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U.S. Trade Politics

63 posts

Was NAFTA a Mistake?

According to Barack Obama, in tonight's Presidential debate, it was: ... on trade, John [Edwards] is exactly right that you travel around South Carolina and you see the textile mills that John's father worked in closed, all over the region. And it is absolutely true that NAFTA

"American Made" Cars Again

Via Dani Rodrik, Mitt Romney said the following while campaigning in Michigan: “Here in Michigan, the skies are cloudy all day, the trees are all the right height, people talk without an accent and most of the cars on the road are American made — as they ought to be,” he

More on Huckabee and Obama

According to a Reuters article, some business groups question Huckabee's free trade credentials: While Huckabee's campaign Web site provides few details of his views on trade, some of his public statements "sound awfully protectionist," said Nachama Soloveichik, a spokeswoman for Club for Growth, a

A Trade Tidbit from the Republican Debate

There wasn't much trade talk that I noticed in last night's Presidential debates. But I found this one bit from the Republican debate amusing. In response to a question about illegal immigration, Governor Huckabee said: The fact is Americans are upset about this issue because they

Huckabee and Obama

Congrats to the winners of tonight's Iowa caucuses. Their reward? Additional scrutiny of their trade policies. Here's Huckabee, talking about trade in the context of his FairTax: If you buy a bottle of domestic wine, you're paying the taxes/compliance/matching payments of all

My Trade Question for the U.S. Presidential Candidates

I wish we could cut through the campaign rhetoric and get answers to some of the fundamental trade questions. Along these lines, here's my question for the U.S. Presidential candidates: Under what circumstances, if any, do you think discrimination against foreign goods and services is good policy?

Republicans versus Democrats in the WTO Negotiations

Which party is more likely to complete the Doha Round? According to this WSJ story, the Republicans are saying they are: ... the U.S. administration is using rising protectionist sentiment among the Democrat candidates ... to pressure delegates from around the globe to cut deals fast, while Republicans still hold the

"Illegal Subsidies" versus "Legal Inducements"

From a statement by John Edwards to the Iowa Fair Trade Campaign: And our trade deals must include prohibitions against illegal subsidies and currency manipulation and other trade cheating of the sort that is in fact encouraged under most of our current arrangements, to the detriment of American farmers, workers

Trade Talk from the Final Republican Debate

The final Republican primary debate was held last week in Iowa. There were a few references to trade issues, many of which were vague and difficult to characterize (e.g., the usual references to "free and fair trade"). But this statement from John McCain jumped out at me:

Mitt Romney on the WTO

Mitt Romney on the WTO: I realize that with the [World Trade Organization] there are many features that are not advantageous to us. It doesn't deal with manipulation of currencies as it should. It doesn't deal with protection of intellectual property as it should. We'