[Leifur]

I just wonder how can anyone support a candidate that seems to be a protectionist?

I mean globalisation is here to come, if you don´t participate, you get left behind, that is at least the lesson my country learned the hard way. In other matters he seems to be an acceptable candidate, but this is to big a matter to be overlooked. Free trade is a truly right wing, conservative issue.

[rob21]

He is not a protectionist. He just doesn’t like the fact that China has been cheating on trade so he wants to get tough with them.

[kinoxi]

Did you respond to the right person just now?

[penowa]

"Free trade is a truly right wing, conservative issue."

True, but giving away the store and selling out the country is not!

[airborne]

I just wonder how can anyone support a candidate that seems to be a protectionist?

You're just repeating what you've heard,without even being certain of what you're saying.

"Seems to be...?"

[airborne]

Here’s some good info on Duncan Hunter.

http://www.gohunter08.com/

He’s for fair trade.

[La Enchiladita]

You take care of Iceland, we’ll take care of the U.S.A.

In other words, stick your opinions up your nose.

[Paperdoll]

>I just wonder how can anyone support a candidate that seems to be a protectionist?<

These Socialist One Worlder nutcases keep popping up on FR. We should spray for them this spring!

[Howard Jarvis Admirer]

Oddly, the father of the Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln, did not agree with you. Duncan Hunter believes that if the U.S. is be the Arsenal of Democracy, we must keep the ability to manufacture military equipment in the U.S. Good luck with that Free Trade thingy if you expect the U.S. to be able to buy boots, rifles, and other military necessities from Red China if they attack Taiwan and we intervene.

[mom4kittys]

Only if you want to continue receiving poisoned products from China.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Define “free.”

Define “free” trade.

Nothing is “free.” Somebody does pay.

[RebekahT]

You are very right - but be careful. There are many on FR that think it’s okay for the government to tell business how to do business and who don’t trust the market.

[Sgt. Nick Fury]

“I just wonder how can anyone support a candidate that seems to be a protectionist?”

How is it protectionist to think that perhaps it’s unfair to over tax our own manufacturing but not to tax imported goods?

How is it protectionist, to recognize the difference between good manufactured in a nation with rule of law, and the expenses associated with that, as opposed to importing goods from Authoritarian states, with little to no protection from the courts?

The problem with free trade hyperbole, is that there isn’t currently free trade, the laws are not only not protectionist, they’re the opposite giving importers a decided advantage over manufacturing at home. I don't beleive Hunter is wanting to leave America behind, nor is he for protectionism just a balanced playing field. I think everyone in this country can understand that point of view.

One of the most conservative ideals I can think of is home defense, and our ability to wage war.....we won ww2 more in the shops, and factories then we did through any maps or strategies. If we can’t bring manufacturing back home, our future security and ability to defend ourselves is at stake.

[Jack Black]

I mean globalisation is here to come, if you don´t participate, you get left behind, that is at least the lesson my country learned the hard way. In other matters he seems to be an acceptable candidate, but this is to big a matter to be overlooked. Free trade is a truly right wing, conservative issue.

As implemented Free Trade is a joke. What's free about it. An average citizen can't go to Mexico and bring back a case of beer. GM can send and auto plant there, get money to do it, import the cars without paying tarrifs. What's free about that. It's more like the Mussolini-style corporatism, really.

[Old_Mil]

I just wonder how can anyone support a candidate that seems to be a protectionist?

Now Leifur, you know that Hunter isn't a protectionist in the sense you mean. Under a Hunter administration, Americans will still be able to buy BMWs and Germans will still be able to buy Harley-Davidsons. The Chinese, however, wouldn't be able to poison our pets or cough medicines...and this would be a good thing.

[nitzy]

I will never understand how the "neo-cons" can say that using trade policy to protect our vital manufacturing base and millions of American jobs is somehow commie or archaic, while at the same time saying that spending hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of young lives to protect the free flow of oil is a patriotic duty.

I believe that both policies protect our people and secure our freedom.

[marron]

I thought the same at first, I lean toward being a “free-marketeer”, so the short-hand description of Hunter as “protectionist” bothered me a bit.

But I see nothing wrong with holding China to the rules.

And on everything else, Hunter is the best guy out there. He is the adult among adults running for president this year.

I’m willing to give him a chance, and give the primary process a chance, I’m not willing to prejudge that he “can’t win” when he is without doubt the best man running. Most of the others are good men, several of them would make good presidents, but Hunter is the best of a pretty good crop.

By the way, I checked your page, it takes forever to load, but it is very cool.

[gidget7]

Free trade is the term. Most Conservatives are Fair trade, not free. Why should we continue to offer free trade to countries while we don’t get it in return?

[pissant]

Hunter is not a protectionist, except when it comes to buying defense equipment, and for good reason.

[mjolnir]

I just wonder how can anyone support a candidate that seems to be a protectionist?

Perhaps because even conservatives who are not protectionist themselves are desperate for someone mirrors their views, so they ignore Hunter's protectionism, or pretend it isn't an important foreign policy and domestic issue.

Mostly, though, I believe free trade has simply lessened in popularity. Ingraham, Savage, O'Reilly, Dobbs and Hannity to a lesser extent are all somewhere between fair traders and economic nationalists, and many otherwise conservative people admire them for this. Free trade is seen as counter to traditional morality, sovereignty, national borders, national security and national economic strength.

I believe it to be destructive sophistry of much the sort that China engaged in under Emperor Wu, but "Buy American" (which Hannity repeats pretty relentlessly) can be a pretty attractive slogan. If one accepts that slogan as an essential tenet of patriotism and therefore as a part of (American) morality, economic nationalism/extreme protectionism pretty much follows as an essential conservative ideal to be worked toward and made into a fact of American law.

[Lexinom]

Free trade with free countries, my FRiend. NOT with countries that won't play on the same field, and esp. not countries that use the imbalanced field - 17% tax on our stuff plus 17% subsidy on their stuff plus 40% devaluation of their currency - to add to a military that is likely targeting the U.S. should we ever decide to help our friend Taiwan in a crisis.

Free, fair trade with free countries. Not with China.