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Written by Stumo
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Tuesday, 19 February 2008 |
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Since I just reviewed Clinton's new plan on trade and the economy,
it's worth looking at Obama's campaign website pronouncements.
Less specific at this point. Though he and Hillary have been
taking mild jabs at each other on the trade agreements, trying to look
tough. Note that I am happy with the two campaigns' cynicism on
trade, but distrust Obama's economic advisor Austan Goolsbee and
Hillary's Robert Rubin connections.
Here is what Obama currently has on his campaign website:
Obama believes that trade with foreign nations should strengthen
the American economy and create more American jobs. He will stand firm
against agreements that undermine our economic security.
* Fight for Fair Trade: Obama will fight for a trade policy
that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. He will
use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards
around the world and stand firm against agreements like the Central
American Free Trade Agreement that fail to live up to those important
benchmarks. Obama will also pressure the World Trade Organization to
enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair
government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on
U.S. exports.
* Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Obama believes
that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people.
Obama will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so
that it works for American workers.
* Improve Transition Assistance: To help all workers adapt to a
rapidly changing economy, Obama would update the existing system of
Trade Adjustment Assistance by extending it to service industries,
creating flexible education accounts to help workers retrain, and
providing retraining assistance for workers in sectors of the economy
vulnerable to dislocation before they lose their jobs.
Weak tea. There is a modest bit more muscle, especially on currency manipulation in another Obama economic policy document (pdf document) which says:
Fight for Fair Trade: At 7 percent of Gross Domestic Product, our
trade deficit has never been higher. Barac Obama will fight for a trade
policy that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. He
will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental
standards around the world and stand firm agains agreements like the
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that fail to live up to
those importan benchmarks. Obama will also pressure the World Trade
Organization to enforce trade agreements and sto countries from
continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and
nontariff barriers on U.S exports. Obama will fight for stronger
protections for U.S. intellectual property, and â in the case of China
inparticular â an end to an artificially devalued currency that puts U.S. companies at a perpetual disadvantage.
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