Last night on Larry King’s hosted debate, Kucinich and Sharpton want to end free trade, period. Is this wise? Currently Wal-Mart makes up some 15% of China’s exports. Would they be discontinued and force the largest company in the states to go back to buying American when they actively contract the same things to be produced in China? I doubt it.
Kerry and Edwards offer the better option which is to get tough on the “sidebar” aspects of trade and pressure foreign countries to get serious about a cleaner environment and better wages and basic fringe benefits to help equal the playing field. In the meantime, they suggest clamping down on tax incentives for outsourcing and rewarding corporations that stay at home, being content with American blue and white collar workers with decent wages. With Bush’s lackluster record, even compromise illustrates strength.
It is difficult for me, since long ago I supported Truman’s “socialized medicine” in “48, not to empathize with single payer health care the two hopeless candidates are advocating; nonetheless, at this time, with the deficit out of control, it is virtually impossible for it to have legs — especially with “Harry and Louise” crouched in the brush. The two hopeful candidates propose a compromise and know how to pay for it; that is, for the rich to pay for it.
Journalists did it again as far as failing to balance the time by capitalizing on the “hot” gay marriage topic of the day until Kerry suggested that the debate was being controlled by Bush’s incursion of an extraneous amendment issue. Sharpton dismissed it handily by stating that the issue has nothing to do with marriage since common sense begs a human rights issue.
Everyone was, of course, expecting a battle of mighty opposites between Kerry and Edwards, but it didn’t happen because logically the campaign is tunneled simply by beating Bush. Kerry finally came up with an answer to Edward’s poor boy strategy by culling his experience in the service, interacting with ordinary guys from all walks of life and learning the problems and perspectives of middle America.
Despite the coverage of sundry issues the glaring fact remains that the overriding factor is to defeat a sitting president.
Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: February 27, 2004.