JOHN W. McCAIN'S COLOMBIAN CONNECTION

McCain camp in Colombia-- great for lobbyists, bad for the rest of us

If it were Bush traveling down to Colombia today, people would be making jokes about cocaine. And that might be a good cover for what Bush was actually up to-- selling out American workers and the whole concept of a middle class society that has been built up-- mostly despite Republican obstructionism-- over that past 75 years. No need to make any McCain/cocaine jokes and far better to focus on his identical, highly destructive Bush Regime trade agenda.

The Bush-McCain trade agenda-- which is also the Republican-Blue Dog trade agenda-- has proved ruinous for millions of American families and, among other things, will accelerate job outsourcing that may be good for some corporate bottom lines in the short run-- triggering multimillion dollar executive bonuses-- but is relentlessly destroying the American economy in the long run. A hallmark of Republican economics is on focus on quarterly results-- just like incompetent corporations do-- and to ignore long-term trends, which is viewed as "old fashioned" in the go-go corporate world. Ergo: Michigan's auto industry is in ruins and that state is on the verge of going from recession to depression, while Bush and Delay insisted on gigantic tax breakers for SUV buyers, stimulating that sector and leaving fuel efficient foreign manufacturers with a larger and larger share of the world-- and the American-- auto market.

Today the Center For American Progress caught McCain lying again about what his previous admissions that he is virtually clueless (and disinterested) in economic policies. I bet he wishes he could take it back-- but he can't.

– “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,” McCain said. “I’ve got Greenspan’s book.” [December 2007]
– Seeking to explain his shift on economic issues, McCain claimed: “I didn’t pay nearly the attention to those issues in the past. I was probably a ’supply-sider’ based on the fact that I really didn’t jump into the issue.” [January 2000]
– Carly Fiorina, a top McCain adviser, acknowledged that McCain has said he knows little about the economy, noting that “he did say it one time, no question, maybe twice.” [6/10/08]

So today McCain-- with Lieberman and his relentless bargain-shoppin' Mini-Me in tow-- was down in Colombia making believe he cared about human rights as he pushed forward a trade agenda that has killed hundreds of Colombian union leaders and will lead the thousands more unemployed Americans, while pushing millions of others down the economic ladder. Today's NY Times doesn't follow up on any of McCain's absurd assertions.

“I hope that we could move forward with a free trade agreement between our two countries,” Mr. McCain said at a news conference in the humid, mosquito-filled night air outside Casa de Huéspedes, the Colombian presidential retreat, with Mr. Uribe at his side.

A short time later, in response to a question on Colombia’s record on human rights, Mr. McCain said that he had discussed the issue with Mr. Uribe in a meeting on various topics that lasted an hour and 40 minutes. “I believe that progress is being made,” Mr. McCain said, “and I believe that more progress needs to be made.”

Mr. McCain had promised before the trip that he would not publicly criticize Mr. Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, on foreign soil, saying political partisanship ended at the water’s edge. But his pledge did not include a session with reporters on his campaign plane en route to Colombia, he called Mr. Obama “a protectionist” and cast him as ignorant about economic forces in the United States.

“We just have a difference of opinion,” Mr. McCain said, “and I’m a student of history.” He added: “An overwhelming majority of historians will tell you that protectionism and isolationism were a major factor in one of the greatest depressions in the modern history of this country. I’m not going to sit by and see that happen.”

McCain is often faulted on being the ultimate political opportunist who stands for nothing but getting elected. His policies on trade, though, have not shifted this way and that like his policies on almost everything else. When it comes to trade policy, he is the ultimate anti-American worker shill to have ever run for president. He shouldn't mix up being very old with being a "student of history," because if he is, he's a very bad one. His assertion that Obama is a protectionist is patently absurd and would only be repeated by someone as ignorant-- or dishonest-- as McCain, who can't grasp the difference between fair trade and what the corporations have labeled "free" trade.

Even before Mr. McCain left for Colombia, John J. Sweeney, the president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., issued a statement calling the trip “yet one more example of how out of touch he is with working families, and how close he is to corporate special interests.”

Mr. Sweeney added, “hundreds of trade unionists have been systematically murdered, tortured, kidnapped and threatened by paramilitary organizations during the tenure of President Alvaro Uribe, yet Senator McCain will tout the supposed benefits of the proposed U.S.-Colombia F.T.A in the resort city of Cartagena.”

How ironic that Lindsey Graham (R-SC), whose own state's once thriving textile industry has been devastated by the kinds of trade policies he and McCain and Bush have been behind, is along for the ride and that the Democratic Party is incapable to fielding a plausible candidate against him and, instead, is running a disgruntled Republican bristling with reactionary positions.

This morning CBS reported the Obama campaign's response to the Colombia connection.

“Senator McCain’s trip to Mexico and Colombia just underscores his insistence on continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies that have left nearly 2.5 million more workers unemployed-- including unfair trade deals that have been written by lobbyists.”

[Obama's spokesperson] also noted a New York Times report which says that McCain advisor, Charlie Black, earned $1.8 million for lobbying on behalf of the leading oil and gas exporter in Colombia. “This is more of the Washington politics that has left American working families struggling to compete in a global economy by putting the lobbyists and special interests first."

The Washington Post was even more to the point: McCain Travels South, Searching For Message.

Public opinion shows deep skepticism about the value of free trade agreements. Is McCain's purpose in going to Colombia and Mexico designed to show how willing he is to buck public opinion, to demonstrate that he is prepared to take unpopular stands? That seems unlikely. Every politician this year is looking for ways to feel the pain of their constituents. McCain is no exception. He may be for free trade but he isn't looking to flaunt it to struggling workers.

Instead, take the trip as a metaphor for a campaign still not quite through its long shakedown period. McCain has had months to make the transition from nomination battle to general election, but still appears to lack the kind of cohesive operation he will need to win in a very difficult environment for the Republicans.

The McCain campaign can point to national polls that show the race with Obama is still close. Most polls have the margin in single digits. But Republican strategists outside the campaign worry that, unless McCain develops a more coherent strategy and message, he'll have difficulty winning in November. They are not in despair, but the concern is rising. McCain is aware of these concerns, but it's not clear how much he shares them.

It is useful to recall that a year ago, McCain's campaign imploded, with chief strategist John Weaver and campaign manager Terry Nelson handing in their resignations and the top level of the communications shop following them out the door. Almost no one gave McCain any real chance of winning. Seven months later he had clinched that nomination.

His situation now is hardly comparable. But he can't count on the mistakes of his rival to boost him in the general election the same way he was able to do in the primaries. When he returns from Colombia and Mexico and hunkers down for the holiday weekend, he will no longer have to answer questions about where he was. But will he have the answer to the question of where he goes from here.