Trade Wars: Obama vs. ... Obama?

Do Democrats lie?

Does the average American know that Canada is a massive supplier of oil to the US under the NAFTA agreement?

If the Democrats open the NAFTA agreement ( as they legally can, with six months notice) then the oil supply issue would also be on the table.

It's a point all Americans should be aware of.

Joe Molnar,

Ontario, Canada.

Joe Molnar of @ Feb 29, 2008 15:28:47 PM

Pain is your friend

Minimum wage laws, laws respecting layoffs and plant shutdowns, tariffs, subsidies and laws and regulations enhancing the bargaining power of organized labor in the country insulate workers from the incremental impacts of the global labor market. Instead of receiving and acting upon the signals the market sends, workers remain or become further entrenched in jobs (and lifestyles) that cannot long be sustained in the face of global competition. When the bitter end arrives, politicians clamor to offer life support for businesses that cannot and should not be resuscitated.

Senator Obama, if elected, will likely enjoy having tea with the world's tyrants more than breaking bread with our allies. I fail to see how our standing in the world (for what it is worth) will improve when it becomes apparent that we do not value the commitments we make to other nations.

armchairpunter of FL @ Feb 29, 2008 15:27:24 PM

HUSSEIN Obama has been caught lying

He said he would ditch NAFTA, but then tells the Canadian ambassador he is lying about that. Obama has been caught in a direct lie. This is spreading like wildfire and is really damaging his campaign.

Susan of TX @ Feb 29, 2008 14:29:06 PM

Obama is lying, stupid, or evil ....

At least I hope so. His insane anti-trade rhetoric is evil. Our best hope is he's just a liar. He's either a liar, stupid, or evil. Anybody who doesn't admit that free trade is good has to be one of the three.

jim of @ Feb 29, 2008 13:50:16 PM

Fair trade = buzzword for labor protection

Here's a good example of how fair trade is a buzzword for protecting big labor - is Chinese steel made in mills conforming to U.S. emissions standards? Perhaps not, but China is a soverign country and isn't going to change until its own citizenry demand it, which they are starting to. And of course, China might very well have their own issues with our products, in retaliation (hmm... lets be a little bit lax about enforcing intellectual property restrictions on U.S. microprocessors.. ban Chinese steel, we will encourage knock-offs of Intel processors)

But the winner in this would be U.S. steel which would gain market protections (and higher prices) unti China met some arbitrary standards. And the loser is the U.S. consumer, which pays an extra hundred bucks for an automobile or a dishwasher.

Grant of MA @ Feb 29, 2008 12:46:02 PM

Grant

Obama, in the most recent debate, stated that he would repudiate NAFTA if the partners (Mexico,Canadian) did not agree to negotiate. He has already said that he would not allow Mexican trucks access across our borders (in direct contravention of the treaty) to earn a Teamsters endorsement. Do a Google search to come up with the someone concerned responses from the Canadian and Mexican foreign ministers.

I'd like to know how a President Obama would rebuild our standing the in the world if the first things he is talking about doing would alienate our two closest neighbors. That is not even mentioning trying to nurture countries like Columbia along with the carrot of free trade.

Grant of MA @ Feb 29, 2008 12:40:45 PM

This poor article in US News

This article reminds me totally of the current attacks pointed at Barack Obama from not only the Republicans but the Clinto campaign as well. Why is everyone trying to stretch Obamas words and associations to say that he is a walking contradition when all he does is acknowledge some obvious truths?

NAFTA is not all good or all bad, but more should have been done to prepare American workers for this dramatic economic change that has plagued Michigan and Ohio.

Calvin Traylor of TX @ Feb 29, 2008 12:34:38 PM

Obama v Obama

A cogent reminder that much of Obama's pitch is the same old politics of expediency.( One can only guess he wasn't the change we were waiting for)

Funny though how the true believers manage to cope.Their hysterical reactions here are pretty funny

Dave of FL @ Feb 29, 2008 12:25:58 PM