to corporations that produce goods here and keep jobs at home. Edwards will stop corporations from getting tax cuts for renouncing their citizenship.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bring Jobs Back To The Communities That Have Lost Them

Get Our Economy Back On Track

The best way to create jobs is to get our economy back on track. Edwards will:
Honor the values of work and opportunity that have helped our country become the most prosperous in history.
Insist on a responsible budget.
Invest in our future competitiveness through education and innovation.
Stand up to crony capitalists who are putting their private interests ahead of the public corporations they run.

Provide Venture Capital

Edwards will enact the Rural Economic Advancement Challenge, or REACH fund, to bring venture capital and management expertise to entrepreneurs and small businesses in small towns and areas that are losing jobs today.

Create Economic Revitalization Zones

Edwards will designate towns and areas hard hit by foreign trade as Economic Revitalization Zones that are eligible for tax credits and other aid to encourage business investment.

Fuel America’s Future

Edwards has proposed the Fueling America’s Future program to promote renewable fuels. He will support the creation of new bio refineries to transform agricultural wastes - like corn husks, rice straw and wood chips - into energy. In addition to helping end our dependence on foreign fuels, this plan will create good manufacturing jobs for working Americans.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Help Working Americans Build Their Wealth

The American Dream Tax Credit

Edwards' American Dream Tax Credit will offer a matching tax credit of up to $5,000 to help those who need it to cover a down payment on a first home. This credit will give millions of Americans their first chance to own a home.

Incentives to Invest and Save

To help working Americans invest in American business, Edwards will cut capital gains taxes for 95% of Americans. For these taxpayers, he will create a $1,000 exclusion from capital gains taxes, as well as $500 dividend exclusion. He will also lower the long-term capital gains rate for middle-class families. These steps will simplify tax filing and eliminate two tax forms for millions of Americans.

Matching Savings Accounts for Retirement

Edwards will give Americans who have the most trouble saving today a chance to save through matching savings accounts.

He will match $1 in private savings with as much as a $1 refundable tax credit for savings, up to a limit of $1,000 per couple, for Americans with incomes up to $50,000. A working family that saves and receives the maximum under this plan every year from age 25 to retirement will have a nest egg of $200,000, on top of other savings.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John Edwards Plan To Return American Values To Corporate America

Strengthen The Rights Of Working Americans

Create A Tax Code That Reflects Our Values

John Edwards Plan for Urban America

[AP]

5. Furthermore, set Edwards aside for a moment. This poll tells you why

Kerry is going to have an impossible time beating Bush in the fall.

If John Edwards were a manager in a textile plant in Robbins, N.C., or a gym teacher at North Moore High Schoo todayl, this would still be a problem for Democrats and for Kerry.

[lancdem]

7. Please read the rest of my post

The question had Bush, Kerry and Edwards altogether, so the two Dems split the anti-Bush vote, with Kerry getting a bigger chunk of it.

[AP]

14. Just caught that.

Fair point.

The head to head on that issue is what we need to see.

[littlejoe]

15. Thank you for that clarification. n/t

[rock]

21. I've noticed that a lot lately in the various polls

by splitting the choices into three (one Reug, two Dems) they provide a false dichotomy. Once more. I'll say my favorite line: "Polls don't vote."

[coloradodem2005]

3. How can the contemptable chimp get more than anyone on jobs?

Do people think it is okay to work at Wal Mart. Give me a fucking break.

[AP]

6. (1) Because lots of people believe trickle down bull shit and (2) because

they're comparing him to Kerry who isn't exactly a paragon of hard work being rewarded. Symbolically speaking, on the issue of valuing work and middle class opportunity, Kerry v Bush is every bit as uninspiring as Gore v Bush.

[lancdem]

9. Because the question included Kerry and Edwards as well as Bush

So Kerry and Edwards together (49 percent) easily outpoll Bush.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

8. Bizarre spin you put on this.

When asked which presidential candidate would do the best job of protecting American jobs and creating new ones, regardless of the candidate they may support, 35 percent of registered voters say President George W. Bush would do the better job, but Democratic contender John Kerry gets 31 percent of the vote; 18 percent say it would be Kerry's opponent John Edwards. And 55 percent of all those polled disapprove of the way Bush is handling American jobs and foreign competition; just 32 percent approve.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040221/nysa009_1.html

I thought you were an Edwards supporter?

Why post a poll that makes him look so bad compared to Kerry?

:shrug:

[lancdem]

12. I pointed that out, too

[AP]

24. I cut and pasted this from LBN and then read the article.

And nobody caught that discrepency over there.

[Leilani]

11. I just heard a FOX news poll

& they said Kerry beats Bush on jobs.

I believe their poll co. is Opinion Dynamics, & it always slants
right.

[Abe Linkman]

13. "JOBS" isn't an issue. What about "jobs" do you think IS an issue?

JOBS is only a word.

Do you mean:

1.) Doing something about the loss of good jobs here?

2.) Do you mean creating GOOD new jobs here?

3.) Do you mean ending the ersion of middle class jobs here?

4.) Do you mean having the courage to STOP immigration to here?

5.) Do you mean having the courage to SEND HOME illegal immigrants?


In other words, what are you (and they) talking about?

[molly]

27. I talked with an actuary the other day

he was so brutally honest it hurt. He said "jobs will not come back until the economics of the US aligns with the economics of where the jobs went". In other words, if I am making 25.00/hr and someone overseas will take (initially) 1.00/hr to do the same job - my job will be there until the worker making 1.00/hr wants 10.00/hr and I am willing to take the same amount - 10.00/hr. I don't think that will happen for quite some time. :cry:

[AP]

33. People abroad need democracy to stand up to corps and gov'ts and get

fair share of the value they create so that we can shift some of the massive profits of corporate activity to the middle class. Hell, we need that at home too.

Lower costs for inputs including labor is NOT translating to price competition and savings for consumers in the west.

1/5th of Americans have negative net worths. We're not saving money in this society. Some people are getting very rich.

Jobs will come back to America when the political power of people who work for a living is elevated everywhere. We don't need to go down to the rest of the world's level.

People in Venezuela, Iraq, the Phillipines, and Mexico need to come up.

This is what the battle in Hati is all about right now.

A sweat shop owner is trying to take over the government becuase the government was threatening his supply of cheap labor.

[littlejoe]

35. Also, if the oil producing countries decide to do business

only in Euros, we are in for a long sharp decline in jobs and our standard of living.

It could take a generation or longer to recover.

[CityDem]

16. Polls don't mean ass this time of year

It is way too early to pay attention to polls. Look how invincible Dean looked two months ago. Focus on getting your friends to work on the local, state and national campaign of a progressive candidate.

[Monte Carlo]

17. Hey, Kerry was being outpolled by Al Sharpton for a while back...

... look where he is now. There is still a long, long time to go before November, and Bush will have to pray that this economy snaps out of it miraculously before then.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

19. Read the entire article!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:argh:

You just had to bash Kerry, didn't you AP????

:argh:

John Kerry is strong too!

[AP]

26. I HAVE NOW!!! I cut and pasted the article from LBN, where nobody caught

that.

I put too much trust in my fellow DU'ers to be honest.

If I came accross this article myself, I would have read it before I posted it.

I still think Kerry isn't strong enough on this issue, and voters do think it's the most important issue.

[tedoll78]

22. JOBS.

Kerry and Edwards need to make this their friggin' crusade!

Lou Dobbs on CNN has been harping on this issue for months now. I think it might earn them points to slip-in Dobbs' name into a speech once in a while, just to get associated with the pro-American worker aura of his show.

They also need tons of events. Have our nominee do an American Worker Listening Tour in the middle of the summer. At each event, have Kerry up on stage introducing and listening to workers who have lost their jobs to foreigners, workers who have had to train their own replacements before being let-go, workers who had six-figure jobs and now work at Wal-Mart, and so on..

And get some commercials about Bush's job record out there STAT! Showcase the failed projections of the White House every year. Trumpet how Bush has lost more jobs than the past, what, 11 presidents combined!? Scream about how Bush's own administration officials are praising outsourcing.

We can do some serious damage to Bush on this issue; in fact, I'd be willing to bet that this is the one issue that can cripple him for good. We need to get on the ball, and NOW.

[revcarol]

29. ROFLMAO!!! sooooooo funny.

Edwards supporter posts about Bush leading Kerry on jobs

Kerry supporter posts about Bush leading Edwards on jobs

ROFLMAO!!

[AP]

30. For the avoidance of doubt, Fox surely right: Kerry leading Bush.

However, also important to note: JOBS - most important issue to voters. Not IWR or anything else.

WI: Kerry lost 30 points to Edwards when talk turned to jobs. Kerry is NOT strong on the most important issue. Edwards is very strong on the most important issue.

[littlejoe]

36. Oh the irony of it all!

[KittyWampus]

31. Keep Pandering To Fear Using Protectionism, AP

It's getting sickening.

Edwards apparently is willing to scare people into voting for him.

The problem is JOB CREATION.

Not sending jobs overseas.

Apparently Edwards wants Americans to keep their low paying, injurious jobs in factories rather than getting retrained educate for higher paying, NEW jobs doing higher tech stuff.

And apparently Edwards also wants to ensure that India doesn't grow its own Middle Class so they can buy American products.

Edwards, The Pandering Protectionist.

[AP]

34. This isn't about market protectionism. It's about protecting the value of

labor.

What's good about lower the costs of production? Passing the savings to consumers throught price competition.

That's not what's happening. The corporations are still getting their profits, which they aren't even passing on to their employees. They're transferring them to insiders.

[KittyWampus]

41. Seems To Me Edwards Has No Unique Stance On This

nor does he have anything in his record that shows he can actually CREATE JOBS.

Kerry, on the other hand, participated in the Clinton Economic boom. Which may not have been perfect. But the American people know they were better off then.

Edwards, well, he got to Congress and American lost huge amounts of jobs.

[Leilani]

38. We need to hear more about job creation

Clark talked about this a lot.

Also Kerry has discussed investing in the new technologies to make us more energy independent.

The jobs that have left ain't coming back; we need new fields to invest in.

[Old and In the Way]

40. That's where it's at.

"investing in the new technologies to make us more energy independent"

We have to reinvent our economy. That means a public/private vision that makes energy independence form oil our #1 national priority. The Republicans want to keep oil as our energy centerpiece, even though that means more wars of occupation for a finite resource.

The Democratic vision has to confront this headlong and make our energy plan to develop renewable/alternative energy the #1 issue in the campaign. The by-product of this, as Kerry has touched on, is a massive reinvestment in jobs here to make the necessary infrastructural changes to accommodate the change in our energy policy/strategy.

[Scott Lee]

39. When has Kerry had to worry about employment?

He was practically raised in the lap of luxury, and had the ability to jump from one rich sugar mama to another in near record time. I don't see why he should have any real passion for the jobs issue.

Let them eat cake, right?