Trotting Out The “Grownup” Argument

Created: April 9th, 2008 | Written By: Dustin

There are only two types of people that think playing the “grownup” card will win an argument.

  1. Parents scolding their rebellious and irresponsible children. This is a legitimate use.
  2. Pundit blowhards. Not so much.

I’d say that this latest piece by The Wall Street Journal, “The New Liberal Taboo“, falls squarely into the latter category. Apparently the “grownups” at the WSJ have a problem with the fact that it’s not kosher in Democratic circles to support free trade with a nation with the worst anti-unionist human rights record on the planet.

What a spectacle. It is now respectable for Democrats to assert, even to welcome, military defeat. But if a Presidential campaign functionary so much as hints at support for free trade, he’s banished to policy exile. […] That’s the meaning of Sunday’s sacking of strategist Mark Penn from Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

[…]

The grownups in both campaigns realize that free trade is good for the country, yet they must take a vow of public silence.

As recently as the 1990s, Bill Clinton’s support for free trade was seen as a sign of his economic centrism and that he understood global competitive realities. In the 2008 campaign, free trade has become the primary Democratic taboo.

What the WSJ is conveniently forgetting is that Colombia isn’t some peace-loving backwater looking for a break. They are, in fact, a ruthless regime actively opposed to unions and who turn a blind eye when union organizers are murdered for their efforts: Read more

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Sphere: Related Content

From The Trade Policy, Unions department.