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Boeing supporters target McCain
Yahoo ^ | 3/8/2008 | MATTHEW DALY/ap

Posted on 03/08/2008 4:24:09 AM PST by tobyhill

WASHINGTON - Angry Boeing supporters are vowing revenge against Republican presidential candidate John McCain over Chicago-based Boeing's loss of a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract to the parent company of European plane maker Airbus.

There are other targets for their ire — the Air Force, the defense secretary and even the entire Bush administration.

But Boeing supporters in Congress are directing their wrath at McCain, the Arizona senator and nominee in waiting, for scuttling an earlier deal that would have let Boeing build the next generation of Air Force refueling tankers. Boeing now will miss out on a deal that it says would have supported 44,000 new and existing jobs at the company and suppliers in 40 states.

"I hope the voters of this state remember what John McCain has done to them and their jobs," said Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., whose state would have been home to the tanker program and gained about 9,000 jobs.

"Having made sure that Iraq gets new schools, roads, bridges and dams that we deny America, now we are making sure that France gets the jobs that Americans used to have," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. "We are sending the jobs overseas, all because John McCain demanded it."

The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. and its U.S. partner, Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman, won a competition with Boeing Feb. 29 to build the refueling planes in one of the biggest Pentagon contracts in decades. The unexpected decision has sparked outrage from union halls to the halls of Congress over the impact on U.S. jobs, prestige and national security. EADS and Northrop say about 60 percent of their tanker will be built in the U.S.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 110th; boeing; johnmccain; manufacturing; mccain; rahmemanuel
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To: A. Morgan

The truth hurts.


21 posted on 03/08/2008 5:33:19 AM PST by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger .....)
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To: tobyhill

Spot on, FRiend.


22 posted on 03/08/2008 5:35:20 AM PST by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger .....)
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To: rbmillerjr
This will be a volatile issue in the upcoming campaign...it’s not just Washington, but Kansas and Tx...states McCain needs.

Agreed. Boeing sokd a major manufacturing facility in Wichita to a Canadian firm about 2 years ago -- a lot of folks here blame McCain for that and I don't think I'd be going too far out on a limb to say it was one of the reasons Huckabee took Kansas in the primaries.

Many Kansas congresscritters are out there calling for investigations on the Airbus deal... all of them republicans.

I wouldn't be suprised if Kansas went blue in the general.

23 posted on 03/08/2008 5:43:25 AM PST by DaveMSmith (Nothin' worse than a leaky dame)
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To: A. Morgan

From what I “heard” airbus has never built a tanker and is years behind on the ones being produced for Australia.

I find the treads here rather amusing. A year ago there was nothing but praise for Boeing and disdain for Airbus over commercial airlines. Everyone was cheering the great Boeing product and running down the Airbus product. Day by day, week by week acclaim for Boeing getting deals.

All this is very confusing.


24 posted on 03/08/2008 5:44:25 AM PST by Boblo
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To: Boblo

25 posted on 03/08/2008 5:53:38 AM PST by A. Morgan (VOTE FOR A LIBERAL N' WE'LL BE UP TO OUR NECKS IN ILLEGALS and OUTA' GAS!)
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To: Oztrich Boy
The question is whether anyone will step up and explain this because it once again looks like a case where a Republican did the right thing, but the RATS are painting it the opposite way and no one is refuting them. The longer this sits out there, the worse it's going to be for all Republicans, not just McCain. The Stupid Party just doesn't get it.
26 posted on 03/08/2008 5:56:18 AM PST by Dahoser (America's great untapped alternative energy source: The Founding Fathers spinning in their graves.)
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To: Boblo

That was all before the Boeing’s “Virtual Fence” debacle.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23382776/


27 posted on 03/08/2008 6:00:08 AM PST by tobyhill (The media lies so much the truth is the exception)
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To: rbmillerjr; tobyhill; microgood; liberallarry; cmsgop; shaggy eel; RayChuang88; Larry Lucido; ...
McCain was right in going after the 6billion contract that was rife with corruption

It was a $23 billion lease. The lease was competititvely priced, but it was naturally rather expensive compared to buying the planes. The whole point of the lease was to get the planes faster and in service faster with lower upfront costs. Of course one of the things embedded in the cost of a lease is interest. One thing government cand do cheaper than anyone else is borrow money. People will accept T-Bills with lower interest rates than corporate bonds, because they are perceived as being almost zero risk. A lease imbeds the cost of borrowing money from the private sector into the lease payments.

Another part of the lease cost was that it included the cost of Boeing developing the tanker variant rather than amortizing across the whole production run. A big part of the problem is that tankers tend to be long lasting capital goods that have lower utilization rates than equivalent vintage commercial aircraft. Paying that much for 100 planes on a ten year lease doesn't make much financial sense for the federal government compared to an airline that can use similar equipment to generate income. After the lease, the federal government still doesn't own the planes. For an airline, that's not a problem, because they could lease newer planes with better capabilites, and they can also fully deduct the cost of the lease from their taxable income each year rather than having to amortize a fleet over a much longer period than they actually want to have a fleet in their service. The federal government doens't pay income taxes, so the deductbility of lease payments is of no benefit to them.

Yes there was corruption involving a Boeing employee and an Air Force officer who was offered a job at Boeing while she was working on the procurement contract for the lease of 767 tankers. Boeing also gave her daugter a job. What does get forgotten in all this is that if the offered lease or a renegotiated lease or purchase agreement had accepted, the USAF would already have about 100 new tankers that are much more capable than the KC-135 tankers they would have replaced, and they would be in use today in Iraq and Afghanistan not ten years from now.

28 posted on 03/08/2008 6:04:30 AM PST by Paleo Conservative
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To: bert

Somebody should remind the critics from Boeing that two of their former executives are in jail due to rigged contract awards.
And in this latest award Boeing’s bid fell short in five of five Source Selection Criteria.
(”Fell Short” means they scored lower than EADS)

It’s tough to have to play on a level playing field, but Boeing brought the additional scrutiny on itself.


29 posted on 03/08/2008 6:08:04 AM PST by G Larry (HILLARY CARE = DYING IN LINE!)
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To: rbmillerjr

The tankers are going to be built right here in Mobile, AlSome of the parts are going to come from overseas, just like some of the parts of boeing planes do..


30 posted on 03/08/2008 6:09:15 AM PST by Lil Flower ("Without Love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing." St. Therese of Lisieux)
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To: Dahoser
It is very simple: loss of American jobs and Tech to other
countries ..pretty much ties into McCain's open borders free trade stand which COST AMERICAN JOBS.
If there was too much pork in Boeing's bid, adjust that..
But sending more AMERICAN JOBS overseas has gotten the American publics attention and MCCAIN has been a big advocate of shipping our Manufacturing over seas or bringing in slave labor from mexico..
this move fits his profile very well.
ABM
31 posted on 03/08/2008 6:10:05 AM PST by shadowgovernment (From the Ashes of a Republican rout will raise a Conservative Party)
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To: shadowgovernment

The last time I checked Mobile was in Alabama, not overseas.These planes will be built at the old Brookley Air Force Base


32 posted on 03/08/2008 6:18:47 AM PST by Lil Flower ("Without Love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing." St. Therese of Lisieux)
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To: tobyhill
Union workers are just a small percentage of the workers involved in airplane manufacture.

Lots and lots of cubical dwellers that do ? {lots of coffee drinking that I can tell of}

33 posted on 03/08/2008 6:30:14 AM PST by southernerwithanattitude ({new and improved redneck})
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To: shadowgovernment
Northrop Grumman Press Conference SideBar Related Items Videos By Cary Chow MOBILE, Ala. -- McCain. Obama. Clinton. Some of the biggest names in American politics have voiced concerns about the 40-billion dollar tanker deal between the U-S Air Force, Northrop Grumman, and EADS. On Friday, officials reiterated why the KC-45A is the best plane for the country. "It will fly faster. It will carry more fuel. Let me tell you what it will save - the Northrop team based on the Life Cycle Air Force formula, concluded the aircraft would save $1.4 billion a year," said Senator Jeff Sessions, (R-Alabama). The chairman and CEO of EADS North America said the fear of losing jobs overseas is completely false. "48-thousand jobs in the United States will be created - not sustained - created," said Ralph Crosby. "On top of that, there's all the activity that's related to building the commercial freighters here, which is not even factored in and which takes the number, triples it, to what we originally thought in terms of the number of planes." Many critics say one of the problems with the big tanker deal, is that too many of the parts are built in foreign countries, but Governor Bob Riley reminds us, building planes - is a global industry. "The plane that we were competing with, they build a fuselage in Japan, the tail in Italy. They build parts all over the world. So there's nothing different, nothing less American about this plane, than it is the Boeing plane we're competing with." Despite protest prospects, Crosby said the plan is already is motion. "We're moving ahead. We've got all four of the first airplanes in assembly already." Governor Riley said it's the combination of teamwork and productivity... that has Alabama growing so quickly. "We probably have had more international companies come to Alabama than any other state in the South, if not the nation. We've led the nation in economic development for the last two years." Barring what Alabama lawmakers predict would be an unsuccessful protest... that trend will continue. Northrop Grumman officials said if there is a protest, the production delay would probably be around 100 days.
34 posted on 03/08/2008 6:31:09 AM PST by Lil Flower ("Without Love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing." St. Therese of Lisieux)
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To: Lil Flower

Wrong—the planes are French. They will put the tanks in them in Mobile.

Everyone keeps posting that there will be thousands and thousands of jobs created. I don’t buy it.
It don’t take that many people to put tanks on planes.


35 posted on 03/08/2008 6:33:51 AM PST by southernerwithanattitude ({new and improved redneck})
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To: Boblo
From what I “heard” airbus has never built a tanker and is years behind on the ones being produced for Australia.

They have now.

As for contract slippage, it's not something Boeing should mention

Italian contact signed July 01 for delivery 05, Japanese contact signed April 03 for delivery 07

Both are now scheduled for 08.

Meanwhile Australian KC-30B contract signed Dec 04 for IOC 09, should still meet the deadline

36 posted on 03/08/2008 6:34:55 AM PST by Oztrich Boy (Never say yer sorry, mister. It's a sign of weakness)
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To: tobyhill

DEY TURK MUH JEEEERRRRRRRBBBBBBB!

The Democrats are turning into the image of Pat Buchanan right before my eyes. They hate Israel, they hate fighting back against Islamic Supremacists, and they hate capitalism. And as Mark Foley showed, they’re not above gay-bashing either.


37 posted on 03/08/2008 6:36:09 AM PST by JHBowden (Give peace a chance! Kill Terrorists!)
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To: shadowgovernment
“New Boeing 787 delay likely, analysts say”

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?articleID=20080308_5_E1_NTZAs01316

This is why Boeing can't aquire new or maintain current contracts or orders. Northrup plans on hiring over 23,000 American workers for this project whereas Boeing probably would have hired half that then put the other half from current staff or even use foreign suppliers.

***Today, Boeing and Boeing supplier partners have active supplier contracts with China's aviation industry valued at well over $2.5 billion. Today, there are more than 4500 Boeing airplanes flying throughout the world with parts and assemblies built by China.***

http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/aboutus/boechina.html

38 posted on 03/08/2008 6:38:27 AM PST by tobyhill (The media lies so much the truth is the exception)
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To: SUSSA

I live down here in Mobile and believe me we are just as American, if not more so, then those folks in WA.....Every expert that looked at the competition says it was fair, open and honest and boo hoo, boeing thought being the pocket of all of pols would get the contract, no questions asked!It’s getting a whole lot tiresome to keep hearing these folks trash us here in AL...heck, even the NYT came out in support of NG-EADS....saying the american war fighter deserves the best that $ can buy....


39 posted on 03/08/2008 6:38:53 AM PST by BamaDi (John McCain.....not my first choice but the alternative is unacceptable!)
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To: Boblo

This might help

http://republicans.armedservices.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=426

http://republicans.armedservices.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=427


40 posted on 03/08/2008 6:38:54 AM PST by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
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