Democratic National Committee - McCain Myth Buster: John McCain and American Workers

Today's McCain Myth: John McCain will help American workers.

The following is being issued by the Democratic National Committee:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/DNCLOGO )

John McCain believes that "America needs experienced leadership to...protect the American worker." Yet the facts show that when Senator McCain had the chance to stand up for workers in our country, he instead helped ship their jobs overseas. Senator McCain helped steer a tanker contract to a European company for which 7 of his campaign advisors and fundraisers then lobbied -- a bidding process the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, is now saying was full of errors and recommended should be reopened. Likewise, when McCain had the chance to help American workers in the Senate, he instead voted against extending unemployment insurance and providing much-needed worker training. [johnmccain.com, accessed 6/18/08]

With America's families struggling to make ends meet, John McCain's rhetoric about helping workers in our country--when the facts show he hasn't--just isn't believable.

John McCain: Not A Friend To America's Workers

Air Force Tanker Deal to Outsource Thousands of Jobs. According to reports, McCain consistently weighed in against a Boeing contract that would have supported 44,000 new and existing jobs in at least 40 states. Under best case scenarios, the European tanker deal will support 17,000 fewer U.S. jobs, and most that are created will not be in the United States until 2010 when assembly is scheduled to move from France to Alabama. [AP, 3/8/2008:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5603827.html ;

Business Week, 3/3/08]

McCain Sponsored Amendment that Ended Defense Department's Buy America Requirement. In May 2003, Senate Republicans voted for a McCain amendment that would allow the Defense Department to forego a requirement to purchase American-made equipment if that equipment was manufactured by Australia, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands or Spain. [Senate Vote 191, 5/21/03]

McCain Mimicked EADS on "Extra Features." McCain wrote to incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates in a letter that "echoed" the EADS complaints that the Pentagon was not planning to "effectively evaluate differences between the candidate aircraft's capability to execute key missions such as airlift and the number of passengers it can haul in addition to fuel." [Inside the Airforce, 2/2/2007]

GAO: Air Force Awarded EADS/Northrop Improper Extra Credit For Offering Larger Plane. "Although the GAO denied some parts of Boeing's protest, it offered a lengthy rationale for why the contract should be re-competed. Among its conclusions was that the Air Force awarded the Northrop team improper extra credit for offering a larger plane that could carry more fuel, cargo and troops." [Associated Press, 6/18/08]

McCain Mimicked EADS on European Subsidies. In mid-2006, the EADS team "urged the Pentagon on Friday to drop a requirement that might favor Boeing 's rival drive to sell aerial-refueling tankers to the U.S. Air Force" by taking into account a pending trade dispute on European government subsidies to EADS/Airbus. McCain "exchanged a volley of letters with Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England over the WTO issue. McCain says he's concerned that taking that matter into account will 'eliminate the competition even before bids are submitted.'" Ultimately, "the Air Force, under pressure from Mr. McCain, announced it was rewriting some of the rules" for the bid relating to WTO provisions. [Seattle Times, 6/10/2006; Aviation Weekly, 10/2/06; NY Times, 12/26/2006]

McCain Opposed Granting Unemployment Benefits To Those Affected By Hurricane Katrina. In 2005, McCain voted against allowing up to 52 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina. [2005 Senate Vote #234, 9/15/2005]

McCain Voted Against Extending Unemployment Benefits For Those Who Needed It. In 2003, McCain voted against extending unemployment benefits by 7 weeks for those who had received 26 weeks of benefits and by 13 weeks for those who had received 13 weeks of benefits. [2003 Senate Vote #269, 7/10/2003]

McCain Voted Against a Pilot Program to Provide Low-Interest Loans to Workers in Job Training or Assistance Programs. In 2002, McCain voted to kill an amendment requiring the Labor Department to establish a pilot program providing low-interest loans to workers in job training or job assistance programs to enable workers to continue making their mortgage payments. [2002 Senate Vote #119, 5/21/2002]

McCain Opposed Job Training Research and Assistance Program. McCain opposed $2,600,000 for the National Center on Education and the Economy. [Congressional Record, 11/20/04]

After casting himself as a "Maverick" in 2000, the new John McCain is walking in lockstep with President Bush, pandering to the right wing of the Republican Party, and embracing the ideology he once denounced. On the campaign trail McCain has callously abandoned many of his previously held positions, even contradicted himself, in a blatant attempt to remake himself into a candidate Republicans can accept in 2008. So just who is the real John McCain? The Democratic National Committee will present a daily fact aimed at exposing the man behind the myth.

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org.

This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

SOURCE Democratic National Committee

http://www.democrats.org