VICTORY
James Webb has been declared the victor in the contest against longtime business lobbyist Harris Miller. The contest was a study in contrasts.
Webb, a Vietnam War hero, best-selling author, former Secretary of the Navy, respected national security expert, "political outsider" and populist democrat was pitted against Harris Miller, a consummate Washington "insider" whose activities as a pro-outsourcing high tech industry lobbyist were often obscured behind press accounts of his ties to Virginia state Democratic Party figures and portrayal as a Democratic Party activist, businessman and technology executive.
Ironically, the Internet blogosphere proved to be a major weakness for Harris Miller. Indeed, it may have proven to be his undoing as bloggers relentlessly posted the appalling details of Miller's past lobbying activities which were so critical in assisting corporations in their continuing effort to replace or substitute low-wage foreign workers for middle class Americans. Though often criticised as vitriolic, it was internet bloggers who took the initiative to "research" Miller, authoring much of the material about Miller's lobbying activities and tying this to his campaign's claims creating a tremendous credibility gap for Miller among "wired" 'net-savvy voters...
The irony of a self-described "technology leader" falling victim to technology-enabled internet activism was not unforeseeable. Miller's sharpest opponents included information technology professionals injured by his lobbying activities, hardened by suffering and political activism and adept in the use of modern internet technology. This presented the establishment insider Miller with a battlefield for which he and his campaign were unprepared despite his much vaunted reputation as a technology "wonk".
In the end, it's clear that Miller's lobbying activities had alienated and infuriated many of the American IT workers who really built the Internet... Some of these people have honed their activism for years and were ready to enter the fray when Miller announced his political ambitions.
To be continued...
Webb, a Vietnam War hero, best-selling author, former Secretary of the Navy, respected national security expert, "political outsider" and populist democrat was pitted against Harris Miller, a consummate Washington "insider" whose activities as a pro-outsourcing high tech industry lobbyist were often obscured behind press accounts of his ties to Virginia state Democratic Party figures and portrayal as a Democratic Party activist, businessman and technology executive.
Ironically, the Internet blogosphere proved to be a major weakness for Harris Miller. Indeed, it may have proven to be his undoing as bloggers relentlessly posted the appalling details of Miller's past lobbying activities which were so critical in assisting corporations in their continuing effort to replace or substitute low-wage foreign workers for middle class Americans. Though often criticised as vitriolic, it was internet bloggers who took the initiative to "research" Miller, authoring much of the material about Miller's lobbying activities and tying this to his campaign's claims creating a tremendous credibility gap for Miller among "wired" 'net-savvy voters...
The irony of a self-described "technology leader" falling victim to technology-enabled internet activism was not unforeseeable. Miller's sharpest opponents included information technology professionals injured by his lobbying activities, hardened by suffering and political activism and adept in the use of modern internet technology. This presented the establishment insider Miller with a battlefield for which he and his campaign were unprepared despite his much vaunted reputation as a technology "wonk".
In the end, it's clear that Miller's lobbying activities had alienated and infuriated many of the American IT workers who really built the Internet... Some of these people have honed their activism for years and were ready to enter the fray when Miller announced his political ambitions.
To be continued...
posted by Info_Tech_Guy at 7:51 AM
1 Comments:
Code Monkey:
I believe you are quite correct: the issue of "business visa"/"non-immigrant visa" workers in the skilled labor/white collar sectors is significantly different than the case of millions of illegal aliens working in mostly low wage jobs.
The common thread is "immigration" but the means of entrance (legal status) and labor categories affected are quite distinct.
Unfortunately, politicians who support the corporate offshore outsourcing and middle class worker replacement programs in this country have buried H-1b and L-1 non-immigrant visa programs in the same legislation moving through the same committees which have jurisdiction over illegal immigration and border security issues.
There are some Democrats who have spoken out against H-1b and NIV programs used for worker replacement. Sen. Dorgan, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, and Rep. Pascrell have opposed the H-1b/L-1 "business visa"/"guest worker"/"non-immigrant visa" programs used for worker replacement and facilitation of offshore outsourcing. I wish that there were others... (I'm sure there are some names I've missed.)
My expectation is that Jim Webb will be the sort of common-sense reasonable person who can grasp the many nuances in this problem and clarify the issues to build a wide unified consensus. Jim Webb is a unifier and a fine analyst.
The H-1b and NIV worker replacement problems are really very well known to politicians, I think. Among others, Dr. Norman Matloff has written about it and given testimony before Congress. His take is that politicians are addicted to corpo dollars. They blow smoke, offer false sympathy, submit inconsequential reform bills and attempt to bury real reform. (Transcripts of various committee hearings and debate seem to bear this out.) As an example, Rosa DeLauro has been on the side of American IT workers for a long time but her efforts have gone nowhere b/c of corporate lobbyist influence.
But, there comes a point when the decline in American engineering and white collar middle class job loss cannot be concealed. I think that we are nearing such a point. You may have noted my mention of EJ Dionne's piece in the WaPo on the 13th... The horrific economic and employment effects of rigid ideological adherence to the doctrine of free trade and support for the business practice of offshore outsourcing jobs cannot forever be masked.
Economist Paul Craig Roberts has tracked the declines in our economy for years with his regular analysis of the BLS statistics. They show a continuing downward spiral in American engineering jobs. How long before so many of us are lining up for jobs at Wal-Mart that this situation cannot be ignored or obfuscated by business, media and politicians?
My expectation is that most politicians will undertake no sincere reform effort until provoked by crisis. I said "most politicians": Jim Webb is different. He needs to be in the Senate to lead real reform of our failing economic policies.
It is a matter of national survival and economic fairness. We cannot lose our industrial and knowledge jobs and remain secure or a middle class society.
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