Congressman Lincoln Davis visited with business owners and executives in Huntsville this afternoon at a luncheon hosted by the Scott County Chamber of Commerce.
The Pall Mall Democrat—who faces a looming re-election battle this fall to retain his seat—focused his comments on climate change legislation, health care reform, and—not surprisingly—jobs creation.
“I’m your neighbor and just like you, I’m frightened. Just like you, I have concerns. Just like you, I’m angry about the jobs situation. I’m frightened because I don’t think government can do everything (to rectify the jobless situation),” Davis said.
Davis declared cap-and-trade legislation and health care reform to be D.O.A. in Congress.
“The climate change bill that passed the House won’t see the light of day again,” Davis said. “And I don’t believe health care reform is going to pass.”
Davis voted against both bills, but voted for the bank bailout earlier.
“I wouldn’t have minded seeing a few of the big banks go out of business, but I didn’t want to see our community banks fail,” he said.
As far as jobs are concerned, Davis said free trade is a contributing factor.
“If we don’t get back our manufacturing, we’re in trouble,” he said, adding that China’s booming economy is America’s loss.
“If you went to China in 1998, you saw two corporations: McDonald’s and Col. Sanders,” Davis said. “Twelve years later, everything over there is American…including our jobs.
“We have to get back to making what we consume,” he added.
“We have Tennessee National Guard soldiers in Iraq right now fighting to ensure that our way of life doesn’t change,” he said. “Some of them are dying. I talked to a father in Jamestown yesterday who lost his son in Iraq. Families are turned upside down. But they believe in the war effort, because they’re patriotic. We need to start demanding American corporations to be patriotic, too. And if they aren’t, we shouldn’t buy another thing from them.”
With Scott County’s unemployment rate hovering near 20% and the community’s two higher education facilities—Roane State Community College and Tennessee Technology Center—prepared to announce a major workforce retraining program on Monday, Davis asked local business representatives what Congress can do to help, acknowledging that government can’t provide all the solutions but can help America’s struggling communities.
Davis, who has angered some Democrats with his centrist stance on issues such as health care reform, fiscal policies and abortion, said today’s troubled times require Congress to put partisanship aside and stop choosing sides simply for the sake of their party.
“The left wing of my party doesn’t like me,” he acknowledged. “And Republicans hate all Democrats, including me. Well, it’s time to tell the wingnuts on the left and the right to go find another nest, because this isn’t their country. This country belongs to all of us. And it’s time to stop taking sides. In 1860, we took sides until we started killing each other. It’s time for us to start being honest with ourselves.”
twice guessing: Well, if you can watch this video without puddling up you certainly are cold hearted. I am truly...
BenG.: I don't think I could afford their salaries!!
Mom: Sounds like something out of one of the CSI shows.
Brandon: Bobby Johnson left...don't see it happening now....I can live with 6-6 with the talent and injuries...
about 6 months ago
Well, I distrusted him already because he carries the democrat tag around but now I know he isn’t to be trusted at all from his comments about free trade. He is in a position to know better and I think he does know better. He is simply playing to populist themes with his comments on foreign trade. Cut out foreign trade and watch prices of everything you buy at Walmart double and the few manufacturing jobs we got left disappear. Throughout the era of free trade we have had strong employment up until this recession and this recession is not just in the USA.
And I would be very interested in his stand on the issue of “cap and trade” and the global warming theory.
I guess if he wants us to quit buying from American Corporations that have operations outside of the USA he would feel the same about buying from foreign owned corporations? Those like Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen for example? Wonder how many Americans would be put out of work if everyone quit buying those three brands?
It is an international economy now, like it or leave it. Anyone who thinks like Davis does is thinking in the past and is not qualified to be a leader in the congress of the USA.
Which is just another reason I will be voting against him come November providing the Republicans run anyone against him that is qualified.
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about 6 months ago
Davis voted against cap-and-trade. His comments were more about America’s overall approach to energy than cap-and-trade, but here is what he had to say: “We produce 40% of our energy with coal…If we move all funding from coal to production of wind and biofuels, it will break us; it’s too costly.”
Free trade is as much a part of American philosophy as taxes, personal home ownership and military independence…and it’s been that way as long as there have been mechanisms in place to make foreign trade possible. I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.
However, let me assume the role of devil’s advocate for a moment: Isn’t there some truth to the thought that we have to start producing more of what we consume? I don’t think it is coincidence that China’s economy has grown by leaps and bounds at the same time as ours has stagnated and even contracted.
Actually, I saw a study recently that showed that total manufacturing output in the U.S. has actually increased over the past 30 years, which would be contrary to popular opinion. So our problem is actually two-fold: One, there’s no denying that a sizable fraction of the durable goods once produced here are now produced overseas. The second is that as our technology has improved and made the manufacturing industry more profitable, we’ve actually advanced ourselves right out of a bunch of jobs.
So what are we to do? I don’t think anyone’s going to say we should reverse technology so we can go back to the old ways of doing things and have more jobs. And I doubt many people are going to agree that cutting off trade with China is the answer. I don’t know what the answer is, but clearly we have a problem.
I don’t think our jobs problem is something that came on overnight. This worldwide recession has just been a personal enhancement drug for what was already a very real problem. If you think about it, manufacturing hasn’t been the lifeline that it once was for America’s economy for more than two decades now. In the ’90s, the engine that drove our economy was the dot com boom. In the ’00s, the engine that drove our economy was a construction boom, both residential and commercial. I remember taking a trip to Panama City Beach in 2005 and being amazed at all the new high-rise buildings going up. Cranes dominated the skyline. And it was the same, albeit on a smaller scale, in Nashville and Chattanooga and most other American cities as well.
The dot com boom isn’t coming back and the construction boom isn’t coming back. In fact, we’re probably on the verge of a major commercial construction collapse…and its tentacles are going to extend well beyond the construction industry if that happens. Who knows what happens to the banking industry in such a scenario…a lot of those buildings that went up in a hurry from ‘04 through ‘07 or so are sitting empty today. I talked to a local banker a few days ago and he made it clear that outstanding commercial loans are what community banks are worried about right now. That’s an sector that hasn’t quite caught up with the recession yet.
All of this probably adds up to one cold, hard reality: This recession is going to last longer, and be harder to pull out of, than anyone wants to imagine. Not to sound like a Pat Buchanan, but I’m willing to bet that what we’re going to find out in the years ahead is that jobs aren’t going to magically reappear as we think they will. Many of the jobs that are being created today are based on “green” technology. If you had to pick a sector of American industry that is the most fickle of them all, I don’t think any would even come close to touching the green sector.
In this region, I think our best hope is that VW seizes on Toyota’s problems and becomes the world’s biggest car manufacturer, as its ambitions seem to be. Nissan also has roots in this region and they’ll doubtlessly benefit as well. So the biggest boon to Tennessee’s economy and the Nashville-Knoxville-Huntsville-Chattanooga markets in the foreseeable future may be the auto industry.
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about 6 months ago
Just another thought: What do you say to the 22% of Scott Countians who are currently without work, almost all of whom worked in the manufacturing industry? A good portion of those people don’t have a textbook knowledge of the free trade philosophy; they don’t care about the merits of free trade. They’re just worried about whether their unemployment benefits will be enough to put food on the table…and what they’re going to do once that unemployment runs out. Roane State and the Tennessee Technology Center are going to announce some new programs on Monday that will retrain workers. That seems to be the best thing we have going right now. And yet, what happens when those workers are retrained? Whatever they’re retrained for, I think we can say with almost 100% certainty that those jobs aren’t going to be available either.
There’s a precarious balance when it comes to the economy, one that’s been in place since the first villages were established and someone would’ve looked at you like you were nuts if you mentioned the word “economy”: You consume, and you produce. In America, we’re doing a lot of consuming and not so much producing. You can’t continue to sustain a nation without that balance. So we can sit here and argue the merits of free trade all day long, and we’d probably agree on most of them. But instead of debating free trade, the better argument would probably be how we’re going to get back to that healthy economic balance.
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about 6 months ago
I think you are correct about Scott County workers. And that is the reason Lincoln Davis is saying what he is – he knows that most of these people do not understand economics and trade issues and he is just spouting phrases that are popular with that sector of the voting population. I doubt he believes any of it – he is just fishing for votes. Which is why I have very little respect for the Democrat party anymore – they are almost all like he is. They are bad for the country, especially in our present circumstances. They will sacrifice our freedom anytime for a vote.
But yes Scott County is in for a rough ride. Personally, as bad as it sounds, I think individuals would be smart to think about getting out of here because it appears the next several years at least are going to be very rough in terms of employment opportunities here in the county. They will be tough for the country but especially bad for us here in this county I think. As you pointed out, one of the main reasons for the shrinkage in the manufacturing employment numbers in terms of percentages of the total work force is due to productivity gains produced by the tremendous advancements in technology in the last 20 years. Any time shifts such as these occur there is turmoil and pain felt in society and in individual lives. Think back to the pain endured by the farming communities that expected their families to follow them in farming when the industrial revolution occurred. All of a sudden their children left the farm for the city and the big factories. That is where the demand for labor was – not the farms which had become much more efficient at producing food so that there was not a place for all the people who grew up on a farm.
But change happens and progress normally occurs as a result of these events even though it is just rough on the individuals and families caught up in it. However, if everything comes together to create the perfect storm as could be the case this time we may see regression rather than progression if these socialists in our midst continue to try to seize this “crisis” to enforce the changes in government they are attempting.
Having Obama and crew in charge at this time makes the outlook much worse I think. This is a critical time for our country and we need business-smart people at the helm. With Obama’s and his leftists friends’ lack of knowledge and experience about business coupled with their socialist ideology, we will be fortunate if America survives as the country we love and cherish. If Obama has his way, the America you see in 8-10 years will be a totally different country – and not for the better, at least if you are a freedom loving, traditional American. If you are a socialists, or a freeloading welfare bum you might like what you see, but if you are a hard working, freedom loving American who loves God and country look out – you aren’t going to enjoy the next few years unless God provides a remedy for Obama. I am hoping the current Tea Party movement might just be the remedy.
Obama wants everyone dependent upon government. He has the mindset that big, powerful government is the answer to all society’s ills. He can’t help it – that’s the way he has been trained to think his whole life. Go look at his family and the friends and groups he has associated with all his life – they almost all think this way, so it is all he knows. I am beginning to think that not only do they think “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste” as his top adviser said, but that they intend to create crisis after crisis to try to justify the government taking more and more control of everything down to the most minute detail of our lives. And they use populist arguments just like Lincoln Davis does to take this control.
I do hate Democrat politicians. I doubt there is one who is honest in his heart. Granted there are a lot of dishonest Republican politicians as well but the Democrats take the prize in this department hands-down.
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about 6 months ago
Back to local politics: We need to really listen to the local politicians running for office this year and keep one thing foremost in our minds: jobs for local workers. If we think our favorite politician is not the best man or woman for the job in terms of bringing creating job opportunities for our people we need to vote for the other one who is better. It is time to wake up people! Down with the status-quo and the good-ole-boy concepts about how we should vote for John Henry because he is a nice guy and we have known his family all his life. The future of our county and our fellow men and women is at stake. I doubt there has been as important an election for county mayor of Scott County in the last 100 years. (I know “mayor” used to be “county executive” used to be “county judge” but it’s all the same for purposes of this conversation.) And the same goes for the county commissioners.
So if you think that the current county mayor and your local commissioners aren’t doing what they should to try to attract and retain local companies vote for someone who will. As we have seen on a national scale, individual voices, when they band together, can make a difference.
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about 6 months ago
Funny how Davis voted for every trade agreement to send our jobs overseas.
——————————————————————
H R 2739 RECORDED VOTE 24-Jul-2003 2:54 PM
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 432
Ayes Noes PRES NV
Republican 197 27 4
Democratic 75 127 3
Independent 1
TOTALS 272 155 7
01 William L. Jenkins……Aye
02 John J. Duncan Jr…….Noe
03 Zach Wamp ……Aye
04 Lincoln Davis ……Aye
05 Jim Cooper ……Aye
06 Bart Gordon ……Noe
07 Marsha Blackburn……Aye
08 John S. Tanner ……Aye
09 Harold E. Ford Jr…….Aye
–
Senate
Vote Number: 318 Vote Date: July 31, 2003, 09:04 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Bill Passed
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Yea Frist (R-TN), Yea
——————————————————————
H R 2738 RECORDED VOTE 24-Jul-2003 3:47 PM
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 436
Ayes Noes PRES NV
Republican 195 27 6
Democratic 75 128 2
Independent 1
TOTALS 270 156 8
01 William L. Jenkins……Aye
02 John J. Duncan Jr…….Noe
03 Zach Wamp ……Aye
04 Lincoln Davis ……Aye
05 Jim Cooper ……Aye
06 Bart Gordon ……Noe
07 Marsha Blackburn ……Aye
08 John S. Tanner ……Aye
09 Harold E. Ford Jr…….Aye
—
Senate
Vote Number: 319 Vote Date: July 31, 2003, 09:22 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Bill Passed
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Yea Frist (R-TN), Yea
——————————————————————
H R 4759 YEA-AND-NAY 14-Jul-2004 5:19 PM
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 375
Yeas Nays PRES NV
Republican 198 24 1 4
Democratic 116 84 5
Independent 1
TOTALS 314 109 1 9
01 William L. Jenkins……Aye
02 John J. Duncan Jr…….Aye
03 Zach Wamp ……Aye
04 Lincoln Davis ……Aye
05 Jim Cooper ……Aye
06 Bart Gordon ……Aye
07 Marsha Blackburn ……Aye
08 John S. Tanner ……Aye
09 Harold E. Ford Jr…….Aye
—-
Senate
Vote Number: 156 Vote Date: July 15, 2004, 06:23 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Bill Passed
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Yea Frist (R-TN), Yea
——————————————————————
H R 4842 YEA-AND-NAY 22-Jul-2004 6:32 PM
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 413
Yeas Nays PRES NV
Republican 203 18 6
Democratic 120 80 6
Independent 1
TOTALS 323 99 12
01 William L. Jenkins……Aye
02 John J. Duncan Jr…….Aye
03 Zach Wamp ……Nay
04 Lincoln Davis ……Aye
05 Jim Cooper ……Aye
06 Bart Gordon ……Aye
07 Marsha Blackburn ……Aye
08 John S. Tanner ……Aye
09 Harold E. Ford Jr…….Aye
—
Sentate
Vote Number: 159 Vote Date: July 21, 2004, 11:30 AM
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Yea Frist (R-TN), Yea
——————————————————————
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about 6 months ago
LOL. That figures. I told you he was just playing to populist fears. He knows there are a lot of government educated people in his district that do not understand economics and believe that crap about free trade being bad and he is playing to their fears. He knows better himself as is indicated by his voting record. I’m telling you people there is not a Democrat in Washington that is to be believed. They are all dishonest in my opinion. If Lincoln Davis will be dishonest and falsely represent what he really believes on this issue he would do it on any of the issues.
Vote him out – he is a Democrat and one less Democrat weakens Obama’s efforts to change this country for the worse.
In normal times I would say leave Davis in because he has voted more conservative in the past than a lot of Democrats. But this is not normal times. I truly do not believe this country has been in as great danger since the Civil War as it is in now from the Obamacrats. I think there are even Democrats in Washington that really do not know what Obama’s real plans are. He is out to destroy this country as we know it and reshape it as a socialist country. Any thing that weakens him in his efforts is to be desired.
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