The sudden interest in trade on DU

[Cocoa]

It's nice, but makes me wonder why it was less of an issue when Gephardt was in the race.

Here on DU, Gep had very little support. People seemed more interested in a picture of him than in his trade views.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

1. But Kucinich has lots of support on DU, and was the same as Gephardt

"Sudden" interest in trade? As much as the candidate promoters have tried to sideline the issue, it's discussed on DU all the time since day one, and thanks to Gephardt, Kucinich, and Edwards and Dean, it's being discussed in the primary.

Ever notice how many Republicans and swing voters are against the FTAs and have an interest in the issue?

[Cocoa]

4. Edwards and Dean?

Would you put them in the same category as Gep and Dennis, as leaders on trade issues?

I personally think Gep and Dennis are the leaders, and the others, including Kerry, have moved toward their positions because that's where the people are.

[AP]

8. Edwards hasn't 'moved' anyhwere. He ran as anit-NAFTA in '98, and this

is where he has been since then. This is why the DLC doesn't like him.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

10. not in the same category, not at all

Gephardt especially and Kucinich were and are the leaders. Edwards was okay on the issue and both he and Dean used it for their campaign, and have solidified it as an issue - good thing too because that's the issue that could get us a whole lot of swing votes and disgruntled Republicans - if we have the right candidate.

[revcarol]

2. Kucinich brought it mainstream.

We knew about Geppy's position, but the rest of his ides, mostly yuck.

[corporatewhore]

3. FreeTrade aint a single issue i dontlike it cause iam for humanrights

workers rights environmental reasons indigenous peoples rights anti-slavery iam for the public services to be owned by the public and not be privatised iam against corporatism iam pro union I am against imperalism I marched in miami etc etc Alot of lefties are from the global justice movement

[charlie]

5. Lots of people were soured on Gephardt

in spite of his stances on labor. Cutting the legs out from under Daschle and Biden so he could preen with the Chimp in the Rose Garden was a bit much to stomach from a supposed Democratic stalwart.

[AP]

6. Because WI is first manufacturing state to have a primary where there's

been a contested race (most of the candidates ignored MI).

And Americans are realizing that they care more about jobs than about foreign policy.

[IrateCitizen]

7. You just haven't been paying attention...

I've been involved in quite contentious threads on trade issues practically since I found DU back in the summer of 2001. There's always been a contingent of DUers who are quite interested and involved in trade issues, on all sides of them.

But before it was an "election issue," the vast majority of people didn't care about it. The problem with an issue like trade is that it affects us every day. You can't pay attention to it at election time and ignore it all the rest of the time.

[rucky]

9. um...sudden interest?

what's the main issue that people went Green over in 2000?

what were the WTO protests about?
what's my union been vocal about for the past 10 years?

where have you been?

It only seems to be an issue now because an avowed free-trader is our presumptive nominee.

Edwards is coming on stronger against NAFTA. Ya think that's because of DU?

It was a question at the debate...submitted by a DUer perhaps?

We're not single issue voters, but free trade tops the list. Back when Gephardt was an option, his war stance is what marginalized him here. Kerry was in the same boat, IYRC.

So my question is this: Why the sudden DIS-interest in the war?

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

12. If Dean hadn't have been the main pimp of NAFTA as Chair of the GA

I might have gotten behind him in the beginning, Kucinich might have not stayed in for long, who knows? Dean knew he had to run populist on this against his record, and that hurt him by always having his left flank exposed. If the Democrats run a free trader, honestly I doubt we'll win. We won't be able to appeal to the number one major cross party unity issue in a generation. I wouldn't worry about Nader so much as a celebrity Green candidate or a center-right Reform style campaign.

[rucky]

15. center-right reform you mentioned...

could very easily happen.

Bush steel tariffs & tough talk w/ China is an indication he could go in that direction. Same w/ the GOP platform in his home state of Tejas.

and that would pave the way for another Green movement - less at stake if GOP goes sour on NAFTA before we do.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

18. imagine if Bush runs against "Clinton's NAFTA"

we wouldn't stand a chance. It would just be all for show but it would work.

[NashVegas]

11. Trade Has Always Been An Issue on DU

But Gep was always seen as a 'pink tutu' Dem in a huge way.

Having the issue doesn't count for much if you don't do anything with it.

[killbotfactory]

13. Issues are boring

Let's talk about interns and botox.

[rucky]

16. soon we'll be OUTSOURCING our interns

and all the good plastic surgeons will go South.

[Armstead]

14. Kerry represents the Democratic Mistake on this issue

"Free Trade" is an international version of trickle-down supply-side economics.

"As long we we allow those wonderful corporations to do whatever the hell they want, and subvert democracy to give them supremacy, then all will be well."

Kerry buys into that crap. He doesn't understand the fundamental flaw...or he doesn't care about it.

Kucinich is absolutely correect on this. We need scrap these undemocratic right-wing agreements and engage in bi-lateral trade that acknowledges the different situations of nations, rather then imposing a "One Size Fits All" framework tailor made for multinational corporations.

[anti-NAFTA]

17. I was a Gephardt supporter.

Even though I wasn't a member of this board back then. I was planning on voting for him, but he withdrew.

[w4rma]

19. Dean's position on trade is fair trade, and because he had a position

I was content with, I didn't feel the need to debate it. I also like John Edwards's position on trade (maybe moreso). I don't understand John Kerry's position on trade.

...
DEAN: No, but I have something to say about what John Edwards just said.

BORGER: John Edwards, right.

DEAN: I think the free trade agreements were justified, but the problem is we've only solved half the problem. We've globalized the rights of big corporations to do business anywhere in the world. We did not globalize human rights, labor rights and environmental rights, and we need to do that.

Now, with all due respect, I'm the only person up here who's ever balanced a budget, who's ever had the kind of agreements that we create jobs.

Here's what we need to do: One, we've got to balance the budget. People do not invest in countries that don't balance their budgets. Two, we've got to do something to help small businesses and self- employed people. Small businesses and self-employed people create 70 percent of all the new jobs in America. We do virtually nothing for them. They need help with capital. They need help with health insurance. They need help with less paperwork.

If you want jobs in America, instead of giving $3 trillion tax cuts to the wealthiest people in this country, what we ought to be doing is investing in mass transit, in schools, in renewable energy, and things that create jobs now and build infrastructure so we can have more jobs later on.

BORGER: Well, Governor, let me ask you another related question. Last week, Democrats were out there criticizing the president's economic adviser who said that outsourcing was actually good for America because it keeps prices down in this country. So would you be willing to make Americans pay higher prices for goods in order to stop sending those jobs overseas?

DEAN: Yes, I've repeatedly said that. The bad news is if we do what I want to with our trade agreement, you're going to pay higher prices at Wal-Mart because their stuff is all made in China and labor costs are going to go up in China. The benefit is, though, that you're going to keep good, high-paying jobs in the United States of America and that's what this debate is all about.
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A44506-2004Feb15?language=printer

[Atlant]

20. I appreciated Gephardt's position on trade, and...

I appreciated Gephardt's position on trade, and he gave marvelous
stump speeches, but when it came to actually *DOING* stuff in the
Congress (such as making sure Democrats members voted the right
way and were re-elected and that other new Democrats were elected
to join them), he was a "Miserable Failure".

After the loss of the Congress in 1994, he should have resigned
as Majority Leader. He finally did resign after the debacle of '02,
but the damage was done.

Sorry, although I went to hear him speak and met the gentleman, he
was never on my RADAR as a serious contender for the nomination.

Atlant