Trade on the Trail, Part 3.0

Here's what the presidential candidates had to say this week about trade:

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), at a Chicago Change to Win forum said as reported in the Chicagoist,

"Back in the '90s when we had a Democratic Congress and we had a Democratic president, we didn't get universal healthcare," Edwards told the crowd, who interrupted him with seven—count 'em, seven—standing ovations. "No, instead we got NAFTA followed by CAFTA followed by a whole series of trade agreements that cost America millions of jobs."

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) issued a press release posted here accusing "Communist China" of "cheating on trade." Hunter said in the statement:

Our ability to field effective weapons systems is largely dependent on our American manufacturing base. We cannot rely on foreign sources for critical elements of our systems.

And made a campaign promise:

Hunter said his Presidency will see a stop of China from cheating on trade and will reverse this one-way street inequity with a new fair trade policy. He pledges to level the playing field between U.S. companies and their trade competitors. In addition he further pledges to restore high paying manufacturing jobs to the American workers.

And from Teamsters President Jim Hoffa on Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) reported in the Chicago Sun Times:

Obviously everyone's aware that her husband passed NAFTA. She has to move ahead with her own trade policy and she is doing a lot to try to indicate that it is going to be different than her husband's.

And that's it for this week's Trade on the Trail. Remember to ask the candidates your questions about where they stand on NAFTA expansions (you can adapt our bird-dogging guide linked here) and report back on what they say!

(Disclosure: Global Trade Watch has no preference among the candidates.)

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), at a Chicago Change to Win forum said as reported in the Chicagoist,

"Back in the '90s when we had a Democratic Congress and we had a Democratic president, we didn't get universal healthcare," Edwards told the crowd, who interrupted him with seven—count 'em, seven—standing ovations. "No, instead we got NAFTA followed by CAFTA followed by a whole series of trade agreements that cost America millions of jobs."

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) issued a press release posted here accusing "Communist China" of "cheating on trade." Hunter said in the statement:

Our ability to field effective weapons systems is largely dependent on our American manufacturing base. We cannot rely on foreign sources for critical elements of our systems.

And made a campaign promise:

Hunter said his Presidency will see a stop of China from cheating on trade and will reverse this one-way street inequity with a new fair trade policy. He pledges to level the playing field between U.S. companies and their trade competitors. In addition he further pledges to restore high paying manufacturing jobs to the American workers.

And from Teamsters President Jim Hoffa on Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) reported in the Chicago Sun Times:

Obviously everyone's aware that her husband passed NAFTA. She has to move ahead with her own trade policy and she is doing a lot to try to indicate that it is going to be different than her husband's.

And that's it for this week's Trade on the Trail. Remember to ask the candidates your questions about where they stand on NAFTA expansions (you can adapt our bird-dogging guide linked here) and report back on what they say!

(Disclosure: Global Trade Watch has no preference among the candidates.)

Comments

[Steven Capozzola]

Please share your stories about lost manufacturing jobs.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing is a national, non-partisan group dedicated to strengthening U.S. manufacturing. AAM’s blog, ManufactureThis.org, covers issues related to U.S. manufacturing jobs and is compiling firsthand accounts of factory closings and lost jobs.

AAM invites people to share their stories about lost manufacturing jobs, either by emailing Steven Capozzola at scapozzola@aamfg.org, or by posting a comment directly on the blog, www.manufacturethis.org.

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