Posted on 02/06/2008 1:53:53 AM PST by LowCountryJoe
[snip]...Trade is a good litmus test of statesmanship, since many polls show that voters believe trade with other countries hurts our economy. Which of the presidential candidates will stick up for free trade in the face of doubtful and sometimes hostile audiences?
During their debates, some of the Republican candidates expressed more ifs, ands or buts about free trade than others. John McCain says: "Free trade should be the continuing principle that guides this nation's economy." Mitt Romney's position is: "I strongly support free trade, but free trade has to be fair in both directions." According to Mike Huckabee: "I believe in free trade, but it has to be fair trade." But elsewhere he has said: "I don't want to see our food come from China, our oil come from Saudi Arabia and our manufacturing come from Europe and Asia."
[snip]...Government policy can influence trading patterns, but it can't force them. Politicians like Mr. Romney tend to feel most at home in a command-and-control environment. But they are living in a dream world if they think they can either dictate or enforce the patterns of trade. The rough justice of the markets will decide.
It's widely assumed that trade opportunities will be unfair unless balance is negotiated with foreign governments. Not so. U.S. imports and exports are tied into an integrated market system. The economy must export goods (or sell off assets) to pay for the imports it chooses. Because the system pays for its imports with exports, reciprocity is automatic. If imports are taxed or obstructed, that acts as an obstruction to exports too. We need a president who is wise enough to recognize that protectionism impedes our exports as well as our imports.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
WSJ editorials can now be read at no cost. Read and stomach it, if you can.
Once again McCain’s rhetoric does not match either his record or his stated planned actions
Yeah he says them. Then he goes to DC and votes and pushes for Democrat Party polices.
You can count on McCain 100%. He will always fail you when push comes to shove with the Democrats.
You know, he probably will. But I'm betting that Romney and Huckabee would also. If McCain will actually veto spending bills, like he says he would, then that push to shove would be worth seeing. If you really thing that Romney or Huckabee would reduce spending, then you really have not listened to their pandering enough or have not checked out their respective records as governors.
But all that is beside the point. We all know McCain cannot win. We actually care about our political agenda and want it advanced. We are not mindless Party Uber Alles types who treat this as if it were a sport. Cheering on their team no matter how bad they are. We do not watch polls to decide who to support the way McCainiac do. Given the Democrats structural advantage in organization, turn out and money who had a better chance of winning?
Whole Country is in a foul mood. They hate the Political class with a passion. Everyone from the President to the least member of Congress has record low sustained political approval numbers.
The GOP, because they hold the WH, is seen as the party in power.
Given the country's furious Anti DC mood who has a better chance of winning against Clinton Inc?
A tired broke old 25 year member of the DC Establishment who is running on a Leftist agenda with a long politically corrupt history who virtually no one in the Conservative Movement likes or trusts who's stated political agenda is to be Democrat Lite
or
an articulate successful business man and former Gov with a $250 million war chest who at least is running on a solidly Conservative agenda who can credibly run a Reagan style "we got to go clean up DC" campaign?
9 months ago according to all the National Polls the only person who could beat Clinton Inc was Rudy G. Where is he now?
That is where the GOP and McCain will be in Nov 2008. The GOP will be lucky to win 10 states. We are going to get massacred down ticket also. The Democrats are fired up. They are going to have huge turnout since it will be the 1st chance in 15 years for them to control the whole Govt. They are like we were in 2000. They will be ground glass Democrats.
The Mods-Indys are NOT going to vote for McCain's style of Democrat lite politics. The are in a foul anti Establishment mood and McCain is as Establishment as they get. A career old WASP politican. The Mods/Indys are going to vote for the the Democrat real deal over the Democrat Lite GOP brand.
The Conservative/Republican will not be energized and so many will not show up, certainly will not volunteer their time and money to campaign. McCain's GOTV will be a sad joke. After all, what the difference between one tax hiking big Govt authoritarian Liberal or the other to them. Either way Conservatives get nothing
The GOP are going to get a 1980s style butt kicking in Nov. Only this time the Anti Reagan the Democrats will be running is the one winning the landslide.
Trade is great...free trade isnt...unless your Communist China.
“Chairman Mao....may I borrow another 150 billion?”
The GOP, because they hold the WH, is seen as the party in power.
That kind of statement demonstrates, at its roots, the entire problem with us as a political movement and as an electorate in this country. We view this as power and even use the word "power". Why?
The notion is the minds of the American people is life sucks. It doesn’t, they have never had it better but they believe their life is a paycheck away from ruin.
Americans also believe, wrongly, that Govt is some how responsible for managing their lives. The believe that someone can “fix” things for them.
Right now GOP holds the WH therefore the GOP is “responsible” for their unhappiness.
Doesn’t matter that that is all wrong factually. What matters is that is the perception of many, if not most, voters
Handing? Yeah, about that: who is doing this handing? How is this hurting us? Job losses? Check the employment stats. GDP contraction? Show me. Worse standards of living? Yeah, right. Watch the video I linked to in post #10.
Oh yes, laissez-faire worked so well for England leading up to WWI. It worked so well that we had to bail them out and then again in WWII.,p> Explain, please.
What do you do to change incorrect perceptions?
The notion is the minds of the American people is life sucks. It doesn’t, they have never had it better but they believe their life is a paycheck away from ruin.
In the future, will you join me in pointing out to other FReepers in this forum that life does not suck?
Americans also believe, wrongly, that Govt is some how responsible for managing their lives. The believe that someone can “fix” things for them.
Will you join me in trying to persuade others, here, about this, as well?
Right now GOP holds the WH therefore the GOP is “responsible” for their unhappiness.
And we both know that that view is wrong. We need to blame ourselves for electing a spendthrift congress and a president who lacks the back bone to reign in spending. But, these are just indirect things...we are responsible for our own happiness. At the moment, I am pissed. I am pissed that I cannot even get fellow FReepers to see the merits of a hands-off approach to the economy that WE, ourselves, RUN.
Doesn’t matter that that is all wrong factually. What matters is that is the perception of many, if not most, voters.
So, will you help me at least try and change this perception on this forum? Yes/no?
Oh yeah! Heck Yeah! MnJohnnie reporting for duty Sir! Will be happy to join your battle against the Doom and Gloom Caucus. What is our plan of attack?
Have never understood this particular blind spot in Conservatives.. You can point out to Conservatives thousands of examples of how the "News Media" manipulates them and they will be right back here posting the same slanted economic news the next day. It just unbelievable.
It as if the "News Media" no matter how often you point out where they got it wrong and are getting wrong, has a magic reset button that erases Conservatives minds. They just react the same way to every negative news story. No matter how many times you try and explain to them the need for critical thinking, the need to be skeptical about what they are being told by a proven corrupt "media" they simply don't get it.
More lies. None of us believe trade hurts our economy. We all believe that putting trade above the interests of the American people hurts them. Sure, the traders make money.
We also believe that "fair and equal" trade is what is should be not the one-sided trade we have now.
Laissez-faire: it really does work, fellow Freepers. If we can get tht through our heads, we'll once again find our dominance as a political and conservative movement.
I do agree that govt. has it fingers into too many pies domestically. Why should our companies be regulated to death while most of the other world isn't?
My question is, as an American manufacturer how can I gain equal access to foreign markets as they have here? And how would I get access without my government's help?
Note this frank admission of the downside potential is then promptly contradicted in the very next sentance by the WSJ editorial:
Because the system pays for its imports with exports, reciprocity is automatic.
H'mmmmmm. The editor must be brain-dead from the Kool-Aid. Forgot his own admission.
He needs to square not only the demonstated imbalances in goods and services, but the increasing capital flow imbalances.
There is no such thing as "automatic" reciprocity when you are dealing with a died-in-the-wool Communist command economy. Hence, their current accumulated hoard of dollars is now up to what, $1.6 trillion that is controlled by their sovereign wealth fund management?
The standard Phoney Free trader line is that they eventually will have to spend these.
They have been doing a good job NOT spending them so far, and to the extent they do...they appear to try and further endanger or compromise our national security by buying 3Com or other vital elements.
The chicoms and Bernanke openly have acknowledged that the Chinese withdrawal pending for our securities is going to wreak havoc on the dollar. Everywhere, but with China...which continues to peg its yuan...
...sounds of crickets chirping...
The silence from their end IS deafening isn't it?
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