About | Obama Diary | 538.com | Fight Smears | Fact Check
Ah, conference calls. The one below is yesterday’s between the McCain Campaign and reporters. A response to Barack’s Flint, Michigan, speech, also posted below. Since I feel Obama is most probably not a raving anti-free trade populist or an uncritical (Clintonian) true believer in the efficacy of free trade, I will try to make my point by referencing the actual things that Barack has said on the matter. Knowing that Presidents do not always end up doing what they said.
First the conference call from McCain’s forces, featuring the ubiquitous Carly Fiorina.
Now the Obama Flint speech.
Now all of the instances of “free trade” I can find in the Obama issues documents.
From Blueprint for Change:
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.
From A Plan To Promote Fair Trade for America’s Workers.
BARACK OBAMA’S PLANAn End To Agreements That Lack Labor And Environmental Protections And Hurt American Workers
Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Barack Obama will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.
Obama believes that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. NAFTA has not created the jobs and wealth that were promised. Obama believes that we can, and must, make trade work for American workers by opening up foreign markets to U.S. goods and maintaining strong labor and environmental standards. As president he
will work to amend NAFTA so that it lives up to those important principles.Oppose the South Korea Free Trade Agreement: Barack Obama is opposed to the South
Korea Free Trade Agreement. Obama believes that while the agreement would be a boon for banks, telecommunications firms, and some in corporate agriculture, it fails to ensure that U.S. products – especially our cars and trucks, rice and beef – receive fair treatment in the Korean market. The U.S.-Korea trade agreement does not do enough to change Korea’s discriminatory practices or to enforce commitments by
Korea to open up its market.A Commitment To Strong Enforcement
Fight for Fair Trade: Barack Obama 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 barriers on U.S. exports. Obama will build on of his efforts to declare China a currency manipulator, and work to ensure that China is no longer given a free pass to undermine U.S. workers.
Strengthen Trade Enforcement:
Barack Obama will take trade enforcement seriously. He will make enforcement the top priority of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Office, and he will increase resources for the USTR so it can carry out its properly responsibilities. Barack Obama will also only negotiate trade agreements that have strong and enforceable labor and environmental standards in the agreement.
Crack Down on China:
Obama will build on his efforts in the U.S. Senate to declare China a currency
manipulator, and work to ensure that China is no longer given a free pass to undermine U.S. workers.
Well, it is clear enough. Obama will press for, by working WITH other countries, better standards for workers, for the environment, and for the good of our industries. This is clearly an accordion, a negotiation, a policy that aims at more than it will likely be able to deliver. It is the very opposite of an uncritical stance.
Doubtless we will be in for an attempt by McCain forces to make Obama into a fundamentalist who will leave free trade in the dust. But this is hardly the case. As with much of the Obama program, he has set laudable goals that assume betterment for all concerned. My guess is that during the campaign, far from pandering on protectionism, the most likely Obama position will be one that affirms globalism and free trade and indicaes areas where its ill effects can and will be modified.
PPP HAS BARACK UP A SOLID 11 IN OHIO,
YESTERDAY: Obama Fellows — Obama Landslide? For specific campaign-related and other topics, please use the SEARCH BLOG field to your upper left. LABELS
OBAMA ON THE ISSUES — GO TO THE SOURCE, NOT WHAT YOU HEAR OUT THERE
Send a Personal Email to Stephen C. Rose
Obama Blog
Listen to my song “We Are All Americans”
MY THREE MOST RECENT BOOKS ARE GROUND-BREAKING. “ABBA’S WAY” ANTICIPATES THE OBAMA ERA. “BEYOND CREED” ADVANCES THEOLOGY BEYOND BONHOEFFER. THE NOVEL “PANFLICK” IS THE FIRST ANTI-AUTOMOBILE FICTION.
You’ll want to give copies away. All are available as books or e-books. Buy e-books at $6 to start. I will refund $6 to your Paypal account if you are not utterly satisfied. Find out more and purchase at the links below.
