The leader of the union representing Boeing Co. Machinists recently lashed out at presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama over comments he made in the Air Force aerial refueling tanker debate.
According to this report, here’s what Obama had to say while campaigning in Wilkes-Barre, Penn., on Tuesday:
“I would think that we would want to prioritize US companies that are employing U.S. workers,” Obama said.
“I don’t mind the Pentagon procuring from other countries. But when we you’ve got such an enormous contract for such a vital piece of our U.S. military arsenal, it strikes me that we should have identified a US company that could do it,” he continued.
You can read another account of Obama’s remarks about Boeing losing the $35 billion tanker deal to Northrop and EADS, parent company of Airbus.
On Thursday, Machinists’ president Tom Buffenbarger criticized the senator from Illinois. Keep in mind, the Machinists already endorsed Obama’s rival Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Buffenbarger took issue with Obama saying the Air Force’s decision might be justifiable if it turns out the Northrop-EADS tanker is 10 to 15 percent better than Boeing’s.
“He just doesn’t get it,” said Buffenbarger. “For him to equivocate on this issue is a complete embarrassment. But for him to take a neutral position in the fight to protect 44,000 American jobs just shows he’s no friend of blue collar workers.
“Maybe Senator Obama doesn’t mind the Pentagon procuring from other countries, but I sure as hell do,” said Buffenbarger. “What’s at stake is America’s manufacturing sector. What’s at stake is billions in American taxpayer dollars being used to create jobs overseas.”
Buffenbarger’s full remarks are available on the Machinists’ iMail site. In February, the Machinists’ international president served as blog fodder for another rant against Obama.
Machinists’ leader criticizes Obama – February
Based on his speech, I’m not sure Buffenbarger realizes that thousands of “latte-drinking” Machinists work here in the Puget Sound region. I’ve been at the Tully’s inside the Everett factory at lunch … engineers weren’t the only ones in line for lattes.
On a side note, just last week, Obama got a new campaign airplane, a Boeing 757, which replaces his previous jet, a Boeing 737.
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