As Krugman is quite right to point out, when it comes to jobs, the “Texas Miracle” is overrated — all those new, mostly minimum-wage-or-below jobs barely keep up with the state’s population growth. But with so many people desperate for any kind of employment, Perry’s going to be shilling his “job creator” credentials for maximum effect. Today, the Washington Post published an article on how “Perry welcomed Chinese firm despite security concern“:
After a months-long courtship that included a trip to China, where he dined with the company’s chief executive, Perry announced that telecom firm Huawei Technologies would base its U.S. operations in Plano. In a video of that October 2010 event — now playing on YouTube, courtesy of the governor’s office — Perry praised the company’s “really strong worldwide reputation” and its chairman, Ren Zhengfei, whose straight talk he said reminded him fondly of West Texans.
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While Perry focused on Huawei’s ability to create jobs in a sluggish economy, national security experts in both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations had concluded that the global telecom giant poses a potential cybersecurity risk to U.S. military and businesses. Three times since 2008, a U.S. government security panel has blocked Huawei from acquiring or partnering with U.S. companies because of concerns that secrets could be leaked to China’s government or military. […] __
As governor, Perry has made international recruiting a centerpiece of his economic policy, and more than two dozen Chinese companies now have a Texas presence. China is now the state’s third-largest export-import partner…
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In June 2010, the governor led a delegation to the Shanghai expo and hosted a “Texas Week” at the USA Pavilion. Perry said that trip — which was financed by the state and business groups — was intended to promote jobs and business investments.
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While there, Perry made time for a dinner with Huawei’s chief executive, Ren, according to a press release. The Chinese executive is a former leader in the People’s Liberation Army who helped oversee the Chinese military’s telecom intelligence in the 1980s. His company had grown rapidly to become the world’s third-largest telecom equipment provider, with about 1,100 jobs in North America. It opened its first research office in Texas in 2001…
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By the time of the announcement, security concerns about Huawei were well publicized. In 2005, a Rand report questioned Huawei’s “deep ties with the Chinese military, which serves a multi-faceted role as an important customer, as well as Huawei’s political patron and research and development partner.”…
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Huawei says that these fears are unwarranted and appear based on political tensions between the United States and China. In an open letter to the U.S. government, Huawei called the claims of ongoing military ties “falsehoods.”
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“The allegation that Huawei somehow poses a threat to the national security of the United States has centered on a mistaken belief that our company can use our technology to steal confidential information in the United States or launch network attacks on entities in the U.S at a specific time,” the letter said. “There is no evidence that Huawei has violated any security rules.’’
When the two most sacred Republican mantras come in conflict, National Security versus Free Markets, which one turns out to be more important to “the base”?
It could be argued that, from Rick Perry’s standpoint, it’s not important whether Huawei is stealing American technology and/or corrupting national security. China’s modern ‘economic miracle’ is based on state-of-the-art implementation of an old-fashioned oligarchy; the country’s resources are dedicated to continually improving the wealth and status of a tiny handful of “red princes”, with the vast majority of its population treated as interchangeable disposable units, and a small cadre of middle-management strivers tasked with implementing the status quo in return for a chance at rising into the princehood. This is not so different from the current Republican vision of a “restored” America, is it?
Reality Check
YELLOW PERIL!!!111
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
Why not? Nixon loved the “discipline” of the cultural revolution.
Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen
Let’$ not argue and bicker over who $pied on who.
Jenny
So WaPo is going all in for Romney and will be the place to print oppo-research against Parry.
Yutsano
Ancient China did have a method of upward mobility of sorts. Peasants would pay through the nose to educate their sons in order to get them qualified to take the civil service examinations. From there they could move into the upper echelons of Chinese society and gain much more power and wealth than any peasant could. It was why education was highly restricted in China until the Tung revolution. The fact that they are reverting to the old mandarin ways shouldn’t be surprising. They’d been doing it for centuries already with one major disruption.
Andre
I work in telecommunications here in New Zealand, and I’ve had indirect dealings with Huawei for years (primarily as a vendor of equipment, particularly to our competitors’ networks.) This is the first time I’ve heard of any national security concerns regarding them.
Not to say there is nothing there at all, but I think concerns that Huawei might install backdoor spying technology on their network equipment are a little far-fetched if you know the details of how these things are implemented. There are way too many opportunities for someone else to find whatever non-spec stuff you install into network equipment, and telco people are pretty good at figuring out what should and shouldn’t be there.
gene108
As long as Rick Perry seeks forgiveness from Jesus, how can the base stay mad at him for anything?
I mean look how forgiving they are, when Vitter sought Jesus’ forgiveness for cheating on his wife.
If Jesus forgives Rick Perry, for allowing the Chinese easier access to spy on America, who are we to hold it against Rick?
Why can’t we overlook the fact the Chinese have the largest incidence of espionage in the U.S. of any nation in the world, if Jesus forgives Rick Perry?
I mean, I bet those official days of prayer and the 30,000 people in Houston group prayer-a-thon was all to seek forgiveness and put himself above rebuke, because we all make mistakes. Am I right?
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@Andre: Oh come on, don’t ruin the freakout!
Sko Hayes
There are so many things in Perry’s closet, that I predict he will be unelectable to anyone but the far right, if the media starts looking into it.
He brags about low unemployment, but won’t explain why the state has a $25 billion dollar deficit.
Texas is the US written small after 16 years of Republican domination. Low unemployment, yet 40% of the population is without any healthcare.
Texas is Number 4 in the nation for number of children living in poverty.
High school graduates? 43rd
Amount of carbon dioxide emissions- 1st in the nation.
There is more here in this excellent diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/13/1006527/-LADIES-AND-GENTS-THE-REAL-RICK-PERRY?via=siderec
He is corrupt to the core, and hopefully that will come out over the next few weeks.
He might last longer than Trump.
Derf
So socialism is worse than the devil but working closely with a socialist country to open little more than secret stealing factories in the US is ok?
Trainrunner
I think we are about to get President Perry.
For everyone who thought Dubya was just too intellectual and not politically cutthroat enough…presenting Hairy Perry.
But unless the economy has some miraculous recovery–and it looks like Obama is doubling down on doing nothing–Perry will win it. This is America.
gene108
@Andre:
No offense Andre, but I bet the Chi-Coms spend a lot more time trying to spy on America than they do New Zealand.
They strategically refuse to do espionage in New Zealand, so they can get America to lower its guard and let those suckers in here to hack into classified government information.
@Raven (formerly stuckinred):
If the Left could get this country into having a good old fashioned freak out, like the nation had over Whitewater, I’d feel a lot better about the future of American politics.
Yutsano
@Sko Hayes: Oh he’ll last longer than Trump for sure. The Republicans are extremely desperate for their Great White Hype, and if he’s a Jeebus Freek all the bettah. They’ll ride that pony until it drops no doubt in my gourd.
Trainrunner
Obviously, voters don’t give a shit about who doesn’t have health coverage. You must deserve not to have it if you don’t.
Oh, and the Dems have done NOTHING to battle that message. They’ve reinforced it.
JGabriel
Anne Laurie @ Top:
Honestly, it’s not so different from a vision of “current” America.
.
jwb
@Sko Hayes: There is no $25 billion deficit in Texas. That was eliminated by dipping into the rainy day fund and ruthlessly cutting programs, especially education, in the last legislature. There is, however, likely to be a significant shortfall again when the next legislature is in session in 2013.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@gene108:
Who could imagine
That they would freak out in Washington, D.C.
D.C. D.C. D.C. D.C. D.C.
It can’t happen here
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
It can’t happen here
It can’t happen here
Everybody’s safe and it can’t happen here
No freaks for us
It can’t happen here
Everybody’s clean and it can’t happen here
No, no, it won’t happen here
I’m telling you it can’t
It won’t happen here
(Bop bop didi bop didi bop bop bop)
Plastic folks, you know
It won’t happen here
You’re safe, mama
You’re safe, baby
You just cook a TV dinner
And you make it
JGabriel
@gene108:
I’m guessing Perry got about as much of God’s forgiveness out of that as he got rain.
.
Lesley
China is a role model dictatorship for Republicans. It combines the best of libertarian capitalism (few to no regulations, a completely free and unbridled market) and ruthless control over citizens who resist. Notice the wingnuts no longer call China communist. They reserve that “slur” for Democrats and liberals at home.
Eric U.
the security concerns with the Chinese telecom company reminds me of the “Clinton sold nuclear secrets to the Chinese scandal.” The Bushies actually did the deed, it wasn’t really a security breech, and they get to blame Clinton for it. This is a win-win-win. I expect to hear Obama blamed for the telecom problem any day now
aisce
@ trainrunner
actually, democrats went ahead and passed sweeping legislation that will cut the percentage of uninsured in this country to the lowest it’s ever been.
i can see how this would confuse you. best to pretend it never happened. something something public option!
pablo
It’s the Perry Texas scream machine!
Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen
@JGabriel: That’s down to the handy dandy Celestial GreaseMonkey script.
What Hair Piece Perry says:
“Dear Lord in Heaven, please grant us blah, blah, blah &c.”
What God hears:
“I like pie!”
policomic
Just replace the pictures of Mao with pictures of Reagan.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
Extra innings at the PGA.
JPL
@Raven (formerly stuckinred): ot.. I just put it on.
Ken
Such nuance. And so different from “Huawei has not violated any security rules.”
Chris
Dubai Ports World called. They’d like to point out at this time that the Republican Party is full of some really shittastic shit.
Chris
@Lesley:
A Democratic populist tapping into the paranoid vein would find a pretty good opportunity to whip up a frenzy over “ZOMG, laissez-faire economics opened us up to trade with China and now the ChiComs OWN US!! THE FREE-MARKET WORSHIPPERS ARE ALL TRAITORS!!!”
Not saying it’d be a good idea, necessarily, just that the potential’s there. It’d gather some traction, IMO.
gene108
http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-let-china-see-stealth-chopper-bin-laden-182139386.html
Yeah, China doesn’t want to spy on us…
I wonder, why Gov. Perry ignores the warnings of the Federal government, with regards to national security.
Too bad no one’s going to ask him about it on the campaign trail.
There’ll be more questions about how he keeps his hair looking so good.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@gene108:
Lolis
@gene108:
Wow, that is crazy. Thanks for sharing.
Chris
@gene108:
For all that people talk about China and North Korea, China and Pakistan are just as closely tied. It’s been alleged for years that the Chinese were involved in helping Pakistan develop its nuclear program, and they’ve got all kinds of other defense ties.
Makes sense when you consider that they’ve got India stuck between them and that both of them are less than fully trusting in the United States.
PeakVT
the country’s resources are dedicated to continually improving the wealth and status of a tiny handful of “red princes”, with the vast majority of its population treated as interchangeable disposable units
I don’t think China is anything to emulate and it has immense problems. But unlike the US, it is still low enough on the development curve that the rich can get fantastically rich AND the bottom 80% can see their lives improve significantly. In the US’s mature economy, the pie isn’t being made higher fast enough that the rich can scoop up massive wealth without diverting some from those farther down.
Jewish Steel
Wha? Fears of spying based on “political tensions?” You don’t say.
Well, at least it’s not sexual tensions. That would be awkward.
Villago Delenda Est
@Jewish Steel:
Just look what sexual tensions did to Sam Malone and Diane Chambers!
Cat Lady
@gene108:
There will be no $300 haircut stories, or holding up the tarmac for a haircut story. There will only be fluff.
Jeffro
@Eric U.: You know what it reminds me even more strongly of? That Dubai Ports World or whatever thing during the last year or two of W’s reign.
They (W and Co.) were about to sign off on it ‘cuz it was “good for business”, and everyone & their uncle was concerned about the security aspect. Once caught out, W and Co. had to backpedal out of it – they can’t lose that “R’s are #1 on National Security” card.
This is just like that. Perry’s image with the R base would be quickly shattered if the degree of the threat from the Chinese were better known, or especially if he tried to defend it and/or gave off the impression he’d do something similar as Prez.
Brick Oven Bill
Having Chinese companies in Texas will make the transition of selling Texas to China to repay our defaulted debts that much easier.
I applaud Rick Perry for having the foresight to be starting the process now.
Anya
@JGabriel:
Baby Jesus will bring the rain when all the godless liberals start believing, end abortion and elect governor goodhair.
Chad N Freude
See Operation Shady Rat. If the McAfee report is too long and boring, see the Vanity Fair article about it. There is no proof that the Chinese had anything to do with it, so we should have no qualms about their setting up shop in Texas. What could possibly go wrong? (Never mind the fake Cisco routers made in China.)
Chad N Freude
@Brick Oven Bill: That’s an excellent comment and it reinforces my belief that DougJ sometimes masquerades as BOB. (The tell is the absence of any reference to the Seven Liberal Arts.)
Mike Sax
It’s a good topic because make no mistake about it, there will be a Perry Offensive where we will hear endlessly about his “Texas Miracle.”
Indeed this very same offensive already started in Investor’s Business Daily in the Monday edition (which comes out on Saturday).
That they swooned all over him is not surprising but that they didn’t at least save it for the editorial page but rather eschewed any pretense of objectivity and lauded him on the fron page as “the anti-Obama” who has created jobs and has low unemployement, etc due of course to his belief in small government, low taxes, and low regulation show just what a love affair this is gonna be.
Really we have 3 groups right now who want to decide the Republican primary: the social conservatives, the economic conservatives, and the Republican party’s operatives-from the RNC, etc.
As was clear by her blowout of the rest of the field last night, Bachman is loved by the social conservatives/religious Right. However Perry will be loved by them too now that he’s in.
The economic conservatives clearly prefer Perry who they hope if elected might give us the Ryan plan, etc. So expect the WSJ and IBD editorial pages(as we saw this weekend IBD even broke normal journalistic practice and didn’t evn save it for the editorial page) to beat the drum about his “economic miracle.” Perry has an advantage then in being loved by both the social and economic conservatives no mean feat.
But thirdly there is the institional power of the GOP and they would much rather Romney as they know quite well niether Bachman or Perry is eclectable in the general election. Will be interesting to see who clearly has the balance of power in the GOP.
Mike Sax
It’s a good topic because make no mistake about it, there will be a Perry Offensive where we will hear endlessly about his “Texas Miracle.”
Indeed this very same offensive already started in Investor’s Business Daily in the Monday edition (which comes out on Saturday).
That they swooned all over him is not surprising but that they didn’t at least save it for the editorial page but rather eschewed any pretense of objectivity and lauded him on the fron page as “the anti-Obama” who has created jobs and has low unemployement, etc due of course to his belief in small government, low taxes, and low regulation show just what a love affair this is gonna be.
Really we have 3 groups right now who want to decide the Republican primary: the social conservatives, the economic conservatives, and the Republican party’s operatives-from the RNC, etc.
As was clear by her blowout of the rest of the field last night, Bachman is loved by the social conservatives/religious Right. However Perry will be loved by them too now that he’s in.
The economic conservatives clearly prefer Perry who they hope if elected might give us the Ryan plan, etc. So expect the WSJ and IBD editorial pages(as we saw this weekend IBD even broke normal journalistic practice and didn’t evn save it for the editorial page) to beat the drum about his “economic miracle.” Perry has an advantage then in being loved by both the social and economic conservatives no mean feat.
But thirdly there is the institional power of the GOP and they would much rather Romney as they know quite well niether Bachman or Perry is eclectable in the general election. Will be interesting to see who clearly has the balance of power in the GOP.
emdee
National Security, without question. It ties into their xenophobia.
//came for “IS RICK PERRY THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE??”
//left disappointed
Mike Sax
Sorry bout double post! LOL
mds
On a previous Perry post, I noted my frustration over the fact that as of June 2011, the unemployment rate was 8.2% in Texas, 8.0% in New York, and 7.6% in Massachusetts. Texas is being beaten at the jobs game by tax-and-spend pro-union gay-marrying liberal states. So as the press continue gearing up to give Perry more rimjobs over what a job creator he is, frustration is shading over into shrill, unholy madness. Looks like I picked the wrong electoral cycle to stop drinking.
Jon O
Whichever one helps the Republican get elected. What, you think they give a shit about actual ideology? It’s all tribal.
Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937
I keep picturing G.W.’s palling around with the Taliban, Bush’s grandpa and IBM’s association with Nazis, etc. I think history has shown that the dollars trump everything.
Epicurus
@Ken: Through a small clerical error, the fine print at the end of that sentence was omitted; the full, correct sentence should read “…no evidence that Huawei has violated any security rules….YET.”