’)Rarely have I seen such an out of touch political ad.
Even if you are a free trade absolutist, this is just a bad idea politically. Americans simply do not like the idea of free trade agreements that have the effect of shipping jobs south of the border for cheap labor. In many ways its something conservatives (real conservatives, not the gilded age set that make up the punditry) hate with a passion.
If I could be assured that this ad will run in places like Ohio and Michigan I would donate to John McCain.
Where is this ad playing, I wonder. Bel Aire? Larchmont? Chevy Chase?
Even as a free trade supporter (although perhaps not an ‘absolutist’), I have a hard time seeing this as anything other than pandering to hispanics, who of course generally ignore the Republican party and are an increasingly important voting demographic.
Create more jobs in the U.S. and in Mexico, and in the rest of Latin America?
Awesome! While we’re at it, let’s create more jobs all over the whole freakin’ world, ‘kay, John? Let’s invent personal jetpacks that run on Kool-Aid and matter replicators that make chocolate doughnuts that won’t make us fat! Let’s build an elevator right to the moon!
Crazy ol’ man.
“…matter replicators that make chocolate doughnuts that won’t make us fat!”
If he could do that, I’d vote for him.
Goddamn diet.
So-called “free trade” (investor favoritism) agreements typically destroy jobs in Latin America.
That is exactly what the empirical numbers show with regard to Mexico.
Now, if we would stop insisting that our closest neighbors pursue idiotic right-wing free market fundamentalist voo-doo economic policies which destroy local jobs in favor of transnational labor division, maybe we could actually help create jobs in all 3 nations.
But, hey, why listen to all those labor unions and workers’ rights groups and community activists throughout Central and South America when you can listen to neofundamentalist economic hacks in the USA?
I just want to second C.S. Strowbridge and say that I will vote for whoever can provide me with the magic doughnuts, too. Also, same thing goes for hovering skateboards.
He is aware that people in Mexico can’t vote for him, right? I know I asked this before when he was campaigning in England and Israel.
In many ways its something conservatives (real conservatives, not the gilded age set that make up the punditry) hate with a passion.
The gilded age set are the real conservatives. It’s part of their ideology that they are specially chosen to rule, and if shipping jobs south of the border helps them keep that rule, then that’s what they will do.
The gilded age set are the real conservatives. It’s part of their ideology that they are specially chosen to rule, and if shipping jobs south of the border helps them keep that rule, then that’s what they will do.
Gross oversimplification, to be fair. ‘Conservative’ is a big and ill-defined word. ‘Guns God and Gold’ conservatives (the Ron Paul/Ayn Rand crowd) would find this statement, to put it politely, extremely objectionable.
So-called “free trade” (investor favoritism) agreements typically destroy jobs in Latin America.
That is exactly what the empirical numbers show with regard to Mexico.
This states exactly the opposite of the evidence I have seen. Granted I’d like to see a little more ‘fair trade’ mixed into the free trade policies (i.e. cost of living minimum wages), but my understanding is that for every one person free trade hurts, it helps ten (in a figurative sense). If I’m wrong I don’t mind admitting it. Would you mind throwing up a link?
He is aware that people in Mexico can’t vote for him, right?
Yes, but Latino-Americans can.
I may be moving if those high paying Mexican positions are for $40/hour lettuce pickers.
Parthenon — your ‘understanding that for every one person free trade hurts, it helps ten’ is not evidence, but a nice fairy tale. It actually drove down wages in Mexico.
People must remember that much of what is called “trade” has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with one business selling to consumers in another country, but a large corporation (or conglomerate) splitting up its labor processes so that it makes the same product or sub-product in areas where it takes advantage of the best costs. In Mexico, this led to a lot of local manufacturing jobs getting shut out in favor of transnational employers who needed fewer people and which siphoned net funds out of the local community.
From the Economic Policy Institute’s retrospective on NAFTA:
Wow. Shitty. Didn’t know that.
The Dominican Republic is in Central America now?