Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Think You're Pretty Hot? You're Probably Wrong Study finds we have inflated vision of ourselves »

Who Cares About Offshoring?

Richard Cohen says job crisis deserves more than 'schoolyard-level' debate

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 17, 2012 1:35 PM CDT

(Newser) – Imagine Mitt Romney had replaced lots of American workers with robots. Surely, no one would be running attack ads about that. "Robots, for some reason, are good Americans," quips Richard Cohen of the Washington Post. But the Obama campaign is running ads accusing Romney of sending jobs overseas—and let's be clear, "if Romney did not approve offshoring jobs … he certainly would have." Even if he wasn't running Bain, he didn't complain. "He merely deposited the checks."

In a way, Romney deserves this, for claiming his business experience qualifies him to be president. "Romney doesn’t have any idea how to create jobs," Cohen argues. "Neither does Barack Obama." Our education system is churning out expensive-yet-unskilled workers, and if companies can get foreigners—or robots—to do the work better and for less, they will. "This is a rule. What is not a rule is that the debate about this has to be conducted on a schoolyard level about when, exactly, Romney was running Bain." Read Cohen's full column here.

Mitt Romney addresses the NAACP annual convention in Houston on July 11, 2012.
Mitt Romney addresses the NAACP annual convention in Houston on July 11, 2012.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

The truth is that Romney is the ugly face of the free enterprise system. When Romney said he liked 'being able to fire people,' he was not confessing to sadism,
just to efficiency. - Richard Cohen

The nanny-nanny-boo-boo quality of this presidential campaign is disheartening. It implies that both candidates hold the voter in contempt. - Richard Cohen

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
3%
11%
1%
30%
1%
53%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 53 comments
BCWills
Jul 18, 2012 1:54 AM CDT
people are stuck in the past. We are not going to be a manufacturing country anymore.  Busting unions (if your a republican), or stricker laws (if your a dem) won't change this. China is developing a strong middle class if a few decades they won't be a manufacturing country anymore and all those jobs will move to the next developing country. Instead of looking back we should be looking forward and finding NEW ways to be a successful country. It isn't 1955 anymore and it is never going to be 1955 again.
ren1999
Jul 17, 2012 10:49 PM CDT
I care about offshoring because the practice is putting American families in the poor house. Not only does Mitt not care, he's been putting families in the poor house for years!  
bubbahotep
Jul 17, 2012 10:12 PM CDT
It's all campaign fodder, Mr Cohen. A subterfuge, just like gay marriage. Relax and let us enjoy the bullshit.
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne