It's Not Just the Democrats Who Oppose Trade

From Sunday's Washington Post, a good article ("Grand Old Protectionists") about how it's not just the Lou Dobbs Democrats who oppose free trade, the Republicans also often oppose free trade. It's always about the politics of trade, and never about the economics of trade.

"It's not a left-right split. Since 2000, Bush Republicans have done as much as Democrats, if not more, to erect trade barriers and tariffs. Republicans have done great damage to the cause of free trade in the past several years. Republicans have done great damage to the cause of free trade in the past several years. For example, in March 2002, Bush proudly passed tariffs of 8 percent to 30 percent on most steel imports for three years."

Steel tariffs were purely 100% politics, to advance the Republican cause in formerly Democratic strongholds of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia at the expense of the companies and workers in industries nationwide that consume steel. The WTO ruled the tariffs illegal, and Bush was forced to end steel tariffs early in December 2003.

From the Wash Post article, "Today, the protectionist gene may no longer be dominant among Republicans, but it's still an important part of the GOP's DNA."

From P.J. O'Rourke: "When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators."

It seems like the Republican politicians can be "bought and sold" by the special interests of domestic industries (e.g. steel) to impose protectionism just as often as the Lou Dobbs Democrats can. When it comes to buying votes with protectionism, politicians are politicians.