6-02-08, 10:31 am

When it comes to covering the presidential campaigns, the mainstream media appears to be more concerned about controversial former pastors than real issues that impact the lives of American working families. In fact, random channel and Web surfing of the network and cable talk shows and news sites reveals an obsession with sensational stories that have little bearing on working Americans and a near complete media blackout on John McCain's plans for outsourcing jobs.

Many of McCain's ethical problems have been addressed briefly, but have received short shrift compared to the sensationalism that has characterized the mainstream media's coverage of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Even worse, the mainstream media has completely ignored McCain's ties to lobbyists whose clients have material interests diametrically opposed to working Americans. Whether it is racism or political bias that motivates the media's clear double standard is beyond the scope of this article.

Suffice it to say more people think born-again Christian Barack Obama is a Muslim than know about John McCain's close relationships with lobbyists who work for corporations that outsource U.S. jobs.

Alternative information sources are challenging this state of affairs, however. A recent post, for example, at the AFL-CIO's blog reveals some of McCain's ties to corporations that either have already or are trying to kill your job through lobbyists who run his campaign.

Last month John McCain insisted that American anxiety about the economy and discontent with the government's failure to handle the economy better was due to the fact that Congress refused to pass a 'free' trade agreement with Colombia. Specifically, McCain said, 'The failure of Congress to take up and approve this agreement is a reminder why 80 percent of Americans think we are on the wrong track.'

Economic troubles, McCain suggested, have little to do with high oil and gas prices, outsourcing of jobs, the Bush administration's refusal to invest in infrastructure or alternative energy, or a war in Iraq that has drained hundreds of billions of dollars out of our economy.

It was the failure to pass a free trade deal with Colombia.

What the media didn't cover much was the fact that a major fundraiser for the McCain campaign works for a firm that wants to outsource more jobs by passing a free trade deal with Colombia. Peter Madigan, according to reporter Cliff Schecter, author of 'The Real McCain,' 'works for the government of Colombia to lobby for and promote a U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement. His firm is also paid to seek appropriations for the Government of Colombia, according to filings. The firm's lobbyists have distributed papers defending Colombian President Alvaro Uribe against allegations of ties to paramilitary groups, and promoting the controversial anti-drug program Plan Colombia as achieving strengthening of human rights.'

Registered with the U.S. government as 'an agent of a foreign government,' Madigan, reported Schecter, also 'earned upwards of $800,000 to improve the United Arab Emirates’ reputation in the face of a class action lawsuit over the enslavement of boy camel jockeys.' At least two current and two other former campaign advisers worked as lobbyists for corrupt or authoritarian regimes like the military regime that rules Burma and former Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Most recently, however, Schecter revealed that McCain campaign adviser Randy Altschuler actually founded a company based in Chennai, India called OfficeTiger, whose, as an AFL-CIO post noted, 'mission was to convince U.S. companies to outsource jobs to India – and it seems Altschuler has been quite successful in shipping out U.S. jobs.' Altschuler's OfficeTiger has helped moved thousands of productive jobs out of the U.S.

McCain's relationship with Altschuler isn't his first or only close relationship to an advocate for outsourcing. Thomas Loeffler, another top adviser to McCain worked as a lobbyist for Airbus while working for McCain. Loeffler successfully helped France-based Airbus win a recent Pentagon contract to make refueling tankers for the Air Force. Media reports earlier, buried earlier this year in the back pages of newspapers, indicated that McCain worked hard to prevent U.S.-based Boeing from securing the contract. According to reports, McCain's efforts on this deal alone will cost anywhere from 28,000 to 44,000 jobs.

McCain made his commitment to outsourcing jobs clear in a speech in Ohio during the Republican primary season when he told his audience, 'NAFTA was a good idea. ... [F]ree trade ... is vital to the future of America. Have people lost jobs? Yes, they have, and they're gonna lose jobs.' The comment prompted MSNBC commentator Joe Scarborough, who is a conservative, to state: 'John McCain is campaigning on less jobs and more war.'

In a related matter, another top economic adviser for McCain was a lobbyist for a European bank that is hip deep in the mortgage crisis and housing market meltdown. Phil Gramm, a former top Republican Party leader, is an economic adviser to John McCain and began his tenure for the campaign while lobbying for UBS, a Swiss company that 'has billions invested in the subprime mortgage market.'

Enormous banks like UBS bought mortgage backed securities that were based on bad loans to homeowners. Their actions helped fuel the sale of many of these mortgages to high risk consumers as big banks like Gramm's client sought massive profits without concern for the consequences. Now, big banks like UBS and Bear Stearns want U.S. government guarantees to back those loans so their irresponsible actions do not lead to financial crisis for them.

In a speech in April on the economy, McCain essentially promised to protect his friends' clients. Even worse, McCain promised to extend and expand massive tax cuts for the wealthiest corporations in the world, some of whom are clients of his advisers. McCain also rejected congressional efforts to help homeowners make mortgage payments so that they do not lose their homes during this crisis. McCain's economic policies and style of promoting the goals of those corporations who pay him the biggest bucks are simply an extension of Bush's.

American voters are going to have decide if they care more about some wild words from somebody's former pastor or their own jobs. McCain wants you to talk about somebody's pastor, but is working hard to send your job elsewhere. And so far he has been assisted by the mainstream media at every turn.

--Reach Joel Wendland at