Posted on 08/17/2007 3:26:32 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Brownback calls for trade fight
By: Aaron Gould Sheinin - TheState.com
August 16, 2007 09:59 AM EST
Republican presidential hopeful Sam Brownback said Wednesday the United States should use its greatest foreign policy advantage — its economy — to force change in China and to “get in their face on it.”
Brownback, a U.S. senator from Kansas, said the Chinese have used their position on the United Nations Security Council to boost China’s own economy.
“The rougher the regime and the more likely we are to throw the regime out, the more likely they are to back them,” Brownback said during an interview with editors and reporters at The State newspaper. “It’s like, ‘OK, Sudan, we’re going to block for you, now we want to be able to invest in the oil fields. We want to be able to get natural resources out of this.”
The answer?
“We have to use our economic force against China,” Brownback said. “We need to use trade tariffs against China and we need to get in their face on it.”
He said China will retaliate with more tariffs.
“This is going to be a nasty fight, but they have more to lose than we do,” he said.
It will take some work to convince the American people that the struggle is worth it. A trade war could cost some Americans their jobs as some U.S. firms have prospered thanks to China’s huge consumer markets.
But it’s a fight that’s worth fighting, Brownback said.
“You have to set the fight up and you have to prepare the American people for this,” he said. “You have to say this is what this is about and you have to talk and say to the Chinese, unless you do this we’re going to put on tariffs ... and you have to be willing to go ahead and do it.”
Brownback finishes a three-day swing through South Carolina today, his first visit to the state since finishing third in last weekend’s Iowa straw poll.
While the poll is nonbinding, it is an indicator of organizational strength in the state that kicks off the 2008 nominating process. Brownback was pleased with his finish and wants to use it as a springboard to the nomination.
Earlier Wednesday, Brownback met with a handful of supporters at the Sunset Restaurant in West Columbia. His goal as a candidate, he said after downing a plate of pancakes and bacon, was to strengthen American families and to re-energize the U.S. economy “so we can grow and prosper and sustain ourselves in this fight with Islamic fascists.”
Brownback was an early skeptic of President Bush’s plan to add 30,000 troops to the war in Iraq. He was concerned that the so-called military surge would not ultimately succeed without progress in the effort to establish a stable government and political system in Iraq.
In the interview with The State, Brownback said he believes Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, will report to Congress next month that there has been progress made in the military operation there. But, Brownback said, “he’s going to report out very little to no political progress on the ground.”
Brownback supports a plan, along with Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., to split Iraq into three states with Baghdad serving as a federal capital.
Still, Brownback opposes any plan to set a date for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
“We haven’t lost a firefight yet in Iraq, and yet most of the Democrat presidential candidates say ‘I’m going to get you out now,’” Brownback said. “If you set a deadline to pull out, the world will declare the United States lost in Iraq and we haven’t lost a firefight yet.”
Aaron Gould Sheinin is a staff writer for The State newspaper in South Carolina. Politico.com and The State are sharing content for the 2008 presidential campaign.
Ping!
Brownback observes: “The emperor has no clothes”.
Duncan Hunter, too.
Tancredo and Hunter have been saying this for years.
I don’t like this man. Like Romney said, he often comes across as holier than thou. His partition of Iraq polan is arrogant. When Duncan Hunter talks of renegotiating trade agreements with China and others, I can see that is probably alwys necessary. But this trade war talk is incoherent. I suppose they will be burning him in effigy, now. I am from Kansas and I don’t relate to Brownback.
If it wasn’t for that Loser Nixon we wouldn’t be in this position
Brownback won’t be president. He won’t be vice-president. Now it looks like he’s taking himself out of the running for Secretary of State and Commerce Secretary as well.
Some historical perspective. In 1949, America (as well as European) presence was quite strong in China. Companies had a foothold there. Missionaries had been established there for over a century up to that point (1949). However, despite the take over of China by the Communist Party, it was not the West that severed ties with China. It was the Communist Party that isolated China (hence the term bamboo curtain).
During the 1960's and into the 70's, relations between China and the USSR deteorated to the point where China was threatened by her neighbor up North. It was China who called Nixon. He happened to have been President at that time. There would have been others that would have gladly gone in his place, but they would have been classified as communist sympathizers. Nixon went because, as the old saying goes "Only Nixon could have gone to China".
It would be kind of like having someone like Duncan Hunter going over to China and re-establishing ties with China.
So, in conclusion, US/China relations was established because it was China that no longer isolated herself.
I stand by my statement
Nixon was a disaster from China to DETENTE to losing the War in Vietnam
You're entitled to your opinion. I do personally believe he was a good president. Especially, given his efforts to re-establish ties with China and that it was not politically incorrect for him to do it.
Just as a side note about the Vietnam War, it was an unpopular war at home and Nixon did what he had to do. But that's another thread.
I love the idea!
Bring on the trade wars!
Oh another protectionist ‘republican’ Smoot Hartley Great Depression type... great...
DETENTE Wage and Price Controls— Kenesian economics —wanted socialized medicine —dumped GOP candidates to get his majority and on and on Conservatives were deeply disappointed in Nixon
He could have cranked up the B52s the day after he took office just like he did over 4 years later and saved how many American and Vietnam lives
And then his stupid handling of Watergate gave us Carter
Yes, the forceful negotiation of a pull out in 69 would have been better than in 73.
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