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Obama Failing on Trade Policy

Published 11/07/09 Dustin Ensinger - Print Article
E-mail - editor@economyincisis.org

President Obama's pragmatic, nuanced and compromising approach to handling tough issues is drawing sharp rebukes from both the left and the right for his administration’s trade policy - or lack thereof - thus far.   

Critics on the right are slamming the president for failing to move forward with previously negotiated free trade agreements.  Under the Bush administration, trade agreements were negotiated with South Korea, Columbia and Panama.  The Obama administration has said that before signing the agreements, they plan to rework them. 

"If you go to class, college, and you don't do anything, you get an F," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told Reuters last week.   

At the same time, critics on the left are claiming that the administration is simply carrying on a continuation of the Bush administration’s trade policies.   

“President Barack Obama is under increasing pressure from House Democrats to chart a new course for international trade talks,” The Hill reports.  “…They want labor rules to be strengthened and new rules in the trade of services to be dropped, particularly in the aftermath of the financial crisis.” 

Liberal House Democrats have introduced a slew of anti-free trade legislation that the president has yet to support, causing some to believe that the administration’s rhetoric on the campaign trail regarding trade was simply that. 

“Why would we be moving forward on a trade agreement negotiated by President Bush during a time when our economy is struggling? This makes no sense whatsoever. It does not represent a new model on trade. It represents a recycled model that doesn’t work," Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME) told POLITICO’s Ben Smith earlier this year  

This truth, however, lies somewhere between the two extremes.

In recent months, Obama has imposed steep tariffs on imports of Chinese tires, and continually pushed for stricter enforcement of existing trade agreements at the World Trade Organization.  In addition, he has yet to support the previously negotiated Bush free trade agreements, and supported the “buy American” clause in the $787 billion stimulus package.   

On the other hand, he has backtracked on his campaign pledge to renegotiate the North American Free Trade agreement to ensure that it includes enforceable environmental and safety standards.  Obama has also failed to support current common sense fair trade legislation, such as the TRADE Act sponsored by Michaud, and was instrumental in watering down the “buy American” clause. 

Click here to contact your Representative in Congress.

Unless the above article is already copyrighted, this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License, EIC grants permission to use this article in whole or in part provided attribution is given, preferably in the form of a link back to EconomyInCrisis.org.

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Article Comments From Readers

guest says "Just what I thought" on 11/08/09
No offense big guru but you didn't answer the question.

Show me a some of credible evidence that Obama has at least tried to keep even one campaign promise. And the best you did was, "I think he wants that Health Care Bill really bad."

Obama is a tool of Wall Street. He's Bush in brown skin.

biguru says "Health Care" on 11/07/09
I think, Obama wants that Health Care Bill really bad. If that passes, he can retire, make great speeches and let the Republicans destroy the country - what is left.

On the otherhand, if that Bill passes, he could come back with a second wind.

If Obama would have been a businessman instead of being a Lawyer, he could have fixed our economy. As it is, he gets conflicting advise from Economists that have never produced even a Paper Airplane in their life.

May be we expected too much! Dumb and Dumber, which one you want?

guest says "Bush in brown skin" on 11/07/09
Gitmo is not closed. We're not coming out of Iraq by June 2010. According to credible reports we still torture and operate prisons in torture friendly countries. Lobbyists are working at WH. 91% of of all the new money went directly to banks. 9% to people. Don't even get me started on health care reform.

And now you tell me Barrack Obama lied to us about trade too. Oh my.

Just curious. Has the Obama Administration made any credible effort toward achieving even one of candidate Obama's promises?

biguru says "Lobbyst" on 11/07/09
The guest is right. My personal experience is that you can not talk to your senator without going through a Lobbyst. Even the senator's aides are surrounded by the Lobbyists as gate keepers. Such powerful influence color the judgement of the aides who provide the advisory to the Congressmen who are mostly Lawyers and have no idea on any subject except "must raise more money ... must raise more money...for the next election".

This is what happens when an empire is at the end of the road.

biguru says "Lawyers" on 11/07/09
"If you go to class, college, and you don't do anything, you get an F," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told Reuters last week.

Too many Lawyers in the Congress that have no concept of Production, Trade or Economic Value of a country. Even Obama is a lawyer looking at the language of the Policy rather than what effect this has on our society.

When Cavemen are the leaders of our 21st Century society, the result is a crap shoot, a hit and miss proposition and lately it is more miss than hit.

guest says "Obama trade policy is influenced by lobbyist" on 11/07/09
Looking at Obama recent trade decisions, it is obvious he is influenced by lobbyist. The US trade with others will worsen. Perhaps Obama is thinking of improving the deficit by trading less and printing more money. He possiblt thought this will reduced the deficit
by importing less and manipulate the USD to be plunging in value. In doing so, he probably hope that he is focusing and hoping the consumer in US itself will pull the US out of recession.