Kerry clarifies position on outsourcing

[Dr Ron]

Kerry says his views on outsourcing misinterpreted

http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&leftnm=lmnu2&leftindx=2&lselect=1&chklogin=N&autono=211502

Visiting US senator and Democratic candidate for the 2005 American Presidential elections, John Kerry, today said that his views on outsourcing were misinterpreted.

Stating that every company has a right to chose its own course, the senator, however, faulted those American companies that made decisions in favour of business process outsourcing purely on non-economic considerations.

“We had problem with some people who made their choices purely for the purpose of taking advantage of tax benefits,” Kerry told mediapersons here after his meeting with chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. He said that he had no problem with outsourcing based on economic considerations.

Referring to his campaign on the issue of outsourcing during the presidential elections, he said that it was an issue of loss of jobs, loss of healthcare, loss of pension benefits and about not providing alternatives to those who lost their jobs. Kerry said that he only wanted the companies to be better corporate citizens of his country.

[jillan]

1. This makes me crazy.

Just knowing how this could play out in 2008.

My only hope is that everyone was too busy with the Alito hearings that
they didn't notice, and that the misrepresentation of Kerry's words will be long forgotten by
2008.

[TayTay]

2. He has spoken out about this so often

and has related it to so many other things in his more positive agenda that I don't see a single episode in India undermining that. (Hey, I could be wrong.) Sen. Baucus seems to have caught heat on this more than JK.

[_dynamicdems]

3. Isn't it amazing how many Democrats are right there just waiting to pounce

on any Democrat that opens his (or her) mouth on just about any subject at all? Senator Baucus is a good man and he's taking undue heat over his statement.

[Mass]

6. He said something totally stupid. He corrected afterwards.

This said, what Ron posted is not a correction from what was posted earlier in the week. It is the same thing and hopefully, KG was right to say that THIS was a misrepresentation of his views.

[Dr Ron]

4. Very few people pay any attention to international news

I bet very few people are aware that Kerry is even in India and even fewer are aware of any specifics.

Assuming outsourcing remains an issue in 2008, Kerry will inevitably wind up speaking about it in more detail here and that will have far more impact than anything he is quoted (or misquoted) as saying in the Indian press. (Of course some Republicans will claim he flip flopped, but that will occur no matter what he says).

[Mass]

5. I still dont like it anymore than Thursday.

Of course, Indian newspapers are happy about that, but I am not sure we should claim that around and I would hope it is not what Kerry meant.

But I would agree with the obvious: outsourcing is not the cause of the problem, it is the consequence. The cause is that the companies are not better corporate citizens of his country.

[TayTay]

7. And, in these newer rounds

an ominous sign that China and India are investing in education more than we are. China is graduating 4 times as many engineering students as we are and I think India has the capacity to do likewise in the near future. This is the scariest part.

[fedupinBushcountry]

8. From the debate Oct. 2004

Bush could make an impact on the loss of jobs
Q: Is it fair to blame the Bush administration entirely for the loss of jobs?

A: I don't blame them entirely for it. I blame Bush for the things he could do that has an impact on it. Outsourcing is going to happen. I've had shop stewards say, will you promise me you're going to stop all this outsourcing? I can't do that. What I can promise you is that I will make the playing field as fair as possible, and make certain that the tax system is not subsidizing the loss of your job.
Source: Third Bush-Kerry Debate, in Tempe Arizona Oct 13, 2004

[jillan]

9. Keep that quote handy

I have a feeling it's going to come in useful one day.

[kerrygoddess]

10. From what I have been able to gather

by reading various reports on Baucus' visit and JK's they are both there looking for ways to work around this.

Max is the ranking Dem on Finance, JK is on the Finance too and the ranking member of Small Biz, so it makes sense they were both there, no doubt looking for answers to help the party in 06 and 08. India has anvanced us in education in many ways and with technology. Ultimately, there are things that Dems can work towards to balance the scales some - like demanding that Indian workers get paid comparable U.S. wages (and benefits) when working for U.S. companies in India.

JK is very pragmatic, he knows there are things we can do to make things better, he also knows we need control to do so. I see this visit as part of laying the ground work for 06 and ultimately ground work he will need for 08.