News Center
Absence of discussion on economy, jobs in presidential debates is unacceptable
AAM urges moderators, panelist to ask questions on the economy, jobs, manufacturing, international trade; calls on candidates to discuss the issues
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 13, 2007) – The near complete absence the economy, jobs, as well as the issues surrounding manufacturing and international trade, in the five recent presidential candidate debates is unacceptable, according to the Alliance for American Manufacturing.
In the five Democratic and Republican presidential candidate debates since late April, only two questions out of more than 500 posed to the candidates individually and as a group have related to the economy, jobs and international trade issues, according to an analysis by AAM.
“The reality is that Americans are anxious about their economic security and rightfully so,” AAM Executive Director Scott Paul said. “Foreign financing of our national debt, a record trade deficit, imports of products harmful to humans and animal health, and a loss of 3.2 million manufacturing jobs since 2000, all are factors in the growing anxiety American have about the current state of the economy.”
Based on Gallup’s Top 10, the Economy ranks as the #3 concern among voters, behind #1 Iraq and #2 National Security. Despite the fact that it’s a top issue among voters, less than five minutes in five debates has been devoted to issues relating to the economy, Paul said.
Since the first debate on April 26, which was among the Democratic candidates in Columbia, S.C., AAM has consistently called on the candidates to tell Americans how they planned to address the challenges facing the manufacturing sector in the U.S. and the economy as a whole. Paul said the absence of discussion by the candidates during the debates, however, doesn’t rest solely the on the shoulders of the candidates.
“Only two questions out of more than 500 have been focused on the economy,” Paul said. “When you look at the level of concern among the American people for these issues, the moderators and panelists have an obligation to make sure the candidates are getting asked about these issues, and so far they aren’t.”
The next debate among the candidates is scheduled for June 28 at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The reasons the economy and jobs should be a part of that discussion, include:
- On June 6, the White House announced that it has lowered its economic growth forecast for 2007 based on a sluggish first quarter start to the year – the weakest growth by the U.S. economy in more than four years.
- The manufacturing sector – the source of high-wage, high-tech American jobs – has lost 3.2 million jobs since 2000. More than 164,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost in the last 12 months alone.
- Business Week’s June 18 issue reports that the growth in domestic manufacturing has been “substantially overstated” in recent years, a problem acknowledged by government statisticians, which means productivity gains and overall economic growth have been overstated as well.
- The U.S. trade deficit with China is more than $234 million – due in large part to their continuing efforts to sidestep the trade rules agreed to when China entered the WTO – and that deficit has contributed to the displacement of more than 1.8 million U.S. jobs across all sectors since 2001.
- Investigations by the Food and Drug Administration into imports from China, including food, toothpaste and mouthwash, as a result of reports that life-threatening ingredients like melamine and diethylene glycol being found in Chinese products.
- Factory orders in April, a key economic indicator, posted the weakest showing in three months (0.3 percent), according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
- The nation’s gross domestic product, a measure of the economy’s overall output, rose at a “barely discernible 0.6 percent in the first three months of the year” according to a recent Associated Press report.
Click here for a PDF of this release: 06.13.07 Talk About Manufacturing
###
The Alliance for American Manufacturing is a unique non-partisan, non-profit partnership forged to strengthen manufacturing in the U.S. AAM brings together a select group of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers to promote creative policy solutions on priorities such as international trade, energy security, health care, retirement security, currency manipulation, and other issues of mutual concern. For more information: www.americanmanufacturing.org.
