Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton visited the David L. Lawrence Convention… Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton visited the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Downtown yesterday for the Presidential Candidate Forum on Manufacturing to discuss their stances on the 207,400 manufacturing jobs Pennsylvania’s lost since 2000.

The main emphasis of the forum was the protection of U.S. manufacturing jobs from China’s abuse of established World Trade Organization law and how to hold China accountable during the upcoming administration.

Republican Sen. John McCain was also invited to the event, but he declined the invitation.

Speaking in front of the same backdrop, the two presidential candidates gave their remarks on manufacturing at separate times.

Scott Paul, the executive director for the Alliance of American Manufacturing, began the forum by asking, “Who wants a president that’s not afraid to stand up for manufacturing?” The audience of mainly steel workers clamored loudly with applause.

Obama spoke first:

“George Bush has not pursued the proper policies because I’m still seeing too many places that are shut down, and people are not getting what they need out of life.”

Obama said the policies President George W. Bush has supported have outsourced thousands of jobs all over the world but mainly to China, ultimately affecting the U.S. manufacturing industry.

“It’s time to cut through the rhetoric, let’s look at the reality,” Obama said. “You can count on me to stand up for a worker, that’s why I am running for president.”

Obama emphasized his opposition to NAFTA and unfair trade agreements with China. He continued by saying that he believes in the free market and trade in the United States, but only trade that benefits all Americans.

“There is no one size fits all for trade, but we are going to change it when I become president,” Obama said.

He went on to discuss how China is abusing its currency and stealing the intellectual property rights of U.S. businesses.

He said that the United States needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, and if we can spend $10 billion each month rebuilding Iraq, we can spend the money it takes to rebuild the United States.

With the Pennsylvania Democratic primary only a week away, Clinton also emphasized her stance on the security of U.S. jobs for Americans.

“One thing we can agree on completely is that you cannot be a strong nation without a strong manufacturing sector,” Clinton said.

Also denouncing Bush’s actions, Clinton said that accountability for her actions is critical and that she will not ignore workers’ opinions.

“The auto industry loses over $12 billion in intellectual property to China, and this has to end,” Clinton said.

Clinton promised to fully utilize the World Trade Organization if she is elected and to get rid of any tax breaks for companies that export jobs to other countries.

Unlike Obama, Clinton wishes to keep NAFTA and merely re-evaluate and renegotiate it with Mexico and Canada.

Clinton also said Bush should support a potential boycott of the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, a move being contemplated by other nations as a protest to China’s treatment of Tibet, among other human rights violations.

“I don’t think we should look backwards but forwards, even though it’s going to be hard to follow the administration of Bush and Cheney,” Clinton said.

Audience member Claire Isgan, a sophomore at Duquesne University, came to hear what both Democratic front runners had to say in regard to the major loss of jobs and what they planned to do about it.

“By coming here I got a sense of where they each stand on the shipping-out of American jobs and the quality of American steel, which I really hadn’t heard before today,” Isgan said.

Between the two speeches was a panel discussion on manufacturing, led by steel-industry experts and Kerri Houston of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Organized in only 11 days, yesterday’s forum was open only to members of the Pittsburgh steel and manufacturing community.