CLEVELAND -Critics of President Bush's economic policies shouldn't be portrayed as pessimists or partisans because concern about job losses should cross party lines, a prominent Ohio Democrat says.
A main campaign theme of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has been that the country is bleeding jobs because of Bush's economic policies. Kerry was to campaign yesterday in northeast Ohio, which he often cites as an example of Bush's failing job initiatives.
Democratic Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic said tax cuts and other Bush decisions have not helped businesses like his city's Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which has cut 6,000 jobs over the past year or so.
Plusquellic said he's upset that Bush supporters call economic critics pessimists or too political.
It's very hard for anyone to say these are Democratic or Republican issues. These are people's jobs
he said. There's no reason not to be talking about these issues.
John Kerry planned his 14th visit to Ohio yesterday for a Labor Day rally in this blue-collar city, hit hard by job losses in the past four years. Ohio has lost more than 200,000 jobs since Bush took office.
A crowd of several hundred mostly black Ohioans gathered at a park in a working class neighborhood near downtown Cleveland to hear Kerry's speech.
Many in the crowd wore union T-shirts, including the Kerry-endorsing Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of Teachers. A large handmade sign draped over a tractor-trailer read Cleveland for Kerry-Edwards.
April Kenney, a city worker, said she supported Kerry because he was not a Republican and thought he would be better for working people.
There's so many people in my family who got laid off and don't have jobs. Bush wants to cut out overtime and I think that's wrong she said.
Beginning their final push after their national convention, the Republicans also say the president's tax cuts have spawned small-business growth, and they say Ohio can't afford not to re-elect Bush so those policies continue for four more years.
We know we have a lot of work to do
Republican Gov. Bob Taft said, adding that small business can create new jobs, sometimes under the radar.
Vaughn Hoovler of Mansfield lost his job with auto parts maker Q3, then in 2003 started his own auto parts business called Pressing Our Future, which employs 12.
Hoovler, however, doesn't believe Bush's policies cited by Taft had anything to do with his young business. He's an undecided voter despite being a longtime Republican.
I haven't seen anything really improve over the past four years as far as manufacturing
Hoovler said.
The federal government measures unemployment and job growth by a household survey and payroll survey.
It's possible to miss some of the startup small business
especially coming out of a recession. The payroll survey takes into account generally the largest businesses
said Evan Keefer, a Small Business Administration spokesman.
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