The Obama-House Dem Record: Destroying Middle-Class Jobs to Reward Democrat Donors
January 25, 2012
FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Russ Carnahan (MO-03), Kathy Castor (FL-11), Ben Chandler (KY-06), David Cicilline (RI-01), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), John Garamendi (CA-03), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Kathy Hochul (NY-26), Tim Holden (PA-17), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steve Israel (NY-02), Bill Keating (MA-09), Ron Kind (WI-03), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Brad Miller (NC-13), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Gary Peters (MI-09), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), David Price (NC-04), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Loretta Sanchez (CA-46), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Heath Shuler (NC-11), Adam Smith (WA-09), Betty Sutton (OH-16), John Tierney (MA-06), Paul Tonko (NY-21), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Pete Visclosky (IN-01), John Yarmuth (KY-03)
The Obama-Shuler Record: Destroying Middle-Class Jobs to Reward Democrat Donors
North Carolina Democrat’s Party Leaders Give Lip-Service to Creating the Same Jobs they are Actually Destroying
Washington — President Obama made it clear in his State of the Union speech that Heath Shuler and his fellow Democrats’ policies this year will focus on keeping their own jobs in Washington, rather than creating job opportunities for middle-class families in North Carolina. In a telling sign of their insincerity, Democrats promised to reinvigorate the struggling American manufacturing sector last night, just one week after Shuler let Obama kill the Keystone XL pipeline’s thousands of manufacturing jobs in a cold political calculation to reward his special interest donors instead of working families.
“When it comes to President Obama and Heath Shuler’s actions, they have already demonstrated they will sacrifice job opportunities for middle-class families in order to reward their financial backers and protect their own political careers,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “As Shuler and his fellow Washington Democrats make grandiose claims about creating manufacturing jobs in speeches, voters in North Carolina will remember how he failed to stand up for thousands of shovel-ready Keystone XL pipeline jobs just one week ago.”
President Obama promised Democrats would promote manufacturing jobs during his State of the Union speech, just one week after rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline:
“Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last – an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values. This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.” (President Barack Obama,
2012 State of the Union Address, 1/24/12)
The pipeline would have resulted in thousands of quality shovel-ready manufacturing jobs:
“The Keystone XL pipeline is in our national interest and must be approved quickly… Not only will the pipeline provide increased energy security, it will also create much-needed manufacturing and construction jobs. TransCanada estimates that 20,000 well-paying jobs will be created in 2011-2012 should this project move forward.” (Chip Yost, “Re: Comments on Keystone XL Project – Final Environmental Impact Statement,”
National Association of Manufacturers, 10/7/11)
But Democrats decided to put their own reelection before job creation:
“Democrats outside the West Wing and Chicago-based campaign say the politics were clear: With the exceptions of the grousing unions (who will have no choice but to support him in 2012), the party’s donor base, environmental advocates down to their hybrid SUVs oppose the pipeline.” (Glenn Thrush and Darren Samuelsohn, “Keystone decision a political win-win,”
Politico, 1/18/12)
President Obama’s address makes it clear that Heath Shuler and his fellow Democrats will concentrate far more on their own reelection bids than creating jobs for middle-class families. Democrats can boast about their plans to create manufacturing jobs in speeches, but middle-class families in North Carolina will remember that when it came time to act, Shuler refused to stand up for shovel-ready Keystone manufacturing jobs that could now be headed to China instead.
The Obama-House Dem Record: Destroying Middle-Class Jobs to Reward Democrat Donors http://ow.ly/8G2SW #madeinwdc
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