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Will GOP Connect With Worried Workers?
US News & World Report/CapitalCommerce blog ^ | Jan. 29, 2007 | James Pethokoukis

Posted on 01/29/2007 11:47:35 AM PST by DredTennis

Laura Ingraham, the willowy, conservative radio talker, really nailed it. She was speaking last Friday night as part of a panel discussion at a "conservative summit" in Washington held by National Review magazine. Ingraham said she was impressed by Jim Webb's televised rebuttal to President Bush's State of the Union address, particularly the part that hit on economics. In his talk, the newbie U.S. senator from Virginia launched a populist attack on the Bush economic years, railing about growing income inequality, skyrocketing CEO pay, outsourcing, and the so-called middle-class squeeze. Although Webb's stern speaking manner and improbable hair are easy to mock, Ingraham urged her fellow conservatives to pay serious attention to his message. "The party that comes off as the party that represents the American worker best is the party that wins in 2008," she said, adding that the GOP will be relegated to the political wilderness if it goes back "to being the party of the elites."

(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:
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To: dirtboy
From reading this thread, you are more of a populist/protectionist than the dems. This is confirmed by your use of Dobbs as an authoritative source.
121 posted on 01/29/2007 2:56:30 PM PST by Ben Ficklin
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To: Ben Ficklin
From reading this thread, you are more of a populist/protectionist than the dems

No.

What Laura Ingram and I am saying is, the GOP had better come up with a way to deal with the resentments that are building up because of decreasing wages for these kind of jobs. A P'Od meat packer has the same vote as a CEO.

122 posted on 01/29/2007 2:58:34 PM PST by dirtboy (Duncan Hunter 08 - rationalization not required, he IS a conservative already)
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To: freedomfiter2
"There's a lot of expense in shipping animals from the mid west offshore. Chickens in crates start dropping like flies if you have to ship them more than a couple hours. Beef do better but they need a lot of care to ride a couple days."

Anything grown/raised in Texas/Calif./ southwest can be grown/raised in Mexico. It can also be processed/cold shipped from there. Remember NAFTA? ( Clowntoon signed it).

Its a world market and there is no going back.
123 posted on 01/29/2007 3:03:07 PM PST by Beagle8U
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To: dirtboy
No, what you are saying is that you and Laura don't like it.
124 posted on 01/29/2007 3:03:36 PM PST by Ben Ficklin
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To: MikeA

Another "blame everybody but the Republican party" clueless wonder.

Earth to Republicans. I don't owe your party anything. Grow a pair, state your principles and stand up for them. If you don't, you will NOT get my vote. If you don't want my vote, then don't whine if your party loses.

It was unfortunate that a person like Bill Clinton took advantage of Republican stupidity, but it does not excuse them.


125 posted on 01/29/2007 3:06:09 PM PST by Scarlet Pimpernel
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To: MikeA
If that's the case, it will be because of conservatives who abandon the GOP to vote for some third party wet dream or who blame all their problems on George W. Bush.

This is not much different from what the DUmmies were hollering on the morning Kerry conceded.....

"There's nothing wrong with US!!! It's those damn ignorant VOTERS!!"

126 posted on 01/29/2007 3:15:33 PM PST by Doghouse Riley (No war unless it's total war for total victory.)
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To: Beagle8U

Anything grown/raised in Texas/Calif./ southwest can be grown/raised in Mexico.

In theory, in actuality Mexico needs to cut back on corruption before it can produce anything.


127 posted on 01/29/2007 3:20:33 PM PST by freedomfiter2 (Hunter '08)
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To: freedomfiter2

He got fired. The pay reflected the contract he got when Home Depot recruited him. He was one of the runners up for Jack Welch's job at G.E. and a hot commodity.

This happens in other arenas too. T.O. hasn't done much for the Dallas Cowboys for his $26 million, but there were high hopes when he was brought in. He's good, but not great. He's not even the #1 receiver on the team. Will T.O. be around next season? Who knows.

Katie Couric is pulling down $60 million to pull CBS into the ratings toilet. Someone at CBS must have thought replacing a lefty with an even bigger lefty was a great idea, if only because she was so perky. Will she see the end of her contract? Yeah, but probaby not as network news anchor.

People make mistakes in hiring for top positions just like the do for entry level ones. The difference is the people at the top have contracts that must be honored. It's not unfair. It's a reflection that the people are "perceived" to be among the very best in their fields of work.


128 posted on 01/29/2007 3:26:02 PM PST by Entrepreneur
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To: Entrepreneur

It's a reflection that the people are "perceived" to be among the very best in their fields of work.


It's a reflection that companies need to start paying according to actual performance on the job and not according to perceptions.


129 posted on 01/29/2007 3:31:41 PM PST by freedomfiter2 (Hunter '08)
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To: freedomfiter2
"In theory, in actuality Mexico needs to cut back on corruption before it can produce anything."

Mexico wants jobs/ cashflow. Whoever is in charge will allow American business men to run the farms/processing plants if that is what is needed.

Do you think Ford and all the other companies that operate there just turned everything over and hoped for the best?

The food industry can do the same thing and the Mexican Government will welcome them.
130 posted on 01/29/2007 3:36:29 PM PST by Beagle8U
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To: Beagle8U

The food industry can do the same thing and the Mexican Government will welcome them.


No doubt you're correct that more and more of the food industry will move south. It makes sense on several levels. They have the labor already and can produce the off season produce due to their latitude.


131 posted on 01/29/2007 3:58:34 PM PST by freedomfiter2 (Hunter '08)
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To: freedomfiter2

Well, pay does catch up to performance eventually. Only full commission salespeople and business owners are paid purely on performance.

You seem hostile about it. Why?


132 posted on 01/29/2007 4:11:40 PM PST by Entrepreneur
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To: freedomfiter2
I feel sorry for all the union workers that long for the old days of high wages and no competition but its over and will never come back.

I lived it all through the transformation.
133 posted on 01/29/2007 4:13:11 PM PST by Beagle8U
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To: MNJohnnie

Ingraham is basically saying the GOP needs to return back to its economic roots. Lower taxes, less government, fair trade policies...remember those?


134 posted on 01/29/2007 4:14:52 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Forgot your tagline? Click here to have it resent!)
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To: Entrepreneur

You seem hostile about it. Why?


I used to work for a company that was run by one of the bad ones. I left there to start my own business before they closed the last plant but five years later many of the former workers are at $10/hour jobs. Of course most executives aren't like that one, but I still have no respect for people who have never taken the risk to start their own business and yet get paid multi millions. It seems to me that earning potential should go hand in hand with risk.


135 posted on 01/29/2007 4:21:34 PM PST by freedomfiter2 (Hunter '08)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Fair trade sounds Reaganesque.


136 posted on 01/29/2007 4:22:54 PM PST by freedomfiter2 (Hunter '08)
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To: DredTennis

Bump for later reading. Yes, this is a real phenomena.


137 posted on 01/29/2007 4:26:15 PM PST by Kevmo (Darn, if only I had signed up 4 days earlier, I'd have a 3-digit Freeper #)
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To: Beagle8U; MNJohnnie; A. Pole

GOP's love of free trade cost us in November. Whether you agree with free trade or not (I don't) it is rapidl falling out of favor with voters.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116321182770520568-YgmqKBgqd0_Sw5C3Hd5FC0NQvto_20061210.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pdupont/?id=110009282


138 posted on 01/30/2007 5:24:44 AM PST by Hydroshock (Duncan Hunter For President.)
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To: Hydroshock
"GOP's love of free trade cost us in November. Whether you agree with free trade or not (I don't) it is rapidl falling out of favor with voters."

I can believe that. There are lots of people that would like to turn back the clock 20 years and have things as they were. The problem is it wouldn't be the same because the whole world has changed.

The economy would collapse much worse than it was under Carter.
139 posted on 01/30/2007 5:44:30 AM PST by Beagle8U
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To: Beagle8U

I did not say it was right ( I for the record support fair trade adn trade reciprocity), there could be and has been many 500+ post thread on that alone. But my point is this, more and more people are turning against it. And voting accordingly. They did so in 2006 and I suspect more will do so in 2008. It is a big loser for us and could really help get a rat elected.


140 posted on 01/30/2007 5:49:42 AM PST by Hydroshock (Duncan Hunter For President.)
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