Don't call me partisan for going after McCain. He is a wacko free trader. Period.
This country cannot handle more of these trade deals that enable foreign protectionism as we open our markets.
Here is what he said (from Congress Daily, subscription only, full article below the fold):
FROM THE TRAIL: MCCAIN URGES CONGRESS TO APPROVE PENDING TRADE DEALS Tackling the issue of the global economy, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona today urged Congress to approve pending trade deals with Colombia and South Korea and said he would seek the elimination of all agricultural tariffs. In a speech to the National Restaurant Association in Chicago, McCain criticized Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for "a habit of talking down the value of our exports and trade agreements. He said he would not consider renegotiating NATFA and then made pitches for Congress to approve pending trade deals with Colombia and South Korea, both of which he said make economic sense and are needed to maintain good relations with reliable allies.
FROM THE TRAIL: MCCAIN URGES CONGRESS TO APPROVE PENDING TRADE DEALS Tackling the issue of the global economy, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona today urged Congress to approve pending trade deals with Colombia and South Korea and said he would seek the elimination of all agricultural tariffs. In a speech to the National Restaurant Association in Chicago, McCain criticized Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for "a habit of talking down the value of our exports and trade agreements.
He said he would not consider renegotiating NATFA and then made pitches for Congress to approve pending trade deals with Colombia and South Korea, both of which he said make economic sense and are needed to maintain good relations with reliable allies.
Then he trots out the "free trade helps the poor" message.
"When the United States and Europe subsidize our biggest agricultural producers, we distort global prices and we hurt the world's poorest farmers in Africa and elsewhere," he said. Those foreign farmers "think that these corporate subsidies are inconsistent with our own standards and ideals, and with the good heart of America. And my friends, they are right."
McCain and Sebastian Mallaby had their chance to prove free trade helps the poor. We have their free trade, and the poor are more hungry. They failed.
Just ask the displaced Mexican farmers. You know, the ones driven off their land by NAFTA. The ones coming over the border, or flooding into Mexico City. Looking for a way to make money. Them. They will disagree with John McCain trying to help them with more of what drove them off their land.
The Wall Street Journal says today that it will be hard to govern as a free trader. I reprinted the full article below the fold. (hit "read more").
Since at least John F. Kennedy, presidential candidates have campaigned as tough on trade and then governed as free traders. Some business leaders are expecting the same if Barack Obama makes it to the White House. Don't count on it.
The candidates have been pressed on trade more than ever before. By citizens. The candidates have had to respond. McCain is a self-described free trader. Clinton was for NAFTA before she was against it. Obama has said a few good things, but has not addressed the fundamentals of foreign mercantilism. He could have gone, and could go, either way.
But the mood in the country increasingly makes trade "the third rail." No matter what you as a candidate or representative believe, when you vote for FTA's that promote the destruction of the American economy, you will be punished.
A number of trade skeptics won seats in the 2006 Congressional elections and the Democratic party is recruiting other anti-free traders to compete for open seats in 2008. Even Democratic free-trade intellectuals are focusing more on the downsides of global integration. ... The change in Democratic Party politics makes it less likely that Sens. Obama and Clinton would change their views if they make it to the White House.
We may or may not be able to test that assertion, depending upon whether McCain or Obama wins in November. The Coalition for a Prosperous America is working to educate likely voters about trade reform. The mood of the citizenry is the key to turning both parties around on trade.
John McCain says that the manufacturing jobs are gone, and that the future is in high tech. Never mind that we are losing in all major economic categories, including high tech.
Maybe he should read this report, published by Richard McCormack's Manufacturing and Technology News:
China has surpassed the United States in a key measure of high tech competitiveness. The Georgia Institute of Technology's bi-annual "High-Tech Indicators" finds that China improved its "technological standing" by 9 points over the period of 2005 to 2007, with the United States and Japan suffering declines of 6.8 and 7.1 respectively. ...
The Georgia Tech "High-Tech Indicator" does not measure how active countries are in research, "but in areas like nanotechnology, China now leads the United States in published articles, but what scares me is China is getting better at marrying that research to their low-cost productive processes," says Porter. "When you put those together with our buzzword of innovation, China is big, they're tough and cheap. Again, where is our edge?"
Interesting protest.
The United Steelworkers will present a primary election day premier of "The Toxic Trader," a street theater production designed to hold elected officials accountable for facilitating unsafe imports, on Tuesday, May 20 at noon at One World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon St., Portland, outside the office ofU.S. Sen. Gordon Smith. ... The USW street theater production features three "Toxic Avengers" fending off the gigantic "Toxic Trader," a puppet constructed by world-famous puppeteer Tavia La Follette, whose gargantuan three-dimensional caricatures have toured Europe, Eastern Europe, South America and Japan, almost always making political points. ... Oregon lost 22,600 manufacturing jobs from 2000 to 2007, according to the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a significant decline since manufacturing accounts for $27.2 billion of the state's gross product, and is the second largest contributor to the state's economy. Despite that,Smith voted in favor of every free trade deal that came before him.
The United Steelworkers will present a primary election day premier of "The Toxic Trader," a street theater production designed to hold elected officials accountable for facilitating unsafe imports, on Tuesday, May 20 at noon at One World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon St., Portland, outside the office ofU.S. Sen. Gordon Smith. ...
The USW street theater production features three "Toxic Avengers" fending off the gigantic "Toxic Trader," a puppet constructed by world-famous puppeteer Tavia La Follette, whose gargantuan three-dimensional caricatures have toured Europe, Eastern Europe, South America and Japan, almost always making political points. ...
Oregon lost 22,600 manufacturing jobs from 2000 to 2007, according to the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a significant decline since manufacturing accounts for $27.2 billion of the state's gross product, and is the second largest contributor to the state's economy. Despite that,Smith voted in favor of every free trade deal that came before him.
An agriculture coalition has formed, with the same old suspects, to push the South Korea FTA. This from the National Pork Producers Council, which is run by the big meat packing companies.
COALITION WILL PUSH FOR U.S.-KOREA FTA Republic of Korea Minister for Economic Affairs Seok-young Choi joined the Agriculture Coalition for U.S.-Korea Free Trade, which includes NPPC and many other U.S. food and agriculture organizations, in NPPC’s office to discuss the importance of passing the U.S.-Republic of Korea FTA. NPPC continues pushing for Congressional approval of the U.S.-Korea FTA which would be very beneficial for the U.S. pork industry. According to Iowa State University economist Dermot Hayes, when the FTA is fully implemented, total U.S. pork exports to the Asian nation will rise to nearly 600,000 metric tons. That’s about twice as much as the amount currently shipped to Japan, the No. 1 export market for U.S. pork. Hayes also estimates that the agreement will increase U.S. live hog prices by $10.
