The Wall Street Journal Ed page celebrates "A Free Trade Majority" as free trade agreements passed easily for Chile (270-156) and Singapore (272-155). Great news and especially notable as:
Seventy-five Democrats deserve credit for voting in favor of both pacts, including two top Members of the House leadership, Nancy Pelosi (California) and Steny Hoyer (Maryland). Dick Gephardt, chasing Howard Dean to the left, notably joined the 128 Democratic opponents; so much for the hope that he was revisiting his trade position as he aims for the White House. If he somehow wins the Democratic nomination for President, Mr. Gephardt would be the most protectionist major party candidate since Hoover.Posted by jk at July 30, 2003 02:24 PM
As for Republicans, no fewer than 195 voted with their President. The 27 who opposed him included the usual suspects from Southeastern textile states and Northeast liberals who answer to unions. The number of genuine GOP protectionists of the Pat Buchanan stripe could fit into a phone booth. All in all, a good show, and an optimistic portent for the Latin American and global trade pacts to come.
I saw recently where "Little" Dick Gephardt was expected to get the endorsement of the AFL-CIO. No way that happens if he votes to diminish union monopoly power over labor in this country. I wondered how such a dull, misguided, lifeless, backwards, boring politician could be among the front runners for the Democrat nominee. Aside from the fact that most or all of these descriptions fit all of the 9 dwarves, and being a front runner amongst them is a mean accomplishment, he has all of those bought-and-paid-for votes from "Big Labor."
Please enlighten me, oh eloquent one, why you pick on poor President Hoover. What did he do to garner the preeminent protectionist label?
Posted by: johngalt at July 31, 2003 10:21 PMWell, he signed Smoot-Hawley! Columbia Encyclopedia does seem to think he was forced by Congress but as I always Give President Clinton credit for signing NAFTA, I must similarly distribute opprobrium to Mr. Hoover.
"1930, passed by the U.S. Congress; it brought the U.S. tariff to the highest protective level yet in the history of the United States. President Hoover desired a limited upward revision of tariff rates with general increases on farm products and adjustment of a few industrial rates. A congressional joint committee, however, in compromising the differences between a high Senate tariff bill and a higher House tariff bill, arrived at new high rates by generally adopting the increased rates of the Senate on farm products and those of the House on manufactures. Despite wide protest, the tariff act, called the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act because of its joint sponsorship by Representative Willis C. Hawley and Senator Reed Smoot, both Republicans, was signed (June, 1930) by President Hoover. The act brought retaliatory tariff acts from foreign countries, U.S. foreign trade suffered a sharp decline, and the depression intensified."
http://www.bartleby.com/65/ha/HawleySm.html for those playing along with the home version... Am I being too tough?
Posted by: jk at August 1, 2003 11:12 AM