(NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons is blogging from the Republican National Convention this week in St. Paul, Minn., following up on his reports from the Democratic Convention last week in Denver.)

The GOP nominee presented his case to the American people as he accepted the nomination this evening.

It was a convincing case indeed.

Senator McCain detailed why he loves his country so much and what shaped his desire to serve the United States. “My country saved me and I cannot forget it. I will fight for her as long as I can draw breath, so help me God, ” he declared. (Text.)

The were few dry eyes around me.

He articulated what he will work for if he is elected.

The Senator zeroed in on the biggest problem in Washington - partisanship  “The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn’t a cause, it’s a symptom. It’s what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you.”

He also spoke passionately about lower taxes (including lower corporate taxes), expanded international markets, quality private sector health care, worker training, higher education standards, expanded domestic energy supply (including drilling off-shore, new nuclear plants, clean coal and alternatives), and for the export of freedom and democracy around the world.

John McCain has laid it out before the people of America as his opponent did last week.

Now the campaign begins in earnest.

The American people are listening and they want, and should have, specifics from the candidates on their policy positions.  The decisions our leaders make impact the lives of real people in the real world every day. 

Senator McCain said it best: “It matters less that you can fight. What matters is what you fight for.”

We at the NAM will be watching this election closely and will provide critical information to manufacturers and the nearly 14 million manufacturing employees across the country so that they can make informed decisions in the voting booth.

Stay tuned in the weeks to come.

(NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons is blogging from the Republican National Convention this week in St. Paul, Minn., following up on his reports from the Democratic Convention last week in Denver.)

Carly Fiorina invited the NAM crew to join her in her convention suite this evening. What a great vantage point to watch the speeches.

Named one of the America’s Most Powerful Women by Forbes magazine, the former Hewlett-Packard president and CEO  is savvy, and astute, and was an early supporter of the McCain for President effort.

Should she be called to serve in a McCain Administration, Carly Fiorina would bring the wisdom of the private sector and the trust of her president.

(NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons is blogging from the Republican National Convention this week in St. Paul, Minn., following up on his reports from the Democratic Convention last week in Denver.)

Cindy McCain won’t be on the ballot, but Americans have a special place in their hearts for the spouses of our Presidents.

Last week, we saw the genuine compassionate spirit and focused determination of Michelle Obama. Her address electrified the attendees at the Democratic convention.

This week, we witnessed the grace and playful wit of Mrs. McCain. An introductory video outlined her charitable endeavors and gave viewers a glimpse of her generous, nurturing heart.

She spoke with passion about her husband’s commitment to country and sterling military service.

Her pride in Senator McCain and her family was most evident, as was her passion for serving others

Like many who give of themselves selflessly, Cindy McCain has not spoken of her work in any great detail in the past. But her efforts to help the underprivileged around the world through “Operation Smile” and other charitable endeavors give America a glimpse of a wonderful servant who is the Republican presidential nominee’s First Lady.

If she becomes America’s First Lady, she will clearly be prepared to help lift the lives and spirits of those she touches.

A bit of good news today as it was announced this morning that the SEIU has asked that the Proposal 4 that would impose a competitiveness-killing paid sick leave mandate on employers, be removed from ballots in November. The proposal sought to require seven days of paid sick leave each year for employees who work at least 30 hours a week, and a pro-rated number of days for employees working fewer than 30 hours. The devil was in the details though, as in the “fine print,” the proposal would have also allowed employees to take that leave with little or no advance notice in increments as small as an hour or less.

Ohio Gov. Strickland had recently come out strongly opposed to the measure which he deemed: “unworkable, unwieldy and would be detrimental to Ohio’s economy”. One may assume that a similar proposal in the U.S. Senate sponsored by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) would be have the same detrimental economic impact…however on much larger national scale.

UPDATE (10 a.m. Friday): Here’s the news release from the Ohio Manufacturers Association.

The NAM issued a release, as well: “REMOVAL OF PAID LEAVE BALLOT INITIATIVE IS GOOD FOR OHIO JOBS GROWTH AND ECONOMY, SAYS NAM.” Excerpt:

“We are relieved that Ohio businesses will not have to face this issue in November,” [NAM President John] Engler said. “Rising energy, health care and other costs in a slowing economy have taken a toll on manufacturers in Ohio and across the nation. Gov. Strickland (D-OH) and Sen. Brown (D-OH) clearly recognized that the added burden of this misguided proposal couldn’t have come at a worse time. These types of restrictive mandates limit employers’ flexibility to provide the best fit of benefits for their employees,” he noted.

As a follow-up to yesterday’s post about the Employee Free Choice Act, Andy Stern, the Republican National Convention and Rage Against the Machine, let’s put aside the issue of card check and note just the basic facts, that is, the outrageous actions of a national labor union leader.

On Monday, Andy Stern, the president of the Service Employees International Union, appeared on stage at an SEIU-sponsored “Take Back Labor Day” event with Tom Morello, guitarist for the rock band, Rage Against the Machine. From the SEIU news release:

On Sept. 1 from noon to 7 p.m. at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul, Minn., the musicians will share the stage with already-announced performing artists Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, and Tom Morello & friends. The Take Back Labor Day Festival, sponsored by SEIU, will include a concert, a You Tube station, a children’s area, and a large audience-participation art project. Joining the performers will be SEIU leaders Andy Stern and Anna Burger and other special guests.

Tom Morello has campaigned for the release of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who viciously shot and murdered Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner on Dec. 9, 1981. (Morello’s YouTube promo here.) Mumia was convicted of the murder based on eye-witness accounts, but the anti-American left has made him a cause celebre.

In 2001, Morello visited the unrepentant Mumia in prison, writing later:

When the guard came in and said that my time was up, we pressed our fists together through the thick glass (his still in handcuffs), exchanged farewells, love and respects, and spontaneously shouted “power to the people!” in unison.

Mumia Abu-Jamal is a great man, a great revolutionary, and a friend.

So Andy Stern thinks Tom Morello is a worthy ally for the labor cause. And what would the proud members of the Fraternal Order of Police, Philadelphia Lodge #5, think?

The union sponsors a website, Justice for Daniel Faulkner. From that site’s biography of Officer Faulkner, noting the activism in support of the murderer, including by such groups as the Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine:

It is the weight of this coalition, built by the supporters of this killer, that demands that organizations such the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police also weigh into this fight in an effective and substantial way. It is our responsibility to Danny, and all the fallen officers he represents, to assure that the public knows the truth about this incident and that substance will prevail over celebrity. Maureen Faulkner, Danny’s widow, cannot do it alone. The Philadelphia and Pennsylvania FOP Lodges cannot do it alone. The financial and public relations resources that have come together to render aid to this common killer with the uncommon knack for propaganda, are too much for any one group to face alone. It will take the effort of all the members of the FOP from across our country. We must all become aware of the facts of this case. We must speak out so that the truth is heard. Danny Faulkner was a good and decent man and an honorable police officer. He was brutally murdered and his killer is Mumia Abul-Jamal. This is a time when justice demands that no honest man sit silent.

Andy Stern doesn’t sit silent. He makes common cause with a rock celebrity who considers Mumia Abu-Jamal a hero and political prisoner — Mumia, the killer of a working man.

Solidarity.

We linked below to the Financial Week article about card check politicking, and the story included an interesting report about a Service Employees International Union event in the Twin Cities:

At the SEIU’s Take Back Labor Day music festival Monday, hip hop artist Imani and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello spoke alongside Mr. Stern, urging concert goers to sign petitions supporting the card-check legislation.

Union officials at the festival also set up a giant banner calling for universal health care. The sign was clearly visible from the Xcel Energy Center, where the Republican convention is being held.

Rage Against the Machine? Organized labor is making common cause with Rage Against the Machine? 

You know, we’re as big of fans as anybody of semi-rap, funk-based rock ‘n roll with screamed vocals, and Morello’s an inventive guitarist. But Rage Against the Machine  is an apologist for every revolutionary slaughterer out there, including Che Guevera and Leonard Peltier. 

Lead singer Zach de la Rocha is the biggest dope, even calling for the execution of U.S. elected officials. But Morello is out there, too, reciting Marxist claptrap (as the Wikipedia entry reveals) and promoting Mumia Abu Jamal as a political prisoner. Murder a policeman, get a song dedicated to you.

One of the great achievements of the mainstream labor movement in the ’40s and ’50s was to marginalize and ostracize the communists and radical conspirators and haters who sought to turn labor into a weapon against America’s freedoms. 

And now Andy Stern wants to welcome them back. Guess democracy doesn’t matter much as a principle to the SEIU leadership.

But, then, we knew that from their support for card check already.  

Congress is out for one more week, reconvening next Monday. (Pro-forma Senate sessions again today and Friday.)

Republicans hold their national convention in St. Paul, adjusting events as tropical depressions dictate. NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons contributed to the Shopfloor.org blog last week from Denver, and this week he’ll be providing daily updates from Minnesota. Check back here for his posts.

Executive Branch: Vice President Cheney starts travels today to Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia.

And in economic news, August unemployment figures are released Thursday. More on economic reports at the Chicago Tribune.

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.

(Note: NAM’s Executive Vice President Jay Timmons is blogging from the National Democratic Convention in Denver this week.)

Most Americans can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when a major historical moment occurs. I remember my precise location when I heard the joyous news that the Iranian hostages had been freed and a few months later the horrific report that President Reagan had been shot. I don’t think I’ve met another American who can forget where they were when the Twin Towers fell.

If you happen to see Tiffany Adams, NAM’s Vice President for Public Affairs, in about a quarter of a century, ask her about today – August 28, 2008 – and what she was doing. I’m looking at her right now, bounding to her feet at Invesco Field with 70,000 others who are screaming at the tops of their lungs. I guarantee Tiffany will never forget this moment, and if you know her, you know she will be more than willing to tell you about it!

A pro-business Democrat, Tiffany is a highly respected trade association professional in Washington and is responsible for organizing the hundreds of dialogues that the NAM sponsors between manufacturing workers and their Representatives and Senators. As a black American, she understands that today – 45 years to the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous speech – the King Dream is reaching a new pinnacle. Tiffany is proud and excited. And the tears flowing down her cheeks are clearly tears of jubilation.

The crowd was in rapt attention when the Senator said “Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story – of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to. It is that promise that has always set this country apart – that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.”

And so it is for millions of others who thought this day might never come. Americans revere history and they respect those who make it. Barack Obama deserves the respect of all Americans on this day.

In future days, the NAM stands ready to assist him in strengthening America, whether he is elected President or continues to serve the people of Illinois in the Senate.

According to the Commerce Department’s revised estimate released today, the economy grew at a solid 3.3 percent pace in the second quarter.  This is 74 percent faster than the advanced estimate of 1.9 percent growth released last month.  While consumer spending edged up a little faster, rising at a 1.7 percent annual rate, than initially reported, the bulk of the improvement in the health of the economy came from trade.  Export growth was revised up to 13 percent (compared to 9 percent growth in the advanced report) while imports fell by 7.6 percent (compared to -6.6 percent in the advanced report). 

As a result, net exports (exports-imports) contributed 3.1 percentage points (or 94%) of the total 3.3 percent growth in the second quarter.   This is the single largest quarterly contribution to growth from trade in 28 years (2nd quarter 1980).  Exports alone were responsible for half of GDP growth last quarter.

Thanks to a more-competitive value of the dollar and solid growth overseas, trade winds are propelling the economy forward just at the right time.  Since the housing recession started in the first quarter of 2006, trade has added more to GDP growth than housing (residential investment) has taken away. 

Today’s news should be a wake up call to members of Congress, especially those who are dubious about the benefits of trade and claim that Free Trade Agreements, which work to level the playing field and make U.S. manufacturers more competitive, hurt American workers. 

The trade deficit, which was 5 percent of GDP in the second quarter, is mainly a reflection of our country’s reliance on foreign sources of energy.  By themselves, imports of petroleum made up 69 percent of the entire trade deficit in goods and services last quarter.  A comprehensive national energy strategy focused both on increasing efficiency as well as increasing domestic production will help reduce our reliance on energy imported from abroad.

The trade deficit in manufactured goods with our FTA partners, however, has narrowed over the past few years and through the first six months of this year, has turned into a suplus!  Congress can help manufacturers further by passing the three FTAs (with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea) that are awaiting congressional approval.  Economically, its a no-brainer.  Lets hope that the politicians on Capital Hill can show the political courage, ignore the foes of free trade, support U.S. manufacturers, and pass these agreements.   

 These issues are discussed more fully in this year’s, NAM Labor Day Report, which was just released.  I’ll write more about this tomorrow.