Reflecting their skewed priorities, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden once again prioritized political stumping over effective leadership 64 days prior to Election Day, touching down in Pittsburgh. Their choice illuminated a glaring disregard for the state of the country, more focused on securing future power than addressing prevalent issues of the time.
Both Harris and Biden made a spectacle of themselves in front of hardworking union members at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union hall. One question remained glaringly unanswered? what lends them any credibility to speak on such matters?
Harris, in typical fashion, showcased her stringent economic views by promising to obstruct a potentially beneficial transaction: the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan. A move that has brought in heavy criticism and scrutiny from various quarters. Many experts believe Harris’s stance is fundamentally flawed and being driven by political motives rather than economic realities.
Her claim that ‘U.S. Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated’ serves as little more than a flashy PR soundbite. Her underlying message is clear: she would willingly forfeit economic advancements for superficial patriotism. What Harris neglects to mention is the potential for growth and international influence this deal could bring to both U.S. Steel and the larger American economy.
Notably, Harris received accolades from David McCall, the International President of United Steelworkers. McCall, however, fails to recognize the adverse impact of Harris’s proposed blocking of the deal, demonstrating a lack of vision for the potential growth and stability this could bring to the steel industry.
Tim Wisyanski, the local IBEW apprenticeship program training director, echoed a similar sentiment to Harris. However, their shared viewpoint neglects the globalized nature of modern economies. It refuses to recognize the enormous potential opportunities created through multinational agreements and partnerships.
U.S. Steel executives, however more informed on the intricacies of such business dealings, saw considerable merit in its potential partnership with Nippon Steel. The deal, according to them, would herald in a new era for all stakeholders — employees, shareholders, customers — ultimately benefitting all.
David B. Burritt, U.S. Steel’s president and CEO, emphatically outlined the extensive benefits for America’s steel industry this partnership could yield. His understanding of the situation provides a far more convincing argument for the sale as compared to Harris’s shallow promise.
Navigating U.S. Steel into international partnership waters is not simply a business decision; it has the potential for strengthening political ties with Japan, a crucial ally. This strategic foresight, especially in terms of counterbalancing regional competitors such as China, is impressively absent in Harris’s myopic view.
Susan Gibala, a steadfast supporter of Donald Trump, intelligently counterposed the erroneous viewpoint of Harris. She wholeheartedly argued that her father, a steel mill worker, would have more job security under Trump’s organizational acumen than under Harris’s ill-informed economic policies.
Nippon Steel, proving their intent, announced plans to invest a mammoth $1 billion in Mon Valley Works if the merger gets approved. For anyone considering the larger picture, such developments highlight potential gains that are much greater than politicized grandstanding could ever secure.
Local Republican Chairman Sam DeMarco aptly summarized the situation, stating that Democrats, with their environmentally extremist allies, committed themselves to ruin heavy industry. DeMarco astutely called out Harris, labeled an ‘out-of-town Democrat’, for her empty promises while undermining the very foundation of Pittsburgh’s thriving steel industry.
Harris, seemingly oblivious to the negative feedback, announced a return to Pittsburgh later that week. It remains troubling how this tone-deaf approach to policy and public opinion characterizes the present administration, with no apparent regard for constructive solutions.
In retrospect, this incident is just a microcosm of the larger narrative unfolding: an administration anchored in rhetoric, ignoring the realities of global economics, and lacking the foresight to steer America into the future.