The American Spectator

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The Public Policy

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Hillary Clinton boasts about the robust U.S. economy of the 1990s as evidence of sound economic stewardship, yet she and Obama now reject the free-trade policies that were an integral part of that record.

In contrast to Democratic backpeddling, Republican front runner John McCain has grasped the free-trade banner. Sen. McCain, like all recent Democratic and Republican presidents, understands that embracing global markets is key to America's future prosperity. McCain has compiled one of the strongest free-trade voting records in the Senate, while Obama and Clinton have usually voted against trade liberalization.

Democratic opposition to NAFTA and free trade is not driven by any real facts on the ground, but by special interest politics. Led by the Teamsters and the AFL-CIO, organized labor blames trade for declining membership, even though the share of American workers belonging to unions has been eroding steadily since the 1950s.

Backtracking on NAFTA and other trade agreements will not restore a previous era of glory to organized labor or Youngstown, Ohio. It will only slow America's own economic progress while unnecessarily alienating our closest neighbors.

topics:
Trade, John McCain, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Environment, Law, Unions