National Association of Manufacturers Executive Vice President Jay Timmons is on the road attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver and next week’s Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St.Paul.

Timmons, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business” with Mike Hambrick, says Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) made history by becoming the first African American nominated to the White House. However, Obama needs to give voters more details on his policies to help manufacturers and workers, he said.

Meanwhile, Timmons said prospective Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) made a smart move Friday in selecting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate. She could attract some of the supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to the Republican fold, he said.

“If there are those who are looking at this as an opportunity for women to provie they can lead the nation then certainly she can attract some of those former Hillary supporters,” Timmons said of Gov. Palin.

All that talk about American jobs moving overseas may be overblown. We’ll be joined by Exxel Outdoors founder and Chief Executive Officer Harry Kazazian to discuss why his company is moving sleeping bag production back to the United States from China.

America has a hard time balancing its check book. The White House recently announced the federal budget deficit will hit a record $482 billion for the year ended September 2009. Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget President Maya MacGuineas will join us to talk about what effect this massive deficit will have on our economy.

This is the Labor Day holiday weekend. That means its time to get the annual Labor Day economic report from National Association of Manufacturers Chief Economist Dave Huether. Dave will talk about how trade and exports have proven to be a bright spot in the economy.

And with fall approaching football is in the air. Mike will chat with Wilson Sporting Goods plant manager Daniel Riegle about football manufacturing and Wilson’s close ties with the NFL.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And our program will close with “The Last Word” from the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler.

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out http://www.americasbusiness.org.

Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA), a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program, is one of the strongest supporters of free and fair trade in Congress.

It’s not difficult to find out why. One out of three jobs in Washington State is linked to trade. That’s why Reichert is so disappointed Congress is not moving to approve more free trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South America. The United States should be using trade to create jobs and shape global economic policy and not sit on the sidelines, he says.

“We are in a global economy. I think most people recognize that,” he says. “There is no going back now. And what we should be doing as a country is focusing on how we as Americans define the global economy.”

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing are dominating the news. We’ll get an on-the-scene look at the games from Behlen Manufacturing Company Chief Executive Tony Raimondo.

More American manufacturers say they want to do more production at home and not overseas. We’ll talk about that phenomenon with Industry Week reporter Jonathan Katz.

Gas prices dropped a bit but manufacturers and most Americans are still worried by high energy prices. National Association of Manufacturers Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy Keith McCoy will join us to talk about what Congress could do this fall on energy policy.

And NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons, who has been deeply involved in the national political scene for years, will talk about environmental issues manufacturers should keep an eye on in the weeks and months ahead.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And our program will close with “The Last Word” from the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler.

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out http://www.americasbusiness.org.

Infrastructure, legal reform and defending nation’s domestic security are all top issues facing the United States today, and this week on “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick,” we hear from prominent leaders working to reinforce these pillars of our economy.

Ed Fox, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, brings us up to date on the agency’s activities, with an emphasis on keeping business owners and operators aware of the threats they face.

Former Texas Congressman Max Sandlin talks about the work of the NAM-founded Alliance for Improving America’s Infrastructure to strengthen the country’s roads, bridges, rails, harbors, and airports - the bricks and mortar of our advanced industrial economy. Sandlin co-chairs the alliance.

Providing the private-sector perspective is Ronald DeFeo, chairman and CEO of the Terex Corporation, the global diversified manufacturer, best known for its construction equipment. Earlier this year, DeFeo gathered business, labor and political leaders from around the country for a national summit to discuss strategies for addressing infrastructure needs.

Scott Cohn of CNBC returns to “America’s Business” with the second annual report on the network’s “Top States for Business” rankings. Good job, Texas!

And NAM Senior Vice President Jay Timmons surveys the political scene with an eye on legal issues and how trial lawyers’ are expanding the grounds on which to sue - in the process, taking millions of dollars away that business could better spend hiring and paying employees.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership reports the latest on tort reform and the NAM’s Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And our program will close with “The Last Word” from the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler.

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here.  And for video highlights and more, check out www.americasbusiness.org.

This week’s video podcast of “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” looks at energy and the encouragement of manufacturing, with two guests from Capitol Hill. Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) talks about his plan to extend tax credits to encourage alternative energy sources such as wind and solar. Rep. Joe Knollenberg makes the case for funding of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program (MEP); the almost 20-year-old MEP program offers small and medium manufacturers the expertise they need to become more competitive and create jobs, he says.

Below you’ll see the full program for “America’s Business,” a radio program the keeps listeners abreast of policies, politics and the practices of manufacturing in the United States.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership program has helped small and medium-sized manufacturers stay competitive and create jobs for almost 20 years. Despite its benefits, MEP supporters often have to scramble to get federal funds.

Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), a guest on this week’s edition of “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program, explains how he and other program supporters recently pushed to get the program funding.

“We did it by having individuals with the MEP talk to people in their district, wherever it might be, whatever state it might be in,” he says. “And that drummed up a lot of support because those members of Congress living in those states did not want to lose out.”

Higher energy prices are putting a financial pinch on manufacturers and made more Americans eager to embrace alternative energy sources. Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) will discuss his plan to extend tax credits that encourage development of alternative fuels such as solar and wind.

High energy prices also make shipping more expensive. CIBC World Markets Chief Economist Jeff Rubin will talk about his recent report on how energy costs affect global trade flow.

Canada is one of our nation’s closest allies. Canadian Ambassador to the United States Michael Wilson will join Mike to discuss the trade and other economic ties that bind the United States to its neighbor to the north.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” This week “America’s Business” is launching a new regular segment featuring NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons. Jay, who has been intimately involved in politics for years, will give us his take on 2008 political races that manufacturers should watch.

And our program will close with “The Last Word” from the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online, please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out www.americasbusiness.org.

America’s transportation infrastructure – its roads, bridges, and rails – are in crisis, former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent says. The government should make fixing the nation’s ailing infrastructure a national priority, says Talent, a guest on this week’s “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” radio program.

Talent is an honorary chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Alliance to Improve America’s Infrastructure.

“I think it’s one of the three or four things the government must do in partnership with the American people if America is going to continue to be prosperous and great in the next generation,” Talent says.

The declining U.S. housing market put a damper on the economy. But are things about to turn around? National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun will give us the scoop.

Exports have proven to be a bright spot in the economy. General Mills Chief Operating Officer Ian Friendly will tell us how his company, which makes popular foods such as Cheerios cereal, is taking advantage of free trade agreements.

Our nation would save countless lives and billions of dollars if we converted our healthcare records system from antiquated paper files to electronic ones. Jennifer Queen, the parent of a chronically ill child, will join us to tell us why health information technology legislation that would modernize the health care sector is so critical to her family and other Americans.

And “America’s Business” will make a special visit to the factory floor of Image National with company President Doug Bender. The Idaho company makes some of the electric signs that light up shopping centers across America.

In our regular segments, Renee Giachino of American Justice Partnership gives us the latest on tort reform and commentator Hank Cox recalls “The Way It Was.” And the National Association of Manufacturers President Gov. John Engler will close the program with “The Last Word.”

For more about “America’s Business with Mike Hambrick” and to listen to the program online please click here. And for video highlights and more, check out www.americasbusiness.org.

From The San Francisco Chronicle’s website, SFGate, writing about Sen. John McCain’s latest energy policy pronouncements:

Environmental groups said McCain’s proposal is at odds with his own legislative proposals in recent years to set mandatory limits on greenhouse gases, which would ultimately shift America away from fossil fuels.

“Drilling in protected areas offshore won’t solve our energy needs in the short term, and in the long term will increase the threat of global warming,” said League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski.

But former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, in an interview Monday on a radio show produced by the National Association of Manufacturers, said drilling offshore is a crucial way to reduce dependence on foreign oil and boost national security.

“We have an unknown potential offshore in the Atlantic, Pacific and eastern Gulf of Mexico where it’s been illegal to look for oil,” Gingrich said. “The fact is there are a lot of American sources we could be using.”

For the Gingrich interview on America’s Business, please go here.

And note well the comments from Karpinski. He is stating the environmentalist position that opposes any expansion of oil development, not just in “protected areas offshore.” Because fossil fuels contribute to global warming — he says — their use is unacceptable. That’s an extreme position, but the real one held by the green groups.

It’s not WHERE the drilling occurs, it’s the fact THAT any drilling is occurring at all.