Regardless of one's views on free-trade, whether they be as protectionistic and tribal as those of Lou Dobbs or liberal as those of Paul Krugman, the importance of a candidate's statements and deeds on the subject is indisputably of significance in the upcoming primaries. Hitherto pro-outsourcing Hillary has found herself in the lamentable situation of relying on the most labor-concerned states as her primary election firewall, leading to the now notorious distortions to Ohio voters of her past positions on NAFTA. However, a less discussed subject of controversy for Hillary is outsourcing and H-1B visas.
It is noteworthy that during Bill Clinton's campaign in 1992, he made huge promises to labor whichhe promptly betrayed once in office. As writes Paul Rockwell,
The U.S. media, however, is presently experiencing a bout of amnesia. Pundits forget that Bill Clinton, with Hillary at his side, made huge campaign promises to labor in 1992. Within months of their victory, the Clintons rammed two Republican-initiated free-trade bills-NAFTA and GATT-through a Democratic Congress. Outsourcing of jobs to sweatshops in Mexico and Indonesia actually accelerated under the Clinton globalization agenda. The Clintons increased subsidies for corporate mergers and relaxed regulations that protect the public from the abuse of corporate power.
The WaPo wrote last year about Hillary's positions on outsourcing and the skepticism about these among organized labor organizations.
When Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton flew to New Delhi to meet with Indian business leaders in 2005, she offered a blunt assessment of the loss of American jobs across the Pacific. "There is no way to legislate against reality," she declared. "Outsourcing will continue. . . . We are not against all outsourcing; we are not in favor of putting up fences."
Two years later, as a Democratic presidential hopeful, Clinton struck a different tone when she told students in New Hampshire that she hated "seeing U.S. telemarketing jobs done in remote locations far, far from our shores."
The two speeches delivered continents apart highlight the delicate balance the senator from New York, a dedicated free-trader, is seeking to maintain as she courts two competing constituencies: wealthy Indian immigrants who have pledged to donate and raise as much as $5 million for her 2008 campaign and powerful American labor unions that are crucial to any Democratic primary victory.
Despite aggressive courtship by Democratic candidates, major unions such as the AFL-CIO, the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union have withheld their endorsements as they scrutinize the candidates' records and solicit views on a variety of issues.
Granted the nature of the debate that may ensue on this subject, we should remember Hillary's own statements to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) 2007 Global Alumni Conference -- Santa Clara, California, July 6, 2007. Hillary Clinton reassured the Indian lobbyists and American corporations that she supports an expanded H-1B visa program.
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