Ian Fletcher

It's no secret American manufacturing is in crisis, and that its problems form a significant component of our present economic mess. I've written before about how the Obama administration may (may!) be starting to get serious about the problem.

Another small but significant data point on the question...

America has been waiting a long time for the Obama administration to get serious about the problems of our manufacturing sector.

Finally, there has been a small sign that the corner may -- may -- be turning. Let's take a look at a speech recently given by Gene...

Ron Paul, even among his detractors, enjoys a reputation for being a man of clear and consistent principle. Perhaps on some issues he is. But the more I study his positions on free trade, the more the one word that comes to mind is... disingenuous.

What does Rep. Paul have...

Rick Santorum seems to be (if the bloom isn't off by the time this article comes out) the latest anybody-but-Romney Flavor of the Week, so it's work taking a look at his economic ideas.

I know, I know: he's got some interesting, er, cultural baggage. But I'll leave that to...

It's no secret the pot is boiling a bit again with respect to America's trade-induced economic problems. Or, more properly, free-trade induced, as neither I nor any other protectionist I know is against trade per se. Or, to be even more precise, "free"-trade induced, because free trade isn't really free...

Here I am in a video interview with documentary filmmaker Greg Thanos on what's wrong with free trade:

If there's one thing everyone in America knows, it's that free-market economics is true and free markets are best.

After all, we're not Communists, are we? They starved and lost the Cold War because they believed otherwise. And their watered-down European cousins, the socialists? More of the same, only less...

Anyone who's still in a state of denial about the thesis implied by the title of this article can stop reading right here. I'll just assume it's obvious enough that we can take it as a given. My intention here is neither to bemoan nor to gloat; my job doesn't...

At least one Republican presidential candidate (Roemer) is actually good on trade issues. At least one (Romney) may be at least o-kay if he really means what he says. At least one (Cain) is an odd mix of very good and very bad. And...

I'm going to turn most of my column today over to a friend of mine, Richard McCormack of Manufacturing & Technology News, who has written an exceptionally important article.

Basically, after years of making economic decisions that we were warned were short-termist, the long term has finally arrived. The failure...

Will America ever learn?

No, I guess not.

After the failed promises of NAFTA, a job-destroying trade deficit that has burgeoned despite a long series of free-trade agreements, and ever-more-aggressive foreign mercantilism, we're plowing ahead with even more of these agreements.

Fresh from passing the Colombia, Korea, and Panama free...

The U.S. continues to lurch down the rubble-strewn path of free-trade fantasy economics, signing yet more trade agreements (Panama, Colombia, Korea) when the ones we already have haven't delivered as promised.

Why?

One big part of the reason, I think, is that the public has been brainwashed...

I have detailed in previous articles my search for a Republican presidential candidate who is good on trade issues. The candidates range from the pro-China Huntsman, to the corrupt and naïve Perry, to those who sound good but leave unclear where they really stand, like Cain,...

I've just seen one of Mitt Romney's new campaign commercials, here, or watch it below.

Romney's emerging economic strategy is clear: blame China. Not only does this get the heat off of GOP-linked (yes, I know) constituencies like Wall Street, it also skewers the administration, which has played appeaser to Beijing.

Some might call this a cynical case of scapegoating. Comparisons to the old red scare and yellow peril will doubtless be forthcoming.

But this raises an interesting question: Is scapegoating still scapegoating when the scapegoat is guilty? The Chinese economic threat is hardly imaginary, unless one still believes in the Pollyanna "free" (as if!) trade economic fantasies of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Cato Institute, and the Wall Street Journal.

I wrote before about what Romney and the Republican establishment may be up to here: pivoting to economic nationalism as the only rightist economic ideology that is still viable in this country. On some level, I think that this establishment knows that it's either that or be swept away in some leftist deluge, even if not an immediate one.

As I noted in this article and this one, the datapoints on Romney's true intentions are unclear. But the picture does seem to be firming a little, as the more he stays on this trope, the harder it will be to walk away from it if...

As I've noted before, Mitt Romney has given some indications that he may be serious about doing something about America's trade mess. He's made tough statements about dealing with China which, if sincere, would not only put him beyond the other major Republican candidates on trade, but also...

The Senate yesterday passed S.1619, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act. (Click here for the bill's text.)

Although this bill isn't a slam-bang solution to the problem of foreign currency manipulation (especially by China), it's a big step in the right direction.

This bill...

Maybe Herman Cain, the latest boomlet in the Republican presidential race, will be elected president. Or maybe his 15 minutes of fame have just arrived.

Either way, it behooves us to see what he thinks about America's trade mess.

There are some encouraging signs. For a start, here's...

This Monday, Obama submitted the long-pending Colombia, Panama, and South Korea free trade agreements to Congress. White House chief of staff William Daley has promised to pass them by the end of the month.

Guess the need for campaign cash finally caught up with the administration.

Honestly, I didn't have...

You know something is up when even the Republicans are angry at Wall Street.

Republican presidential candidate Buddy Roemer, former governor of Louisiana, just released the following statement to the press:

Governor Roemer stands by Occupy Wall Street Movement

As I continue touring college campuses throughout...

Disappointment is a bipartisan game.

Most conservatives realized by the end of George W. Bush's term that he was a political faker. Sure, he put on a nice conservative act, but his record in office -on spending, immigration, and other issues dear to the conservative heart--made clear...