Free Trade and the Next President
Lance on Feb 06 2008 at 8:40 pm | Filed under: Developmental economics, Domestic Politics, Economics, Election 2008, Lance's Page
In electing a President we are rarely presented with candidates who represent our views, so in the end it really comes down to prioritizing. Frankly I may yet again not vote for a major party candidate, but if I do one is
sue of great importance to me, though not mentioned nearly often enough, is a candidates devotion to free trade.
This is not merely because of its importance to our own economic health, though the negative impact if the views of Hillary were to become actual policy would be extremely negative. The consequences would far outstrip the housing and credit crisis that is presently plunging us into recession.
Of even greater importance to those of us who are not nationalist in our views, is the impact upon billions of others, primarily the impoverished people of Africa and Asia. The transformation in the living standards of the people’s of Asia over the last twenty years has been overall the most important story for mankind by far in most of our lifetimes. A breakdown in the global trading system would cause more suffering than al Qaeda can even contemplate.
So read this by David Ranson for a review of what the candidates have said about trade. Obama seems preferable to Hillary, though his rhetoric is vague. However, his hiring of Austen Goolsby gives me some comfort.
On the Republican side the clear favorite should be McCain, though he has suggested some pretty expansive views on how to help dislocated workers adjust.
On this issue McCain is the clear choice overall. 
Hat tip: Instapundit
Sphere: Related ContentOne Response to “Free Trade and the Next President”
Trackback URI | Comments RSS
Yes, free trade is definitely a policy that needs to stay intact and be promoted. It’s not all that odd that candidates aren’t putting much emphasis on this particular issue, though, because they’re mostly just pandering to the highest selfish priorities of a majority of the American people. People want to know what they’ll do about Iraq, the economy, etc… and are seldom interested in the bigger picture, which is what free trade is all about. In the end, the new administration will probably do its best to promote free trade simply because it’s the best thing for our economy. As far as talking about free trade and the economy and opening a dialogue with the American people though, I think we can pretty much forget about all that.