Quote:
Originally posted by sgtclub
Hooey. Pat Buchanon lost. So did Gephart. Edwards got smoked. This far left enclave that you and Atticus live in is just that, and not representative of where 95% of America is today.
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I'm not so sure about your last sentence. You may be right that most Americans feel that way, but I doubt it's anywhere near 95%. Reagan, et al. did load of unilateral protectionism in the 1980s, and the U.S. government will do it again if the political pressure is strong enough.
How else do you explain the steel tariffs or farm bill? (For example.) What about the sanctions that the EU just placed on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of U.S. goods (with the WTO's permission) because of the disparate tax treatment the U.S. gives to income earned by U.S. companies overseas -- which the Congress just can't seem to fix despite the WTO decision and plenty of lead time?
Moreover, what will the public opinion numbers look like in six months or a year if the jobs markets don't turn upwards and outsourcing continues to grow?
You can say all you want about how the employment numbers are pretty good from a historical perspective. My first response is that this is probably a little deceptive, because I think some things are happening that are tough to measure.
The second, and most important response is: "So What?" People have higher expectations now, and that's what matters politically. "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" etc. Lots of people feel like they aren't.
S_A_M
[edited -- typos]
