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Campaign issue to reality

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor November 11, 2008 12:09 PM

A spat during the presidential campaign has now become reality, another victim of the tanking economy.

Democrat Barack Obama and unions launched tough ads against Republican John McCain, blaming him for the loss of more than 8,000 jobs in Ohio because he helped smooth the way for German-based DHL to take over Airborne Express in 2003, a deal his campaign manager Rick Davis also pushed as a lobbyist.

DHL took over an Airborne distribution hub in Wilmington, Ohio, but announced earlier this year that it would pursue a contract with UPS for air freight, threatening those jobs.

McCain vigorously denied the accusation and visited the area to show his support for workers. Independent fact-checking groups said the Obama ads were misleading. Obama ended up winning Ohio last week, among the states he flipped from the Republican column.

But on Monday, DHL announced it is cutting 9,500 jobs by discontinuing its US delivery services to focus on more lucrative international operations. The hardest hit will be the Wilmington hub, which will lose 7,000 jobs and spill over to the local economy, where 20 percent of businesses depended on the operation.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and local leaders held a press conference today to protest the move, but it doesn't appear anything will stop it.

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