Vox - Steve Bannons economic nationalism is total nonsense

[TomCADem]

Isn't this article from Vox really an attack not only on Trump's economic theories, but those of anti-globalist progressives who share similar protectionist views on Trump. Indeed, Steve Bannon has tried to reach out to progressive writers to describe the common ground that Trump has with anti-trade agreement progressives like Bernie Sanders who has also been hostile to NAFTA and the TPP.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/21/16165348/steve-bannon-economic-nationalism

Former chief strategist and campaign manager Steve Bannon’s departure from the Trump White House surely does not mean an end to the demagogic racial politics in which Donald Trump has trafficked for decades.

It does, however, seem to mark the final eclipse of the notion that Trump would move beyond demagoguery and construct a vision of “nationalist” economic policy that would differ in a meaningful way from standard-issue pro-business Republicanism. Bannon, on his way out the door, appeared serious about this idea — phoning up progressive magazine editor Robert Kuttner to try to find common ground on trade policy and explain that “to me, the economic war with China is everything.”

Kuttner’s view of why this is unworkable stems from skepticism that “possible convergence of views on China trade might somehow paper over the political and moral chasm on white nationalism.”

* * *
The reality, however, is that “economic nationalism” has grave flaws as an ideology beyond Trump’s racism, lack of policy knowledge, and personal indiscipline. The idea that the United States as a whole is locked in zero-sum economic competition with other countries or that average Americans could become wealthier at the expense of foreigners is simply wrong. At best, it’s an analytical error born of bias or confusion about relative versus absolute living standards. At worst, it’s a con job — an effort to distract middle- and working-class Americans from very real questions about the domestic distribution of economic resources by casting aspersions on foreigners.

[Hoyt]

1. Interesting to see tying Trump's stance on trade with that of many progressives. I think

we will be sorry for abandoning TPP and renegotiating NAFTA.