“Do you really want me to post more snippets from the Cato paper? “
You posted snippets? I could have sworn I was the one who had posted from the Cato paper. Go figure.
Well I certainly don’t have a problem with you posting the report. Dunno if Cato would. Post the whole thing.
” And yes, the Democrat majority in Congress during the 1980’s was stridently protectionist. “
Which had nothing to do with Reagan’s own policies on trade. His policies were in response to industrial targeting, non-tariff barriers, keiretsus, and other anti-competitive policies of Japan. Prestowitz wrote about all this stuff, he was Reagan’s main trade negotiator.
In any case, I'll see your Prestowitz, and raise you Buchanan.
In 1985, Roger had come to the White House to persuade me to convince the president to sign a bill to slow the flood of textiles into the country. No way, I told Mr. Milliken. I'm the biggest free-trader in the building, except for the fellow down the hall, who was Ronald Reagan. Roger went away disappointed. Reagan vetoed the bill. And I supervised the writing of the veto message.
--Patrick Buchanan.