Clark: I Am Not in Favor of "Free" Trade

[DoveTurnedHawk]

On tonight's Draft Clark conference call, General Clark said very clearly that he did not favor "free" trade, as he did not think corporations should benefit at the expense of workers. He said that if we deal with other countries, they absolutely had to have similar labor and environmental standards, that countries in other parts of the world could not exploit their workers in order to obtain a competitive advantage over America.

He said that he would absolutely put a stop to this by demanding similar labor and environmental standards, or else there would be no "free" trade.

I was happy to hear this, as it demonstrates a much more clear commitment to workers' rights.

DTH

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

1. When do I get my fee?

Clark's campaign should be paying me for this, god-damn it!

[DoveTurnedHawk]

4. Hell, I'll Buy You Dinner and Many Drinks

I was so thrilled to hear it. :D

DTH

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

10. look at the record

I dare anyone - read my posts on DU about Clark, and then watch as a week or two later some new "annoucement" comes from Clark fans on DU following my advice on how to co-opt the left, half the time direct quotes.

I feel dirty, but I'm not even getting paid. I don't like it anymore. I want a ring (read: paycheck).

Seriously, search the record, I'm not kidding. DU is little more than a big focus group anyway, and Clark is a sharp guy who fine-tunes his rhetoric based largely on feedback from forums like this. He'll go Republican during the general election to pick up the "swingers" but right now he needs us. I've noticed all the "I love Kucinich, but Clark is my second choice" posters lately (snicker) - here's a piece of FREE advice, Clark staff - a little bit of subtlety goes a LONG way ...

Drinks and dinner? Manhattan, next Tuesday the 13? Somewhere very expensive, please (Clark did make all that money from Acxiom ... can you guys do something about my credit report too?)

[DoveTurnedHawk]

13. I'm on the Other Coast

But hell, next time I'm out there, or next time you're out here in LA, you're on, you pick the restaurant, if for no other reason than you're a cool dude. :D

DTH

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

14. that's sweet, dear, but I have my future to think about...

I need more of a commitment ... surely you, DoveTurnedHawk, have a few eligible friends in the Clark campaign? A boy has to eat you know ... and since Clark wants to send my current job to India, I could sure use another one ...

[DoveTurnedHawk]

15. LOL!

Hey, I love Indian food.

:evilgrin:

DTH

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

16. Hell has no fury ...

... like WhoCountsTheVotes scorned. I'm willing to overlook disrespect for cash. No, I'm not kidding.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

18. You're Not Kidding?

Well, I'm not really sure what to say, then. Clark isn't taking his policy points from you, I have certainly enjoyed discussing things with you mostly because I agree with you on many issues, but I have no direct access to Clark and, unlike you, apparently, I really don't believe Clark or his policy guys hang out on DU looking for inspiration.

I think you'd be awesome working in the right job in any Democratic administration, personally. And if any random DUer's reference would help, I'd be happy to give you an excellent one. But to be honest, I'm not sure what good I'd be able to do. I'm just a volunteer. A dedicated, somewhat well-connected locally, volunteer, but just a volunteer nevertheless.

The offer of dinner and drinks stands, though. :-)

DTH

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

19. oh, I have no illusions of love DTH

I doubt "Clark or his policy guys hang out on DU looking for inspiration" either, but his campaign staff sure as hell do ... and if they don't than I greatly underestimated his campaign staff.

DU has a larger audience than the Iowa debates.

I like you too DoveTurnedHawk, and I admit I've had day-dreams that you were in the loop as opposed to just another random fan, so pardon me if I ignore you as I wave a hankerchief for someone who has purchasing authority from some of that Madonna contribution ... woo-hoo! (waving hankerchief) ... :hi: :) :evilgrin: :bounce:

[robbedvoter]

2. Thanks. I was there - glad you posted this.

[Democrats unite]

3. Every thing I hear from Clark...

Is sweet music to my ears.

[Dagaz]

5. Damn

There isn't a country who got itself out of poverty without trading in the world. I just can't imagine how a country like el salvador for example can improve without trading with the US.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

6. They Can Definitely Improve

They just need to make sure they do it without trampling on their workers.

DTH

[Dagaz]

9. In what Industries can they improve?

I really think that it's not Imperialist to introduce modern industry to impoverished countries.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

20. depends on how it's introduced

if you steal a communities farmland and leave them no option but to work at your factory in squalid conditions with little pay, I'd call that "imperialist" or at least "bad".

Of course, most poor people would be happy to have a decent job.

[mouse7]

7. That's Dean's position, too

Both claiming to nibble around the edges without chucking the agreements.

I think the WTO and NAFTA need to be shackled to lead ingots and catapulted into the Marianas Trench.

[Hawkeye-X]

8. Then I would like to know why Clark said this, and I quote:

on the Iowa presidential debate on 11/24/03:

CLARK: We want to be ahead of the software revolution. Let them do the software in India; we'll do other things in this country.

And I am an IT professional, and I certainly do not wish to see software jobs exported outside of the country.

Clark is wrong then, and he's still wrong now.

Hawkeye-X

[Virginian]

12. Me too

I am also an IT professional. At least I was until an H1-B dependent company was able to underbid my company for a government contract.
I have been out of work since April.

I wish I knew what "other things" he had in mind. I would work toward getting a job doing "other things."

It used to irritate me when they used to say to the displaced blue collar workers, "get an education, learn a trade..." That reasoning doesn't work with IT workers.
I did get the specialized Oracle training at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars. The problem is, so did "they" -- at 10 percent the cost. I can't afford to compete.

[genius]

11. Good for Clark

That's the kind of thing I want to hear about him.

[Clark4VotingRights]

17. Thank you DTH. Will this be posted on his website, in the issues

Section or press release section?

[maddezmom]

21. kick for the morning crowd

:)

[BootinUp]

22. Good position for the General to take

Most Americans will agree that some changes need to made on trade. I think this will be a hot issue in 2004 GE.

[Clark Campaigner]

24. agreed

[DemExpat]

23. This is my view as well...free trade with universal standards.

:kick:

DemEx

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

25. how about an International Living Wage?

that's a universal standard.