The Democrats and Trade

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It seems the Democrats have, for the time being, coalesced around a skeptical position regarding free trade. How long will it last? We'll see.

The trade debate called to mind a much earlier presidential campaign, and a classical moment in presidential speechwriting. Running for president in 1932, Franklin Roosevelt was faced with an intra-party debate over a trade tariff. Presented with competing drafts of a trade speech -- one that advocated a 10 percent across-the-board cut in the tariff, the other favoring bilateral trade deals.

As I recount in White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters, FDR seemed to read the closely peruse the two drafts before looking up at Raymond Moley, his top speechwriter, and giving the impossible instruction: "weave the together." (FDR's final speech leaned against free trade.)

Roosevelt would not be the last president to use the "weave the two together" dictum. But for more ... you'll have to read the book.