Posted on 10/04/2007 9:12:37 AM PDT by yorkie
WASHINGTON -- By a nearly two-to-one margin, Republican voters believe free trade is bad for the U.S. economy, a shift in opinion that mirrors Democratic views and suggests trade deals could face high hurdles under a new president.
The sign of broadening resistance to globalization came in a new Wall Street Journal-NBC News Poll4 that showed a fraying of Republican Party orthodoxy on the economy. While 60% of respondents said they want the next president and Congress to continue cutting taxes, 32% said it's time for some tax increases on the wealthiest Americans to reduce the budget deficit and pay for health care.
Six in 10 Republicans in the poll agreed with a statement that free trade has been bad for the U.S. and said they would agree with a Republican candidate who favored tougher regulations to limit foreign imports. That represents a challenge for Republican candidates who generally echo Mr. Bush's calls for continued trade expansion, and reflects a substantial shift in sentiment from eight years ago.
"It's a lot harder to sell the free-trade message to Republicans," said Republican pollster Neil Newhouse, who conducts the Journal/NBC poll with Democratic counterpart Peter Hart. The poll comes ahead of the Oct. 9 Republican presidential debate in Michigan sponsored by the Journal and the CNBC and MSNBC television networks.
The leading Republican candidates are still trying to promote free trade. "Our philosophy has to be not how many protectionist measures can we put in place, but how do we invent new things to sell" abroad, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in a recent interview. "That's the view of the future. What [protectionists] are trying to do is lock in the inadequacies of the past."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
“free trade has been bad for the U.S”
Republicans have always asked for FAIR trade, not FREE trade.
FREE trade to this government means American taxpayers pay foreign nations our money for nothing.
We are willing to pay for a fair price on goods and services but aid and grants to foreign nations is wrong.
Having had three jobs outsourced overseas since 2001 I am definitely not a fan of this so-called “free trade”. I say so-called because every single free trade agreement is always one-sided. China gets free trade in the USA while American goods and firms are shut out of their market. Japan, Korea, Europe - all the same. Screw free trade and screw anyone who thinks exporting American jobs is somehow good for America.
Reciprocity, it simply kills me that our trading partners are dumping goods on us, and we cannot do the same to them, we haven’t sold over 20 million dollars worth of Beef to China in years.
2 billion people and we cannot break 20 million dollars worth?
We don’t have a free-trade agreement with China. If your definition of the same is so expansive, then it’s not surprising you feel the way you do.
Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter are very similar in most respects. But Hunter is better on trade.
Instead of increasing taxex on anyone, cut spending, cut pork, cut the sending of our money to other countries, cut Congresses pay. Our taxes were originally only supposed to be used to support our government and our military. Go back to that. Turn financial requirements for States, back to the States. Get rid of the Department of Education and stop controlling our schools. Leave funding of the schools up to the States. NO MORE TAXES. Bring in the Flat Tax or Fair Tax.
I’m still planning to vote for Duncan Hunter, but if you decide to run for president, you can be my second choice ;)
Seems like a good thread showing that Duncan Hunter’s views are emergent in our electorate on both sides of the aisle.
We tried that in 94.
And our fellow “Americans” kicked us out in 96.
Said we tried “to much, to soon”, you know, we were radicals who hated children, poor people, and the environment. NO REPUBLICAN WILL EVER RUN ON THIS AGAIN!
Americans are idiots, its time to hide your money, lots of it, cash, for the blackmarket reign of Mother Hillary. (don't forget your guns and ammo)
UnAmerican tribunals are wrong also. The American way of life and our open courts are not good enough for the free traders.
***”That’s the view of the future. What [protectionists] are trying to do is lock in the inadequacies of the past.”***
Protectionists are trying to protect the country with fair trade contracts.
Oh, and could anybody tell me what free trade agreements with Australia has done for them? A friend said it really screws them up.
It is not ‘free trade’ that Hunter opposes. It is awful trade deals, empowerment of the chicoms, and our loss of sovereignty that he opposes. As do I.
If capitalism is good how is free trade bad?
Because the supposed ‘free trade’ is not even remotely close to free trade. It is managed trade by the WTO that has the US at a distinct disadvantage.
If you are some sort of domestic Australian ag-product firm (say, pork or beef), then you are howling. We are really cleaning their clocks.
Free trade has hooked Americans on consumption and debt. Of course the housing crisis and dollar collapse may just put a stop to it.
BUMP
a.k.a. “fleece trade” that Duncan Hunter opposes.
Gotcha
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