it’s going to take more than this . . .
On NAFTA and the debate between free trade and lost manufacturing jobs, Barack Obama is clearly trying to have it both ways, as NRO’s Byron York demonstrates (ht: Instapundit).
York concludes his article by noting “the Obama campaign’s inaccurate and misleading statements . . . and the Clinton campaign’s interest in keeping the controversy alive. The only question is whether it will do Obama any significant damage and Clinton any significant benefit.”
My feeling on the last question is no, anti-free trade rhetoric contradicted by acknowledging the benefits of NAFTA and the importance of it to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico will not do significant damage to the Obama campaign. Like it or not, Americans prefer charismatic presidents. Pointing to inconsistencies and tenuous connections to shady citizens won’t stop the Obama train. Instead, his opponents need to concentrate on the consequences of his becoming the leader of this country: higher taxes, an even greater reliance on government welfare, etc.
March 4, 2008 at 5:14 pm
[...] regarding Obama’s dishonesty on trade Earlier today I suggested the lack of consistency and candor on free trade would not significantly harm Senator [...]