All of this NAFTA bashing is getting tiring. Isn't there something else to demagogue about? Hey, how about this:
As has been widely reported, the Air Force stunned almost everyone yesterday by deciding to award its huge, $35 billion contract for new airborne refueling tankers to a partnership formed by Northrop Grumman, the Los Angeles-based company, and EADS Inc., the European maker of Airbus airliners.
Boeing, headquartered in Chicago but with a large workforce in Washington State, was the big loser. Boeing had said that if it got the contract to build the new tanker based on its 767 airliner, it would provide enough work to keep 40,000 U.S. workers busy.
The article notes helpfully:
Because of the jobs issue, this Air Force decision seems tailor-made for Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton who in their increasingly populist appeals have made the loss of American jobs a major presidential campaign issue, especially as they compete for labor votes during the primaries.
With Obama being from Illinois, and Boeing having its headquarters in Chicago, we could be hearing about this soon.
UPDATE:
Well that didn't take long, although in fairness it was a somewhat measured response:
Sen. Barack Obama expressed his disappointment Sunday that Northrop Grumann and the parent company of Europe’s Airbus beat out Chicago-based Boeing Co. for a contract worth up to $40 billion for the next generation of U.S. Air Force refueling tankers.
Obama said it was hard for him to believe “that having an American company that has been a traditional source of aeronautic excellence would not have done this job.” He preempted his comments by saying that he had not examined the deal carefully.
MORE: From Hillary:
As Air Force officials met with angry members of Congress, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said in a statement, "I am deeply concerned about the Bush administration's decision to outsource the production of refueling tankers."New York Democratic Sen. Clinton said it was "troubling" that the contract would go to "a team that includes a European firm that our government is simultaneously suing at the (World Trade Organization) for receiving illegal subsidies."
