Obama + NAFTA = ???

[integratedvelocity]

Obama campaign mum on NAFTA contact with Canada (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

The dangerous protectionism of Barack Obama (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

Obama and Populism (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

The Financial Times: Candidates rebuked for attacks on Nafta (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

When I came across a post on my economics professor's blog about Obama's remarks about NAFTA, I was more than a little disturbed. I'm curious about what all of you think about this bit of absurd protectionism.

Also, what's not to love about populism? I know that I want profitable businesses to pay higher taxes so I get better unemployment benefits when I can't find a job after college because they decided not to hire more employees...

[futureperfect5]

First, I don't know what you are talking about ...
it doesn't matter.

The way you wrote: "Obama + NAFTA = ???"
grabbed my attention.

This is how I want to respond.
Yes, there are huge ???s or uncertainties about this campaign.
More than I have ever seen in American politics.
I don't think that the uncertainty and lack of clarity (from all of the candidates) is about them -- or, about us ... I think that it is the dawn of the technological singularity.

Uncertainty, so much information, people scrambling (reaching even) for something to say now that would make sense even as little as a year into the future.

The economy is shifting and fluctuating wildly.

Yes, I agree on Obama and NAFTA and practically everything in the back or front of our minds as being ???able.

More directly to your point, I was out of the country when NAFTA came about ... no one seemed to understand it. Not much has changed, in my view.

I am thinking of floating North, personally.

[Theodoric]

Also, what's not to love about populism? I know that I want profitable businesses to pay higher taxes so I get better unemployment benefits when I can't find a job after college because they decided not to hire more employees...

Yes lets tax corporations even more! What a great plan! It will lead to higher costs of doing business, which in turn will lead to higher prices, inflation, decreased wages, corporations leaving the country to escape these higher taxes, increased unemployment, and...oh wait...

Trade protectionism is in all reality not a plausible solution. NAFTA really only did one thing and that was increase the number of illegal immigrants, I mean guest workers, in the US. The jobs that people thought were going to go south, Mexico, really only moved West (or East, depending on your view), China. Ending NAFTA won't do much to bring back jobs to the US and increased taxation of corporations does little to influence their policies. They merely pass those costs on to consumers.

The only way for trade protectionism to work is to completely shut off the country from foreign imports. This will only lead to decreased competition, higher prices, and less choice for consumers. Also, it sets the precedent for other countries to engage in trade protectionism, thereby shutting out American exports which in turn will lead to fewer and fewer markets for American goods which then in turn leads to lower production and higher unemployment.

Obama attacking NAFTA is more of a symbolic gesture than anything else. It panders to trade unions to get their support while subsequently attacking his opponent, Hillary Clinton, by proxy. Its like a two for one deal!

[futureperfect5]

Obama campaign mum on NAFTA contact with Canada (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

The dangerous protectionism of Barack Obama (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

Obama and Populism (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

The Financial Times: Candidates rebuked for attacks on Nafta (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

:thinking: Ok, assuming this is true to whatever extent and thinking generally and universally about "protectionism" ... Sure, I will comment:
1 - Despite any other sum of demographics that "label:" Obama , or anyone else, his view of the world is (as with most people -- not as much INTJs) experiential ... he is driven and has motivation which result from his surroundings.
2 - Obama might be in the liberal camp and perceived as from the liberal party. However, he is a conservative mid-western raised male. let's party 'til we drop men. I am afraid it is something of a stereotype.]
3 - The regional culture which tends to have a "scarcity" mindset is probably the culprit. Actually, not only regional -- pretty typical from most farming and heavily rural areas who are seeing there economies hard-hit since, maybe since the 80s. Obama's core constituents and the people that he needs to reach to for support, have issues with the (somewhat vague) idea of NAFTA.