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U.S. Trade Politics

58 posts

Bhagwati on Obama vs. Clinton

In the FT, Jagdish Bhagwati writes: The Russian proverb goes that, if you are looking for a good son-in-law, you would not ask whether he drank but only how he behaved when he was drunk. Similarly, no Democratic candidate during the primaries can be anything but a protectionist. The only

Something New to Demagogue About

All of this NAFTA bashing is getting tiring. Isn't there something else to demagogue about? Hey, how about this: As has been widely reported, the Air Force stunned almost everyone yesterday by deciding to award its huge, $35 billion contract for new airborne refueling tankers to a partnership

More on the Obama Campaign's Contact with Canada

As mentioned yesterday, there have been allegations that the Obama campaign told the Canadian government that the NAFTA threats were just campaign talk. Initial reports suggested no such communication occurred, but there were new developments today: Despite repeated requests, Barack Obama's campaign is still neither verifying nor denying

Is the NAFTA Rhetoric Just for the Election?

Yes, according to one report: Did Sen. Barack Obama say one thing privately to the Canadian government about NAFTA -- and something very different during Tuesday night's debate? The answer is yes, according to CTV, a Canadian television network. The network reported Wednesday night that a "senior

Obama/Clinton: "Opt Out Of" Or "Re-negotiate" NAFTA

I was just watching the Obama-Clinton debate in Ohio. Most of the trade stuff was boilerplate, but one point jumped out at me. Both Obama and Clinton stated explicitly that they will "opt out" of NAFTA unless the governments of Canada and Mexico agree to re-negotiate the agreement.

What the Candidates Should Be Talking About in Ohio

Much of the political debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Ohio has been about which of them dislikes NAFTA more. But perhaps when addressing trade issues in their debate in Cleveland on Tuesday, they should be talking a bit more about stories like this: The Cleveland Clinic has

Obama's Economics Adviser on Obama on Trade

Here's how Austan Goolsbee, a University of Chicago economics professor who is Obama's leading economic adviser, describes Obama's views on trade: "I don't think he views himself as a protectionist," Goolsbee said. He said Obama favored expanding access to global

Hillary Clinton's "Pro-America Trade Agenda"

Yesterday was Barack Obama day here on this blog. Today is Hillary Clinton day. In her recent Economic Blueprint for the 21st Century, Hillary Clinton sets out a "Pro-America Trade Agenda." (As an aside, do politicians in other countries use similar phrases? For example, do Koreans running for

Obama's Trade Views in the Blogosphere

A number of bloggers and others have been talking about Barack Obama's views on trade recently. Many seem to feel that he is moving towards a "populist" view on trade (some make this point approvingly, others disapprovingly). Examples of those in favor of a populist approach

Obama on Economics and Trade

Barack Obama is following-up his recent primary victories with some new thoughts on economics, to be offered today at a speech at a GM factory. Here is an excerpt of what he will say about trade: It’s also time to look to the future and figure out how to