Posted on 03/11/2008 9:33:27 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain criticized his Democratic rivals on Tuesday for pledging to renegotiate a hemispheric trade treaty that Democrats blame for U.S. manufacturing job losses.
At a town-hall meeting in St. Louis, the Arizona senator also called for the Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress to approve a free-trade treaty with Colombia that is being stymied on Capitol Hill.
"On trade, I'm a free trader," McCain told employees at Savvis Internet company, a session dominated by questions about the ailing U.S. economy.
McCain, the likely Republican nominee to run in the November election, is spending the week hop-scotching across several states raising money for his cash-strapped campaign ahead of a trip to the Middle East and Europe next week.
McCain, going to Jerusalem, London and Paris as part of a congressional delegation, said he would talk to NATO allies about Afghanistan and the need to do a better job in fighting the return of the Taliban.
He said he would reaffirm relationships he has with leaders there but would not intervene in U.S. efforts to arrange peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
"I just don't think it's appropriate for me to do so. But I certainly will be brought up to date and made aware of the, frankly, deterioration of the situation," he said.
In recent weeks, both Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have increased their criticism of the North American Free Trade Agreement linking the U.S. economy with those of Canada and Mexico.
They pledged to pull the United States out of the NAFTA agreement if Mexico and Canada did not agree to renegotiate it. Critics blame NAFTA, China's accession to the World Trade Organization and other trade agreements for many of the roughly 3 million manufacturing jobs the United States has lost since 2000.
"I do not believe in isolationism and protectionism," McCain said. "We've got to stop this protectionist NAFTA-bashing."
The Bush administration -- noting that U.S. manufacturing output and exports set records last year -- argues that increased worker productivity and advances in manufacturing technology account for many of the lost jobs.
U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab argues NAFTA had been good for all three countries and warned reopening it could backfire on the United States.
McCain said promoting green technologies would help the U.S. economy rebound from manufacturing job losses.
"The moral of the story is, my friends, is we're not going back to the old manufacturing base of the economy," he said.
You assume it won't? LOL!
It wont as long as overseas markets remain closed to American business
We exported $1.162 trillion in stuff last year. Trade deals will help us export even more.
I know for a fact that the Japanese auto market is closed to most American cars...look at the trade deficit. How can you argue with a straight face that American business isn’t being crushed by Free Trade/unfair trade. No, I don’t think cutting corporate taxes will help American workers. The trickle down effect doesn’t work when jobs are outsourced overseas.
The price of food always matters. Do you miss the days when we had half our workforce employed in agriculture? Were the good old days when the average American worked 14 hours a day tilling a field just to scrape by and then had to rely on his large family to provide for his retirement? Yeah, those were good times.
My problem is with NAFTA and other trade deals that take jobs from Americans.
We've absorbed millions of illegals since NAFTA and still have an unemployment rate less than 5%. We're the most competitive economy in the world and serve as the locomotive for the world economy. Fourteen years after NAFTA and we're still the envy of the world. You're going to have a hard time convincing anyone who knows anything about economics that NAFTA has been bad for our economy.
This is going to be a big issue in the coming election, and John McCain is on the wrong side
Sure, that's why we had Pat Buchanan and Dick Gephardt as presidents. Even Obama is smart enough to give Canada the nudge and wink. Economic populism may work well in certain states for the dem's target market but it doesn't amount to much once the election is over. No one wants to have to explain the higher prices, fewer choices, increased unemployment and economic malaise that protectionism brings.
Buchannan ran before the bad effects of NAFTA and other trade policies were known. McCain is running in a year when most Americans (even conservatives at FR) have realize that trade as practiced now is a disaster. McCain will lose and probably on the NAFTA issue the way the electoral maps is drawn.
We should work to open these markets to American exports. Doesn't change the fact that we exported over $1 trillion last year.
How can you argue with a straight face that American business isnt being crushed by Free Trade/unfair trade.
Obviously free trade is the reason why our GDP is only $13 trillion. LOL!
No, I dont think cutting corporate taxes will help American workers.
Millions of small business making goods for Americans in America with American workers won't be helped by lower taxes? I believe your union connections have melted your tiny brain.
The trickle down effect doesnt work when jobs are outsourced overseas.
You've overestimated the number of American businesses that outsource their production.
Are the bad effects of NAFTA the reason he got so many votes in 2000? LOL!
No I haven’t overestimated outsourced jobs...many parts manufacturers have moved overseas or gone out of business. We don’t work to open markets. We reward WTO violations with good contracts such as the EADS contract. Sorry- I don’t like McCain-not conservative enough-but any chance he had for my vote (I have waffled ) is gone with his stance on Trade. We are about to hit a serious recession with serious unemployment. Many of those out of work are in the manufacturing sector-I can’t imagine a worse scenario for McCain or a worst time to assert his support of NAFTA and free trade as is practiced now.
Really? Cut, run, lose and embolden terrorists all over the world vs. stay and win? I'm sure that contrast won't interest the voting public. LOL.
The economy and NAFTA are big issues. McCain will lose Ohio because of his ill advised comments in this post and will lose the election.
McCain's in favor of lower taxes, less regulation, smaller government, less government control of the economy and for more freedom in general. As a conservative, do you think that's a losing message?
2000 is a lifetime away...this is a different election in a country facing the loss of millions of good manufacturing jobs and a recession. McCain is clueless-living in the past.
Capitalism = private property.
Socialism/big government = government ownership of property.
How many jobs have been outsourced since NAFTA?
Sorry- I dont like McCain-not conservative enough
I agree.
but any chance he had for my vote (I have waffled ) is gone with his stance on Trade.
Shucks, he had such a good chance in New York.
We are about to hit a serious recession with serious unemployment.
Maybe.
Many of those out of work are in the manufacturing sector-
How many?
I cant imagine a worse scenario for McCain or a worst time to assert his support of NAFTA and free trade as is practiced now.
The "Bigger Government Now" sector of the electorate already have their candidates in Hillary and Obama.
This is not John McCain you talk about. He voted against the Bush tax cuts,is for green laws (lots of new regulation there), assaulted free speech with McCain/Feingold and wants to give up our sovereignty (McCain-Kennedy). He is no conservative.
However, I am saying that the voters of Ohio are concerned with one thing-jobs. They blame NAFTA for the loss of manufacturing and will not vote for a free trader period. McCain can not win without Ohio. Thus he is toast.
It was 7 years after NAFTA and still Pat couldn't get elected. LOL!
McCain is clueless-living in the past.
Higher taxes and tariffs, for the future!!!
Uh, huh. Today I'm sure he'd get more than 0.0045% of the vote. ROFL!
McCain is running in a year when most Americans (even conservatives at FR) have realize that trade as practiced now is a disaster.
What metrics are you using to come to this conclusion -- other than your feelings?
McCain will lose and probably on the NAFTA issue the way the electoral maps is drawn
McCain could lose for a lot of reasons but NAFTA will be very low on the list.
I live in Wisconsin. My husband is from New York...we shared this name for a while. He ultimately got a new tag. I kept it in honor of 9-11. We were all New Yorkers then.
Look if you can’t look at the situation with trade honestly-Free trade is not popular. Even in Texas where one could argue there has been some benefit...they were more than 50 % against it. If McCain run on this platform, he will lose.
Wisconsin and New York? That helps explain your socialist leanings.
I disagree. Trade is a big issue this year. A recession is looming. The Dems will trash McCain using free trade. This will have an impact.
I lived the last 10 years in Woodstock Georgia...we don’t even have Democrats running in most elections. We moved to Wisconsin-job transfer- in August 2007. I worked on Saxby Chambliss’s campaign in fact.
As for socialism, I think the loss of manufacturing jobs will usher in socialism...health care, unemployment etc. I don’t want that. However, we risk losing our battle with the Dems over socialism by supporting free trade policies-short term profits are not always really profits.
I never said he was a conservative. He is however, the only person standing between us and Obama/Clinton. I don't know about you but the choice for me is pretty easy.
However, I am saying that the voters of Ohio are concerned with one thing-jobs.
They need look no further than their own unions and the state and local governments for the reasons for their situation.
They blame NAFTA for the loss of manufacturing and will not vote for a free trader period.
Then economic illiteracy exists in Ohio just like it does on FR.
McCain can not win without Ohio. Thus he is toast
You don't mind if I remain optimistic about my country and it's future, do you?
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