John McCain
McCain Takes Merger Issue Head On
By Michael D. Shear
LIMA, Ohio -- Five years ago, John McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, lobbied on behalf of German shipping giant DHL Express, whose purchase of Airborne Express meant a new corporate boss for thousands of residents in Wilmington, Ohio.
Now, DHL wants to stop using the Wilmington airport as a hub, something that could cost thousands of jobs. And today, McCain will meet with some of the people who could be laid off.
He is scheduled to gather with about two dozen local officials and company employees, a meeting that was supposed to highlight McCain's concern about the faltering economy in an important election-year swing state.
But thanks to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which this week wrote about Davis' 2003 lobbying efforts on behalf of DHL, the meeting has invited some unwelcome attention for the campaign.
The Plain Dealer reported that McCain himself argued on behalf of the merger in 2003 after concerns were raised by fellow senators about foreign ownership of the shipping company.
Now, Democrats have charged that the DHL case is an example of the dangers of foreign companies acquiring American ones. And they have charged that McCain, by way of Davis, helped "broker" the deal that now threatens jobs.
In a new conference yesterday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown called on McCain and Davis to use the same connections they had in 2003 to try and stop DH: from abandoning the airport.
"I'm personally calling on John McCain to send Rick Davis to Germany to use his considerable clout with DHL,... to help save these 8,200 jobs in southwest Ohio," Brown said.
McCain's campaign has rejected the idea that Davis' lobbying had anything to do with the current job troubles, saying that the job losses could not have been anticipated at the time of the merger.
The Republican campaign has been buffeted for months by criticism of McCain's ties to lobbyists. Much of that attention has focused on Davis, who has severed ties with his old firm, Davis Manafort.
Posted at 11:38 AM ET on Aug 7, 2008
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Posted by: buyzyrtec | August 20, 2008 1:17 PM
This is like a few weeks ago when McCain wanted to give a speech on an oil rig near the Mississippi delta in the Gulf...
whoops, oil spill.
This is what happens when your entire platform exists to benefit the rich.
Study shows Obama's tax plan will give people in the lower 20% of income a 10% increase in their yearly income and the top 1% a 12% decrease.
McCain's wouldn't benefit any low/middle income folks and would increase the top 1% by another 10% on top of what Bush has already done.
So now we know who the candidates represent, as if it was any big surprise.
McCain is an elitist. He's the definition of. He's never earned a buck in the real world on his own. Not one.
Posted by: JJ Cornish | August 7, 2008 2:55 PM
Its a cruel joke when McCain and other Republicans say they favor the working/middle class people in the U.S. They favor only big busness at the expense of the working/middle class and have never had a favorible foreign policy. The welcome Obama had on his trip overseas is an example of good will to a new Administration in Washington. McCain is nothing more than copy of Bush. When he speaks, he need a promp viewer or a written paaper prepared by someone who has a brain.
Posted by: john d. hughes | August 7, 2008 1:31 PM
Its a cruel joke when McCain and other Republicans say they favor the working/middle class people in the U.S. They favor only big busness at the expense of the working/middle class and have never had a favorible foreign policy. The welcome Obama had on his trip overseas is an example of good will to a new Administration in Washington. McCain is nothing more than copy of Bush. When he speaks, he need a promp viewer or a written paaper prepared by someone who has a brain.
Posted by: john d. hughes | August 7, 2008 1:31 PM
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