Harris Miller's pro-outsourcing and worker replacement friends in the IT business lobby recently had a little fund-raiser for Harris in Santa Clara, California. (Thanks to VirginiaBelle for first reporting this.) The cast of characters are familiar to many of us involved in the anti-outsourcing movement, symbolising the insidious infiltration of corporate outsourcing influence in what is supposed to be the Party concerned with the welfare of common people - the broad majority of Americans
Silicon Valley business lobbyists' best friend in Congress, Rep. Zoe Lofgren was there along with former Intel corp. executive, Tom Kalil... Miller's ITAA friend, Amy Callahan, Vice President of the Western Region of the Information Technology Association of America was there... Well, you get the picture.
It's no surprise that cynical political and industry insiders are helping Harris Miller, their insider-lobbyist friend, a man characterised as an "anti-worker hired gun" by the AFL-CIO, DPE. Miller has been useful in funneling pro-outsourcing business money into political campaigns while advancing the interests of the "new money" information technology investor and managerial class. This, of course, has been at the expense of the information age "working class" -- American information technology workers, specifically and American white collar workers, generally.
This California "outsourcing fest" was advertised under the auspices of the Santa Clara County Democratic Party illustrating the cozy familiarity which the outsourcing/worker replacement lobby enjoys with many in the Democratic Party at the state and national levels. Here's how the announcement for the fundraiser appeared on the SCCDP web site:
Harris Miller for Congress
03/30/2006 7:00pm
1168 Barroilhet Drive, Hillsborough, Other
Ben Barnes and the Host Committee, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Amy Callahan, Elizabeth Echols, Ben Golub, Tom Kalil, Chris Kelly, Lee Miller, Michael Nacht, Cindy Rubin, Mark Stechbart, invite you to join them to support Harris Miller, Technology Leader and Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate - Virginia at the home of Ben Barnes and Nadine Taylor-Barnes. For questions or to R.s.v.p. please contact Mr. Jason Langford at Jason@Miller2006.org.
The fact that the outsourcing lobby is funding Miller while still in the primary is in itself interesting. Are they afraid of James Webb? Is James Webb perceived as a threat to the anti-worker policies that insiders have pushed through Congress? This is something that the AFL-CIO isn't doing. (Should it?)
From the standpoint of the offshore outsourcing and worker replacement lobby, it's a win-win situation if Miller faces off against Allen. Miller or Allen will continue to support the offshore outsouricng of American middle class jobs and the importation of low wage skilled white collar replacement workers. The real threat comes from someone with integrity like James Webb who isn't a part of the insider-lobbyist loop.
Of course, a Miller v. Allen match-up presents no real choice for Virginia voters concerned about job loss, wage stagnation, and declining middle class employment opportunities. Both Miller and Allen are candidates of wealthy undemocratic elites. They will pursue policies contrary to the interests of the American middle class.
The reality is that the only real democrat in this election is James Webb.
The outsourcing and worker replacement lobby know this and you should too. Don't forget it and remember to tell all your friends. Email them. Call them. And talk to `em. You can be sure Miller's friends are going to be spinning a different story with their big money and insider connections.