Manufacturers' presidential wish list
The presidential nominees have been hearing a lot from manufacturers about what they'd want out of their future leader. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports universal health care and China are two of several big issues.
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TEXT OF STORY
Renita Jablonski: One of the things that drove Wall Street into the ground yesterday was a downgrade of General Motors. That sent the automaker's shares to their lowest level in more than 30 years.
John McCain will visit a GM plant in Ohio today. Yesterday, Barack Obama huddled with top business leaders in Pittsburgh. Both presumptive presidential nominees have gotten an earful from manufacturers. Marketplace's Nancy Marshall Genzer takes a look at what heavy industry will want from a new president.
Nancy Marshall Genzer: If manufacturers were to write out a wish list for the presidential candidates, it would go something like this. Dear John and Barack: What are you gonna do about health care costs? They're crushing us.
Lloyd Wood: It would not surprise me to see some type of universal health care plan being pushed by the manufacturing sector to become more competitive.
That's Lloyd Wood, spokesman for the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition. Also on his wish list: rebuild the nation's crumbling infrastructure. And then there's China.
Scott Paul of the Alliance for American Manufacturing wants the next president to designate China a currency manipulator.
Scott Paul: It subsidizes its industries, it subsidizes its currency.
The Alliance is trying to get voters on board with web videos.
Video: The next president will have the opportunity to reshape the global playing field.
It doesn't hurt that heavy manufacturing states, like Ohio and Michigan, are considered key swing states.
In Washington, I'm Nancy Marshall Genzer for Marketplace.
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