Obama to act against outsourcing jobs ?

Lalit K Jha

Friday, January 04, 2008 11:55 AM (New York)

Illinois Senator, Barack Obama, who took many by surprise by winning the Iowa Democratic caucuses on Thursday night, promised to act against those companies who outsource jobs from America.

"I'll be a president who ends the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of working Americans who deserve it," Obama said in his victory speech.

Amidst applause and cheers from his supporters, soon after the results of Iowa Democratic caucuses were declared, Obama said: "We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America."

His speech could remind many of the last presidential election when outsourcing of jobs to countries like India was a major issue especially by the then Democratic candidate John Kerry, who lost narrowly to George W Bush in 2004. So far outsourcing of jobs has not become an election issue, which is more so dominated by the war in Iraq and other domestic issues like health care.

Obama, who would be the first black president if elected in the November elections, interestingly has not been able to garner much support among the Indian-American community, which so far has overwhelmingly supported the former First Lady and the New York Senator, Hillary Clinton.

Clinton was ranked third with 29 per cent of the Democratic Iowa caucuses votes, behind Obama who got 38 per cent votes and John Edwards (30 per cent).

Even though not many Indian Americans have come out in his support, Obama has been a long-time admirer of India reflected in many of his speeches. In a 2005 speech, he said India has the ability to adapt itself to a "flat" world. He also voted in favor of the Indo-US nuke deal.

Last month, Obama had posted a Bollywood video on YouTube in an effort to attract the Indian-American voters to his fold.

However, his brief mention against outsourcing of jobs by US companies in his victory speech could ring alarm bells among the corporate sector and even countries like India which benefits from these outsourcing of jobs.

The Indian corporate sector and its representative bodies in the US were already apprehensive of such an issue cropping up during the 2008 elections and have been preparing an action plan to tackle this. However, how big role the outsourcing issue can play this time is too early to say.

Obama who is the only among the presidential candidates to favor hot pursuit in Pakistan to nab terrorists like Osama bin Laden, in his speech on Thursday also reiterated that he would end the war in Iraq and recall all his troops if elected President.

"I'll be a president who ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home who restores our moral standing, who understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the 21st century. Common threats of terrorism and nuclear weapons, climate change and poverty, genocide and disease," Obama said in his victory speech.

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