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Trump's trade agenda takes the GOP back a century
Vox ^ | Jan 4, 2017 | Timothy B. Lee

Posted on 01/09/2017 5:31:31 PM PST by WatchungEagle

A couple of years ago, free trade was seen as a key principle of the Republican Party. Then Donald Trump became the Republican nominee for president, and things got more complicated.

(Excerpt) Read more at vox.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: coolidge; fairtrade; freetrade; tariffs; trump
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This is important history that many people are totally unaware of. I'm always shocked by how many conservatives sincerely believe that free trade has always been the preferred policy of conservatives, Republicans and America. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Note: I'm not taking a position on this issue, I honestly don't have a strong opinion about it. I can see both sides. But I think it's important that everyone have accurate information about history.

1 posted on 01/09/2017 5:31:31 PM PST by WatchungEagle
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To: WatchungEagle

PRAISE JESUS!!


2 posted on 01/09/2017 5:33:04 PM PST by WENDLE
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To: WatchungEagle

What I personally loathe is when people describe choosing to surrender in a one-sided trade war as ‘free trade.’


3 posted on 01/09/2017 5:33:35 PM PST by Luircin (Dancing in the streets! Time to DRAIN THE SWAMP!)
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To: WatchungEagle

the good old days


4 posted on 01/09/2017 5:33:48 PM PST by 867V309 (Lock Her Up)
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To: WatchungEagle

“Free Trade” Deals like NAFTA and TPP are Government Managed Trade, not “Free Trade.”


5 posted on 01/09/2017 5:35:49 PM PST by VitacoreVision
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To: WatchungEagle

Norman Rockwell. Social justice warrior circa 1917.


6 posted on 01/09/2017 5:36:02 PM PST by blackdog
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To: WatchungEagle

Who-hoo! A Century! Seems we haven’t exported much since then anyway. Might as well try something new, like putting America and Americans first!


7 posted on 01/09/2017 5:36:04 PM PST by CodeToad (If it weren't for physics and law enforcement, I'd be unstoppable!)
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To: WatchungEagle
Why disseminate "opinion" from vox.com?

They define the phrase "crazy left."

8 posted on 01/09/2017 5:36:20 PM PST by Flycatcher (God speaks to us, through the supernal lightness of birds, in a special type of poetry.)
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To: 867V309

Screw’m..... If you can’t build it here.

Well, you don’t need it.


9 posted on 01/09/2017 5:36:22 PM PST by ptsal
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To: WatchungEagle

free trade was seen as a key principle of the Republican Party.

NO IT WAS NOT, it was and always as been the wet dream of cultural marxists pushing for a one world government.


10 posted on 01/09/2017 5:36:32 PM PST by eyeamok (destruction of government records.)
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To: WatchungEagle

Trump’s trade policy has gotten commitments for billions of investments totaling over 60,000 jobs, including two billion dollar car plants that the wise pundits proclaimed were “never coming back”. And he’s not even in office yet. The GOP-e never gave a damn about American workers.


11 posted on 01/09/2017 5:38:29 PM PST by Hugin (Conservatism without Nationalism is a fraud.)
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To: WatchungEagle

Many people do not realize that “Free trade” was the slogan of the British East India Company seeking too maintain its sales of opium into China against the will of the Chinese government.

Two Opium Wars were fought over this, and it still has repercussions today, because China has a long memory.

They tried to pay back America by creating a million heroin addicts in Vietnam.

Now they are a crucial supplier of many of the raw materials for heroin, speed and ecstasy as well as a primary shipping conduit for all hard drugs to America.


12 posted on 01/09/2017 5:43:55 PM PST by Disestablishmentarian
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To: WatchungEagle

Free trade is nice but a fully employed work force is better!

What good is having low cost goods when no one can still afford them!


13 posted on 01/09/2017 5:44:27 PM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: WENDLE

and .. PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!!!

Today, I saw somebody talking about what is going to happen when Trump takes office; the end result was: the left is hyper-ventilating because they are REALLY afraid that what Trump plans to do with the economy is going to end up the way the economy ended up under Reagan: A BOOM-TIME to the economy. So, the left is saying Trump is going to “destroy”, when actually they are terrified of another Reagan boom.

This is why people need to pay attention to what the left is saying .. and then investigating why .. because the “why” of the left .. always tells us who they really are. Rush explained it all today .. it was awesome.


14 posted on 01/09/2017 5:46:06 PM PST by CyberAnt (Peace through Strength)
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To: WatchungEagle; All

As Trump has indicated, free trade does not necessarily mean win / win deals.


15 posted on 01/09/2017 5:46:23 PM PST by Amendment10
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To: Luircin
STAND FIRM


16 posted on 01/09/2017 5:47:57 PM PST by ptsal
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To: WatchungEagle

Well, whatever it takes to MAGA.


17 posted on 01/09/2017 5:53:43 PM PST by bgill (From the CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola")
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To: CyberAnt

so true!! thank you for sharing. The left should be in catatonic stooper of fear. Trump has already brought a million jobs back to this Christian nation. He is about to lower the boooom on illegal aliens and “ refugees. WE ARE GETTING A HUGE TAX CUT!! the communist are finished in the country. We got OUR country back!!


18 posted on 01/09/2017 5:55:27 PM PST by WENDLE
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To: WatchungEagle

“Note: I’m not taking a position on this issue, I honestly don’t have a strong opinion about it.”

I agree...free trade has its benefits to consumers with well paying jobs - if trade wars materialize, look for prices to double (at least) for most things at Walmart and Amazon, for example. This will bite people hard further down the economic ladder.

On the other hand, the economy will adjust and well-paying jobs by the millions will be created here, so lots more people can move up.

The key variable is WHAT ELSE will be done. If you do nothing about the state of regulations in this country and the power of labor unions, then people here will suffer BIG TIME as they lose access to foreign-made goods. Thankfully Trump appears to understand that, so he’s going to work that angle too. It’s important for people on our side to understand that the reason so many US companies off-shore is NOT to get exotic trips to China...that’s the last thing executives want to be wasting their time with, not to mention the risks of being arrested due to business partner’s complaint over there (in China) or being kidnapped (Mexico and elsewhere). They ONLY go there because they cannot afford to build things here, given the costs from regulations and unions...so hopefully that all gets fixed.

On the balance, I kind of get concerned when we cannot run our tractors to harvest our crops without spare parts (electronics and probably other stuff) from China, or cannot replace a large power transformer, without transformers from China, and likely cannot build war ships, battle tanks, or fighter jets without foreign parts...so we DEFINITELY need to at least get that capability back home.


19 posted on 01/09/2017 6:04:51 PM PST by BobL (In Honor of the NeverTrumpers, I declare myself as FR's first 'Imitation NeverTrumper')
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To: WatchungEagle

Our freedom and survival of our nation is the goal. Trade is a tool. I do not support any trade policy that works to make American liberty subverted to foreigners.


20 posted on 01/09/2017 6:09:59 PM PST by DesertRhino
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