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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC Political Researcher



Obama camp slams McCain on trade

Posted: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 1:52 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones


As presumptive Republican nominee McCain headed to Latin America today after an event in Indianapolis, the Obama camp hosted a conference call to criticize him for what it called failed trade policies.

On the call, Indiana House Majority Leader Russ Stilwell and former UAW Vice President Terry Thurman said McCain was committed to unfair trade policies that have hurt Indiana workers and resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs in the state.

VIDEO: MSNBC's Contessa Brewer talks with John McCain's senior policy advisor Nancy Pfotenhauer.

“Just recently, Sen. McCain traveled to Canada to talk about his support for NAFTA and today, after he finishes his speech here in Indiana, he’s hopping on a plane and going to Colombia and Mexico to talk about how much our trade agreements are going to help those countries rather than talking about what we can do to help this country,” Thurman said. “I find it no surprise that he’s gonna go to Mexico to talk (sic) how great NAFTA is because he is certainly not gonna find much support for it in the Hoosier State.”

Thurman said Obama understood that workers had been hurt by bad trade policies that had been poorly negotiated and inadequately enforced and that he would amend NAFTA to enforce labor and environmental standards, enforce existing trade deals and push for greater market access in trade deals.

The call was intended to paint McCain as out of touch with the concerns of American voters who are struggling economically.

“It just amazes me that John McCain comes to Indianapolis to give a little talk and a little fundraiser, and then he's off to Mexico and Colombia, and we've got hard working Hoosiers and Americans across our nation really hurting and they’re hurting about high gas prices, and they're hurting about the economy and they're hurting about the hope for the future and Barack Obama is the only candidate giving them hope,” Stillwell said later.

The Republican National Committee sent around a memo that said trade had brought jobs to the Hoosier State and argued that while Obama had joined the Senate Manufacturing Caucus he “rarely votes with manufacturing interests,” citing the 0% rating the National Association of Manufacturers gave the him for his voting record in the 110th Congress and the 16% rating the group gave him in the 109th Congress.

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American are hurting in this economy.  I am sure they are reminded by looking at the gas pump, real estate and the stock market!!


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Hey Ohio, Michigan and Indiana voters!

Vote for McCain and watch more of your jobs leave the country!

McCain = NAFTA = Lost US Jobs
Obama in 2004 praised nafta how good it had been for illinios.  Then he blasted Hillary on Nafta.  Then Samantha Power Obama's closest advisor said Ohio people were obsessed with trade.  Then in the san francisco fundraiser Obama called small towns anti trade.  Then Obama said after the primaries it was overheated talk and it was all politics.  
We do not object to free and FAIR trade, "FAIR" being the operative word.  Workers in other countries do not receive benefits of any kind in most cases. They are often treated miserably...and products from those countries should not be allowed here.  We want labeling on our food because we do not trust the products of other countries, especially China.  We should not be giving H-lB Visas to foreigners who come to our country and take jobs Americans should have, including such as Nielsen who is replacing Americans with foreigners.  Cancel these Visas, and hire our young people getting out of college and technical schools.  Do we really need a million legal immigrants a year to take jobs from stressed citizens?
Give Americans a break!!
I'd say Obama "rarely" voting with "manufacturing interests" is a very good thing.  Given that manufacturing companies tend to have the good of their shareholders in mind, and not the welfare of their employees or communities, I don't want my President looking out solely for their corporate concerns!  It's time to take this country away from the corporatists and give it back to the people!
We honor Senator McCain's hero status as a POW.

But he deserves to lose in his bid for the Presidency because he has no interest in championing an effort to bring lasting relief to his suffering American brothers, and sisters over what ails us. Economic heroism isn't his thing.
Keep it up, Johnny-boy..Americans are losing their jobs left, right, and center..Healthcare is going down the crapper, cost of everything is going up--and you are going to tout free trade. Gets better and better..
It's simple folks.

A Vote for McCain, is a vote for the Republican party, because he has thrown out the Maverick to become a typical Republican neo-con.  He is so close to Bush on his principals and goals now, it's not even funny anymore.

So I encourage people to vote for anyone but McCain, I don't care if it's Nader, Barr, Obama, or Alfred E. Newman....if you have a conscience, and any semblance of a brain, you will NOT vote McCain in November.
Obama talks about emission standards in Michigan but McBush will only defend his NAFTA position outside the US.  The guy is gutless.  Mr. War Hero has clearly lost his nerve.
well that says it all. McCain does not vote for manufacturing jobs. It will explain the reason he believes NAFTA is great and the economic woos of the middle class is psychological. Wake up  people, McCain does not believe in helping middle class workers maintain their jobs.

Barack Obama has followed in the tradition of fair trading.  Indiana and Canada can give duel personality a reality check. Will McCain's personality split once he recalls, if he can recall, the war contracts for army equipment sent over seas to reward his money hungry war mongering buddies.
Or will McCain’s personality split once he realizes how Canadians laughed at his views NAFTA.

BTW: labor leaders are with Obama



Obama dedicated himself to public service as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago and then as a state and U.S. Senator for the service of the people of this country.
McCain does not have the credential to negotiate
any trade deals with foreign govts. pls somebody
should speak up before he gives away the remaining
American jobs.thank you Gen Wes Clark
Brave warrior John McCain just loves to talk about his support of NAFTA...as long as it's not in THIS country, where he's sold workers down the river (and their jobs overseas)...
Is McCain clueless?
Has McCain ever worked in the private sector?  I really don't know the answer, but it scares me that this guy is promoting something 80% of people in the US think is a bad idea.  Most people believe these trade deals have cost tens of millions of jobs in the US.

Since the economy and gas prices are dominating every water cooler conversation, it's obvious McCain is on the fast track to an even lower approval rating than Bush.
I wonder if McCain will gives us jobs first or will we get the "China treatment". We were promised free trade with china would create more jobs in the US. Here in NC we used to make underwear and other clothing, now my underwaer comes from CHINA!. Thanks free trade. Can we outsource our military too? It would be cheaper than the $12B/mo Iraq war.
McConfused leaves Indiana not mentioning NAFTA, then gets on Cindy's plane and heads south of the border and applauds it!!  What a panderer!  Americans better wake up and smell the coffee... this guy is Bush III
I think Senator McCain needs to experience what I did this morning in the grocery store. A mother with 2 small children told them she could not afford to buy the food they really need because if she does she will not have money to buy gas to get to work. I volunteer at a food bank and the working poor have to decide to eat or buy gas to get to work. There is something seriously wrong when people work but can not afford rent and are homeless. Senator McCain is out of touch with average people and the economy. Too many people have lost jobs because of NAFTA, Repeal NAFTA.
Obama must be in deep dodo with all the sales on here. Maybe the out of touch is Obama with his bitter small town folk remember?Obama wont go with McCain to town halls he needs his prompters like my kids need there blankeys. Maybe he would hear from reg. folk at these meetings instead of telling them what they feel and want. Eleatist fooor sure. Obama went to Canada to talk NAFTA too remember? Oh ya Ohio and all here heard a different political speech. Makes you want to hang on his every word ,doesn't it?Is it Barry now,we need reg white folks votes?
How stupid can the McCain campaign be?  They just walked McCain into a warzone that he will guarentee to lose.  WHY WOULD YOU GO TO COLOMBIA.  If he thinks this will help amongst hispanic voters his campaign is showing their PURE IGNORANCE of hispanic culture.  My fiancee is hispanic she could care less if McCain goes to Colombia, she's Puerto Rican, idiots.  

Independent Formerly Voting For MCCAIN
Again, he's off to Mexico and Columbia seeking the Hispanic vote no doubt. Don't you think he'd get more votes HERE if he'd stop giving away American jobs to Mexico and Columbia? Bush x 3 terms. We can't afford ANOTHER Republican in office. Not this time. Obama '08.
I have noticed that MSNBC has become definately anti-Obama.  For example all Chris Mathews can talk about now is how bad Barak is doing among Catholics according to the Time poll.  Well, in the Gallup Daily Tracking poll it says Obama leads McCain among Catholics.  Also, the Wes Clark comments.  It seems to me that everyone made a huge deal over nothing.  He never challenged McCain patriotism or military service, all he said (which is completely true) is that getting shot down in a fighter jet doesnt somehow give you foreign policy credentials.  Also, Wes Clark is definately somebody who can challenge McCain when it comes to these issues.  He is a four star general, who led the NATO forces during the first Gulf War( which was actually successful).  Sen. Lieberman is using fear mongering by saying that he thinks there will be an attack on the U.S. sometime next year.  To me this is just pathetic.  Trying to scare voters into voting for McCain.  The only person I heard say anything about this was Rachel Maddow, and she was a guest host.  In the last couple of weeks I've noticed that MSNBC seems to be on the Straight Talk Express.  I know the media is McCain's base, but could you all please be a little more fair minded in your reporting.  I mean McCain sent out one of the people who swift boated Sen. Kerry's military record to condemn Clark for questioning his own.  Where is the coverage of that.  That is total lunacy.  On one hand McCain says dont question my military record, but on the other he sends out someone infamous for questioning someones military record.  Give me a break.  Get it together MSNBC,  you are seriously on the verge of losing me to CNN, and I hate CNN!!!
 The McCain campaign is hoping that the media coverage by the Spanish-speaking outlets gets his name out there but the fat of the matter is that everyone already knows who he is and what he stands for. Hispanics aren't going to fall for his "I was for it before I was against it" rhetoric any more than the rest of America. Maybe he wants the Colombians to give him some of their excess marijuana so we can burn it as alternative fuel. He's obviously smoking something.
McSame's straight talk means from both sides of his mouth. In 2000 McSame was Pro-choice, in 2008 he is anti Pro-choice. One day he spoke on how America needs to move away from oil dependency and pursue alternative energy, the next day he was lobbying to open more sensitive environmental areas to oil exploration. He speaks about how the exportation of manufacturing jobs has hurt American workers and our economy but favors NAFTA and other trade agreements with near slave labor countries that disregard human and worker rights as well as the the environment. We have had eight years of lies, double talk, corruption and the sacrafice of American lives and limbs for corporate greed, enough is enough, no more of the McSame
Obama is a FRAUD!!  He will never be elected - he is NOT qualified to lead our country.  
Rev Wright was RIGHT - "obama will say whatever he has to - he is a Politician" - his whole campaign is a staged show!!! Hillary Clinton is the best qualified candidate - but the DNC picked the WEAK guy
McCain is a better 2nd choice!
McSame people look @ the Boeing contract he tried to help  send oversees. Fair trade I Don't think so. Hows it working for you in the rustbelt?d.b.
I hope McCain is not flying the plane........Actually on another note, I hope he is!

Imagine an America where we support breaking up loving unions like marriage, and where we do everything we can to prevent those unions from hapening in the first place? That's us already. We support divorces, and are gaisnt gay and lesbian civil unions/marriages.

Now imagine an America that supports a ban on a womans right to choose, yet shuns efforts to prevent unwanted pregnancies? That is called The Republicans. They support a ban on abortion, but do everything they can to prevent sex education, or use of preventative measures like condomms or pills.

I support abstinence, but I do not think it's the only way.


This just another position that Obama has flipped on.  First in the primaries he blasted Clinton on NAFTA, then he is for it, excepting Hillary's words of changing the NAFTA rules.  Does Obama really know what is is for and what he is against?  Obama's positions change depending on the political wind which way it is blowing and what state he is in.  
Unfortunately Senator McCain has no clue.  His policies will further drive down the value of the dollar (by running higher deficits because of -- guess what? -- MORE tax cuts for the wealthy and big business).

Trickle down economics doesn't work anymore (if it ever did).  The truly wealthy are not keeping their part of the bargain -- instead of investing here at home, many are investing abroad, and the "benefits" trickle down to the people living abroad, not here.  Yet, Senator McCain wants to give it another try (apparently because the only idea the GOP has left is more tax cuts).  Since Senator McCain also plans to stay in Iraq until "victory" (I am completely uncertain what that term means in this context since both Senator McCain and General Petraeus have refused to define it) we can also plan on running an exponential "growth" in our national debt.  One day someone will have to pay the bill-- I am not willing to burden babies not yet born with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt for a war that should never have been authorized or waged, are you?

I want sound, responsible fiscal policy.  I want the next President to have the judgment to avoid unnecessary wars of choice.  I want the next President to be someone who anticipated (and tried to prevent) the housing crisis.  There is only one candidate who fits this bill and his name is Barack Obama.

Yes we can -- America, you can believe it!
The entire Republican party has collapsed. Bush and his neo-con gang have messed up every endeavor that they've undertaken. Trade is only a portion of the stew. There's that little thing most humans call murder, that Bush insists is some kind of war. Only he has no idea why we are there or what it is that we are suppose to win. Obviously, what ever it is, Bush and his prior Republican Congress has failed to achieve it in 5 years.
I have seen absolutely no success in improving our infrastructure which is rapidly decaying. I've seen no success in resolving our nations Healthcare system or improving our Educational system.
Then there's the little incident down in New Orleans which Mr. Bush leaped praise or his appointee Mr. Brown for handling.
No, the Republicans have lost touch with America as well as it's Constitution. Bush took an oath to "Defend" the Constitution and then  "Attacks" an unarmed nation and murders tens of thousands of it citizens and displaces millions. Really a tough guy isn't he?
Not only has the last 7+ years been riddled with compete failure, but our standing in the world has diminished significantly. No one trusts the United States any more and we can't blame them.  I certainly would not. We have lied to the entire world for years now.
Last, but certainly as important, is the person they now want to represent us again.....  Mr. McBush. (sorry, that's a typo).  That's right,
a man who supports our trade agreements, our lost cause in Iraq, etc., and with zero experience in management. You know, the same old stuff we've come to love for the last 7+ years.
I left the Republican party when they left me.  Let's tell them what a compete failure they've been and perhaps they'll learn something along the way, no matter how remotely possible.
If you can't in good conscience vote for Obama, then write in "Lassie".            
Oh Molly, Molly, Molly,
We're getting tired of you whining on these blogs everyday because Hillary didn't win. Time to move on sweetie. If you don't want to vote for Obama, then don't. Just quit whining about it, and by the way, tell us all WHY McCain represents Hillary's policies more than Obama does. Would you please?
You mean, "McCain's Trip to Give Away Our Jobs."

McCain's rabid support of NAFTA and CAFTA (Colombian Free Trade Agreement) are well known.

Today he travels to Central and South America to promise countries there that he will be sure to send our jobs to them if elected.

Funny that McCain is for giving us all a few cents as part of a gas tax holidays that would cost American construction jobs and now he flaunts our pain as he travels to give away our jobs.

He has the same policy on Iraq. Undying support for the government in Baghdad while he does NOT support the new GI bill until he puts his wet finger in the political air and flip flops on the issue. It is also totally acceptable to him to give billions to the Iraqi while we are suffering a massive economic downturn at home.

This is not just about Republican vs. Democrat. McCain is a VERY scary guy because he acts erratically. Some may call is being a maverick, I call schizophrenic.

A vote for McSame is to doom our children to endless war and economic ruin.


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