Free Trade

After a summer of fire-breathing rhetoric, John Edwards seems to be reverting to the cheerful character that Iowans loved in 2004, making it ever-harder to identify, immediately and mechanically, what he stands for. This is clearly not the case for most of his competitors from both parties. We just know...

Was Ross Perot right about the North American Free Trade Agreement and its effects on workers and immigration? That is the subject of my newest nationally syndicated newspaper column out this past Friday. This is a key question in the wake of Hillary Clinton trying to laugh off the...

Forget what the pundits and some of the elements of the Democratic corporate establishment think: John Edwards is reflecting the sentiment of Iowans when he points out the dangerous effects of globalization.

Today's Wall Street Journal tells us this:

At a John Deere plant here, bright green tractors...

Note: If you are tired of major issues like this getting no coverage in the face of a media blackout and thus you would like to see my nationally syndicated column in your local paper, see the bottom of this post on what to...

In the video above, you will find a very short clip I put together after tonight's Democratic presidential debate. Please forward the link on to as many folks as you can. Regardless of which candidate you...

Regular readers know my frustration with what I previously deemed The Great Education Myth in an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle. This myth, omnipotent in our media and political debate, states that America's problem with stagnating wages, job loss and benefits cuts is a problem of education. If...

We are watching something truly absurd - and that says a lot for the generally absurd realm of American politics.

Earlier this week, we saw Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) promise to call a "time out" on passing NAFTA-style trade deals if she is elected...

Hillary Clinton thinks Iowans are stupid - very stupid. Here's what I'm talking about.

TODAY:

"Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton says she wants to take a close look at foreign trade deals. She says she'll call a 'time out' on trade agreements if she wins the White House.'" - Associated...

There's something happening in Iowa - something that the media has not yet fully caught onto. Ever so quietly, economic populism may be trumping the importance of campaign bank accounts and celebrity in both parties. Ever so quietly, two candidates emulating the best of Huey Long's legacy are emerging as...

It wasn't a surprise but it is still disappointing that the so-called "free trade" deal with Peru passed the House yesterday--and, unfortunately, with too many Democrats voting for the deal. We missed a teachable moment--a moment to reframe the debate on trade relations with other countries. Here's what the Democratic...

Under intense pressure from opponents in the 2008 presidential race and a building national fair trade movement, Sen. Hillary Clinton tonight finally disclosed her position on a Bush administration-backed bill to expand the NAFTA trade model that passed the U.S. House today and is now moving to the U.S. Senate....

This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Peru Free Trade Agreement - the first bill designed to expand the NAFTA trade model. The bill was not supported by any major labor, anti-poverty, human rights, religious or consumer protection advocacy group. And yet even though Democrats were given...

The Hill Newspaper reports that the House Democratic leadership unexpectedly delayed the expected vote tonight on the Peru Free Trade Agreement - the agreement that expands the NAFTA trade model. The delay seems designed to give the leadership time to attempt to round up enough votes to get a...

Harold Meyerson's column in The Washington Post today is a terrific read -- and got me thinking about just how unprincipled and smarmy Hillary Clinton really is on this one. You'll notice Meyerson reports that "Clinton has yet to take a position" on the NAFTA expansion that will be...

Lots of big news as we approach this week's expected vote on the Peru Free Trade Agreement - the first of the secretly-crafted, lobbyist-written agreements that expands the job-killing, wage-destroying NAFTA trade model into South America. You can use this tool to contact your...

Bloomberg News tonight reports that President Bush will be stumping this week with Fortune 500 CEOs to pressure Democrats to pass the Peru Free Trade Agreement - a deal that expands NAFTA into South America. Bush is simultaneously threatening to veto a bill to provide aid to workers...

This press release just came across the transom...looks like America's NAFTA-style trade policy is taking center stage in the presidential contest and shocker - Hillary Clinton is trying to hide.

Here's the release:

EDWARDS: SENATOR CLINTON MUST TAKE A STAND ON PERU TRADE DEAL

Chapel Hill, North Carolina -...