By that measure, my fiance, who started her own business in May, is unemployed. Never mind that her busienss is already doing well, and she will likely hire 1 or 2 people by the end of the year. More "illusory progress" according to the Dems at CrAP, I suppose.
I've read the Hawkins pieces for quite a while and I don't see as much partisanship as you do--
Rather than being "democrats," I suspect they are old-style conservatives. Were the Dems, they'd be yapping about how wonderful Kerry is--which they are NOT doing at all.
Instead, they have proposed a comprehensive trade policy which recognizes that the WHOLE manufacturing sector is important to the US--not only in creating jobs which pay well, but in the country's capacity to produce weapons, and other goods which are necessary.
The 'non-Democrat' philosophy is exposed in their disapproval of the apparent need for women to be working; this is far more a 'traditionalist conservative' than 'Democrat' position.
By the way, in the First World, the average manufacturing % of GDP is well over 25%; here in the US it is only about 13%. Are you prepared to argue that all those other guys are wrong?
'zackly...