Chicago Tribune: 'Cheers' star approves message (wants to keep factories in the United States)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.courant.com/business/chi-mon_usa_0225feb25,0,793340.story

John Ratzenberger, who played Cliff Clavin on the long-running TV show, lends voice to encourage voters to elect a candidate that wants to keep factories in the United States

By Stephen Franklin | TRIBUNE REPORTER
February 25, 2008

Up on the stage John Ratzenberger -- think Cliff in "Cheers" -- struttted back and forth, going on like a chatty guy from next door about how kids don't know what a wrench is, about how dumb Hollywood makes fun of smart factory workers and, oh yeah, about China.

"The next time we go to war, we'll have to call China and say, 'Hey, can you make some stuff for us?'" he said, hands stuffed in his pockets, eyebrows flashing and waiting for the line to sink in.

Chuckles. Applause. Shouts. Later on the shouts turned into roars, and some folks clapped their approval, their hands above their heads. The reaction was everything its supporters, the Alliance for American Manufacturing, had hoped for. The folksy town hall meeting, called "Keep it Made in America," packed an auditorium with several hundred Wednesday at the Museum of Science and Industry, a fitting setting because part of the message was that U.S. manufacturing could soon become a museum exhibit.

The solution to this scenario, according to the alliance, an unusual partnership between the United Steelworkers union and some of the largest companies that employ union members, such as United States Steel Corp., is for voters this fall to back candidates who want to keep open U.S. factories.

The Chicago session was the last of seven held either in election caucus states or places where manufacturing's erosion has been traumatic: cities like Buffalo and Pittsburgh. The organization plans to crank up the meetings again before Election Day to make sure its message stays alive.

"We don't believe we can turn America around without turning these trade deals around," declared Tom Conway, a USW international vice president. "And we are going to be in the face of anyone who wants our votes," he vowed as the meeting opened.

FULL story at link.

[aquart]

1. He's right. We order our spare parts for war materiel from China.

Which means that we fight nowhere, invade nowhere, no nothing militarily without China's permission. So maybe we should ask ourselves why China is so willing to let us exhaust ourselves fighting China's oil rich next door neighbors?

[UTUSN]

2. Well, first I was going to say

that, as can be seen here on DU, the anti-NAFTA sentiment cuts across party lines, or rather is a Labor/Union issue.

Then I was going to say RATZENBERGER is a Rethug because O'LOOFAH hosted him. But in the Google Search link (1st one below), his NewsMeat shows contributions to both parties.

Then I was going to say that it behooves him to hold this position since his buttered bread is named "Made in America."

The CNN link (3rd one) from 2007 at the first of his townhall meetings on this topic has a lot more of his quotes on this.

And, despite his being listed in the "Celeb Rethug" link, it's hard to know whether his nice-guy persona is his act or he just is.



*******QUOTE*******

http://www.google.com/search?q=John+Ratzenberger+Conservative+Republican&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8



http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/John_Ratzenberger.php



Rethug Celebrities: (3rd link in Google Search. Can't post link.)


John Ratzenberger, says political correctness is destroying the American tradition.



http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0709/30/ldtw.01.html

Aired September 30, 2007

.... PILGRIM: The Bush administration is pushing free trade agreements -- four of them currently. And they call any critic of these agreements protectionist.

Do you believe that label is accurate?

RATZENBERGER: You know, I kind of enjoy that label. It's -- if you boil it down, you know, like Tip O'Neill said, all politics is local. Your family you're going to protect. Your neighborhood, you're going to protect. You might love the people in the other neighborhoods, but you protect those around you.

It's the same thing with America. This is our neighborhood. This is our family. We should protect us, because once we give it all away, I don't know what happens.

Do we become a slave nation? Do we take our marching orders from someone else? And it seems to be heading in that direction.

So protectionist -- I think it's a good label.

********UNQUOTE*******

[Gman]

3. I think it'd be kinda hard to take him seriously

not thinking of this: