Apple's Chinese manufacturing used as talking point in presidential debate
During the second U.S. presidential debate on Tuesday, moderator Candy Crowley broached the hot-button topic of outsourcing, citing Apple as one of the "great American companies" that sends manufacturing jobs overseas to avoid high labor costs.
Crowley invoked Apple in a final question, asking what President Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney would do, if anything, to bring back jobs American manufacturers lost to cheap and abundant foreign labor.
"iPad, the Macs the iPhones, they're all manufactured in China," Crowley began. "One of the major reasons is labor is so much cheaper here (sic). How do you convince a great American company to bring that manufacturing back here?"
Governor Romney was first to answer, saying that America is not at fault, but China's "cheating" in major industry is.
"We can compete with anyone in the world as long as the playing field is level," Governor Romney said, adding, "China's been cheating over the years."
He went on to explain that China has devalued their currency, hacked computers and stolen intellectual property. On the last issue, the Massachusetts governor pointed to the counterfeit "Apple Stoers (sic)" discovered last year in Kunming, China.
As for domestic policy, the Republican candidate made clear that America needs to be made "more attractive to entrepreneurs" and "people who want to expand business." The candidate failed to clarify the stance and instead moved to attack President Obama's tax plan, a strategic move that Crowley cut short due to time constraints.
In response, President Obama conceded that some jobs have left American soil for good, but said such a loss might in the end be chalked up as a net positive.
"Candy, there are some jobs that are not going to come back," the President said. "They're low-wage, low-skill jobs. I want high-wage, high-skill jobs."
Going further, the President said America must emphasize manufacturing and invest in advanced manufacturing, which he says will bring stability going forward. The argument turned quickly to tax reform and the funding of science and research to propel the U.S. forward for years to come.
"If we're adding to our deficit for tax cuts," President Obama said, "and we're cutting investments in research and Science that will create the next Apple, create the next new innovation that will sell products around the world, we will lose that race."
While Apple was merely a jumping off point for the ensuing political banter, the Cupertino company's job creating power, along with that of many U.S. corporations like it, continues to be a significant economic factor impacting the nation today.
50 Comments
Yeah, this definitely needs moved to PO…
"Candy, there are some jobs that are not going to come back," the President said.
I wonder… I wonder if this is President Obama taking to heart what Steve (was it allegedly?) told him.
This thread is going to be retarded... Sorry to the liberals for saying retarded. And sorry to the conservatives for apologizing for saying retarded.
This thread is going to be retarded...
Sorry to the liberals for saying retarded.
And sorry to the conservatives for apologizing for saying retarded.
Liberals don't freak out about the use of retarded, when its context makes sense.
Conservatives crap themselves over retarded and go Palinesque on anyone pointing out her acumen is mentally retarded, at best.
[quote name="DeanSolecki" url="/t/153434/apples-chinese-manufacturing-used-as-talking-point-in-presidential-debate#post_2213247"]This thread is going to be retarded... Sorry to the liberals for saying retarded. And sorry to the conservatives for apologizing for saying retarded.[/quote] You are right, this thread will be retarded. The economy is down world wide, if that wasn't the case nobody would care.
Not great work from the moderator: labor is a much more MINOR and more-easily solved reason to be in China, compared to how rapidly those companies can respond to Apple%u2019s needs. Firstly, they can quickly adapt and expand new manufacturing processes much faster than any US competitor can, and secondly, they have all or many of the needed suppliers and expertise located in one place, so parts and designs don%u2019t need to travel far. Those factors COULD be re-created in the US, in theory, at massive expense and risk, if some US companies wanted to get together and attempt it. But it%u2019s no simple thing. It%u2019s not just %u201Chire an American company to do exactly what these Chinese companies are doing.%u201D That said, there are plenty of companies, other than Apple, that ARE in China for the sake of low wages, and could more easily go domestic. (Textiles and clothing, anyone? MUCH simpler to design and build than Apple%u2019s electronics.)