Will Dems Manufacturing Jobs Strategy Pay Off?

Last week, at an appearance in Detroit, President Obama stated that job creation and security was a long term goal and should not be subject to populist quick fixes.  At the core of the President’s message, and at the core of current Democratic thinking on economy rescue is, what the Washington Post called today, a Renaissance in the manufacturing sector.

To get there, a crucial part of the plan is to levy taxes against big international business for moving jobs out of the U.S.   Conversely, as many states have done, there will most likely be incentives for companies that decide to brave the U.S. job market and pull from the ever growing number of Americans out of work.

Is this just a ploy for votes in what is shaping up into a very tough election year for Dems?  Or is this an issue that can potentially breach bi-partisan defenses?  As recently as today, news agencies were reporting on a shift in the Republicans’ approach to the ailing economy, citing a move away from deficit alarmism.

Democrats have turned to manufacturing, pointing to data that has shown modest improvement in that sector since Obama took office.  But as the Post article points out, U.S. manufacturing has been withering since as early as 1979.  Will this carrot and stick approach convince big business that America is worth investing in?  Rather, I guess, the question should be whether such an investment will yield dividends or just create ill will with our foreign trade partners.