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Democrats inviting global trade war

What was that about respect abroad?

FT’s Maverecon has it and the quotes are pretty clear:

There is little doubt that if the Buy American provisions of the Economic Stimulus Package were to become law, this would amount to an economic declaration of war on the rest of the world. The response of the assembled non-US finance ministers in Davos made this clear.  Retaliation from the EU countries and the rest of the world would follow swiftly.  Because this disastrous US Congressional actions follows so closely on Treasury Secretary Geithner’s declaration that China is manipulating its currency, it is essential that the Obama administration draw a clear line in the sand.  If anything like the Buy American clause inserted by the House survives in the bill president Obama gets on his desk, he must veto it.  The questionable value of the fiscal stimulus is overwhelmed by the unquestionable domestic and global harm caused by the Buy American clause.  If president Obama fails to veto a protectionism-laced bill, it will be clear that we have a wuss in the White House.  If such is the case, God help us all.

H/T Economist.

COMMENTS

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    they only meant with heavily Muslim populated Nations ;-)

    But seriously…. yes… was dumb …. all they really needed was a “preferred” that US firms be used as opposed to “requirement”…. a propaganda buy US first encouragement rather than a hard stipulation… good thing Democrats are so dumb…. Time for a Republican to put forth the “corrective language” to preserve the Liberal “feel good” point/part intent of their (Progressives) blunder and point out why Liberals cannot be trusted to RUSH (gotta hurry, can’t let anyone else read and find more stupid crap in this farce) through any legislation without our correcting it….

    Of course, I’m still completely against the entire boondoogle….

  • Alberta

    Maybe Obama actually thinks protectionism will bring more prosperity than trade.

    Isnt it fun to have a president who has no record to base our assumptions on.

    • IJB

      …That protectionism will bring them more *power*.

      And they’re probably right.

      (What they’re not factoring in is that it will ultimately make rank-and-file people *unhappy*, which may cost them power in the end…)