It seems silly that Paul is called a ‘protectonist’.
How do you call someone who voted for and supported MFN for China, protectionist? He was even against trade sactions for Iran and Iraq.
“Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul, who says he voted for MFN because of his libertarian belief in free trade” http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_n26_v13/ai_19601315 -———————————
On July 27, by a vote of 170 to 260, the House failed to pass a joint resolution rejecting President Clinton’s decision to continue Normal Trade Relations (NTR)-formerly called Most Favored Nation trade relations-with Communist China for another year.
Rep. Ron Paul (R.-Tex.) opposed the bill, saying, “Trade policy should never be mixed with the issue of domestic political problems.” Paul, who strongly opposes U.S. military intervention, also said that “it is true that nations that trade are less likely to go to war with one another.”
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_199908/ai_n8855771
-—————— “China’s record on human rights has been far from perfect, but there aren’t many perfect nations in the world. Even the United States government has been known to abuse the liberties of her own citizens. The important point is that removing MFN status from China will do nothing to improve the lives of the citizens of China, and many believe it could make conditions worse.
It is also inconsistent to deny MFN status to countries like Iran, Iraq, and Libya because of their civil rights positions. For instance, because Iraq grants greater personal freedom, it actually treats its citizens and Christians in a more favorable way than do Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. U.S. sanctions against Iraq have been outrageously immoral by starving children and denying medical care that could be obtained if they were allowed more free trade.
Some complain about the trade imbalance and Red China’s accumulation of American dollars, but this is no threat. If the Red Chinese didn’t buy our debt, the Federal Reserve would have to.”
http://freedompage.home.mindspring.com/june97tx.htm
Also:
By a margin of 150 to 71 (Roll Call no. 338, 260-170, 7/27/99) House Republicans voted to support Bill Clinton’s extension of Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) status for Red China, which status results in a transfer of wealth from the American economy to the Chinese economy amounting to more than $60 billion per year. The 150 Republicans who voted with Clinton and against America’s best interests were: , Paul (Tex.), etc.
http://www.conservativeusa.org/vote-rec99.htm
Then how come there’s $60 billion of goods over here, and $60 billion of electronic dollars over there?