Reply #4: Gep and Dennis are right about labor, however

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I'm not sure they're best on promoting international trade or economic growth as a whole.

I support Moseley Braun, btw, who has said that her vote on NAFTA was wrong, so score one for Gep. Kerry is on my list of potential candidates, and he too has expressed some regrets about NAFTA and support for "fair trade" but you no doubt heard what he said about WTO and international trade at the Sheet Metal Workers' forum in Philly. I don't entirely agree with his positions, but he does have a point about the need for trade and the importance of having opportunities in this country to create wealth.

I'm a little worried that Dennis' vision of economic rebuilding is too focused on traditional industries, steel, auto manufacturing, etc. For instance, I would think he were a lot more visionary if his proposals for high-speed rail were explicitly promoting maglev, because I don't like the idea of subsidizing traditional steel and rail companies with projects that accomplish some public good, but not enough, imo. Well, you have to make compromises in politics, so I wouldn't say that only maglev should be funded with federal support--that would be silly--but if the goal is long-term economic growth and competitiveness in the global marketplace, then we need to look at new technologies, education, and expanding trade.

Likewise with Gep, his ideas on energy are for the most part inspiring, but doubts creep in. You know the critiques of the "hydrogen economy" (here's just one). As much as I want GM and Ford and the like to prosper, I'd almost rather imprison the ceos and nationalize the darned things rather than forking over any more boondoggle. As for the foreign competitors, well, as long as Toyota and Honda respect the right to organize and respect OSHA and other regulations (and that has been iffy in the past) it doesn't bother me that they're successful because they are innovative, and they provide jobs for Americans. So on the auto industry, I say we like sick John Edwards on them and get some accountability in the boardroom, and a genuine competitive environment. Executive malfeasance and health care costs I believe are as damaging to these industries as any foreign competition--but by all means I do favor fair trade and not competing with prison labor and child labor and the like, and on that Gep has been unwavering.

So basically I trust Gephardt and Kucinich on labor, but for economic growth, I lean towards Braun, Edwards and Kerry. Graham and Lieberman don't appeal to me, and Dean and Sharpton I'm just unsure of.