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Clinton Prepares to Address AFL-CIO With Spotty Record on Outsourcing

July 29, 2015

Hillary Clinton's has taken inconsistent positions on outsourcing over the past decade as a U.S. senator, secretary of state, and presidential candidate, a fact that may hurt her quest for Big Labor endorsements when she meets with the leaders of the AFL-CIO alongside Democratic political rivals Wednesday.

Clinton was dealt a blow when the organization's political committee recommended delaying any endorsement last weekend. She will speak with the organization's leaders Wednesday to seek their support, as will rivals Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

As Secretary of State in 2012, Clinton told a town hall in India there were positives about outsourcing "that have certainly benefited many parts of our country."

"It’s been going on for many years now, and it’s part of our economic relationship with India," she said after taking a question on the issue. "And I think that there are advantages with it that have certainly benefited many parts of our country, and there are disadvantages that go to the need to improve the job skills of our own people and create a better economic environment. So like anything, it’s got pluses and minuses."

The moderator brought up the ads President Obama ran at the time blasting Republican Mitt Romney for his connections to Bain Capital and outsourcing, saying such commercials were causing "heartburn" in India. Clinton smiled and said it was the job of such ads to "talk about what's on people's minds."

In 2005, as senator, Clinton said in India she was not against all outsourcing and that it was fruitless to "legislate against reality," before having to adjust her tune as a presidential candidate in 2007 to gain union support.

The Washington Post reported at the time:

Two years later, as a Democratic presidential hopeful, Clinton struck a different tone when she told students in New Hampshire that she hated "seeing U.S. telemarketing jobs done in remote locations far, far from our shores."

The two speeches delivered continents apart highlight the delicate balance the senator from New York, a dedicated free-trader, is seeking to maintain as she courts two competing constituencies: wealthy Indian immigrants who have pledged to donate and raise as much as $5 million for her 2008 campaign and powerful American labor unions that are crucial to any Democratic primary victory.

Last year, during a stump speech for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley, Clinton said, "Don't let anyone tell you that it's corporations and businesses that create jobs." She later clarified by blasting "trickle-down" economics, and said corporations should not receive tax breaks for outsourcing.