While record numbers of Americans are out of work Republican Tea Partista (GOTP) presidential candidates are selling campaign merchandise made outside of the United States, according to ABC News.
ABC News reportedly investigated all eight Republican candidates as well as the president’s re-election campaign and discovered that campaign T-shirts for Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Herman Cain were all made outside the United States.
According to ABC News, at a Gingrich campaign stop one of its producers was given a T-shirt made in El Salvador. When Gingrich was shown the shirt and asked for an explanation, he deflected responsibility.
“I didn’t order it. I didn’t do it,” he said. “I have to ask the folks that ordered this.”
Later, a spokesman for Gingrich’s campaign told ABC News that the shirts were a rush order mistake and that it’s the campaign’s preference to buy American.
Yeah it’s the campaign’s preference, meaning it buys from the lowest bidder; like buying t-shirts probably made by child labor in some squalid sweat shop in El Salvador. No doubt it was Newter’s “love for America” which drove him to buy foreign made over American made; just like it was his “love for America” which drove him into having multiple extra-marital affairs.
Hermann (Pizza Man) Cain was also questioned by ABC News when it was discovered his campaign t-shirts were also made overseas, but the Pizza Man, like the Newt, claimed ignorance.
“No, I wasn’t aware it was made in Honduras,” Cain said. “I was just aware it was Fruit of the Loom … which is an American company.”
That’s right Pizza Man, an American company taking advantage of low wages, horrible working conditions and tax loop holes to move jobs that used to be here overseas. These are the so-called “job creators” you and your fellow Tea Partistas are supporting.
When confronted by ABC News on their campaign’s using foreign producers both Santorum and Paul used the opportunity to make political statements.
“It’s tragic that so many products in this country are made outside of this country,” said Santorum. “You probably can find a T-shirt occasionally made here in the United States … but it’s harder and harder to do.”
And no doubt Ricky is going to get right on finding companies right here the good old US of A to make his shirts in the future. Yeah, OK, and he also has a bridge he wants to sell …
“If this senator doesn’t know how to find shirts, pick up the phone and call me. I’ll sell you the shirts,” said Abdul Rashid, COO of Bayside, referring to Santorum’s comment.
“We are creating jobs, and that’s what America is about—creating jobs,” said Rashid. “There are less companies in the United States making goods made in America, but all you have to do is go online and search. … If you do your searching, you will find us.”
The company reportedly says if all the candidates bought Bayside, it could hire another 500 workers.
In the 1970s there were more than 2.4 million textile workers in the U.S. Today, there are fewer than 400,000; two million jobs have been shipped overseas due to the relaxing of regulations largely done during the Bush/Cheney years, and supported then and now by conservatives who rabidly defend the free market before a free America.
Typical of the current crop of GOTP candidates and politicians, these four talk out of both sides of their pie holes. They claim to love America, and to support the American worker while buying from foreign producers, and supporting companies which have moved out of the U.S. to take advantage of juicy tax breaks and loop holes – the very same ones the Tea Partistas are fighting to keep in place.
