ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 26, 1995 TAG: 9512270017
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
BILL CLINTON needs to renew his commitment to freer trade. If he doesn't, who else will push the idea?
Sure, he's busy with the budget and Bosnia, not to mention the election campaign. But that campaign already is bringing out more isolationism of a sort that, if unchecked, would greatly harm America's economy, along with the world's.
Sen. Bob Dole, while fudging on just about every other principle upheld in his past career, may be backing off free trade as well, suggesting that the administration has gone too far with trade agreements.
Nativist Pat Buchanan wins applause by proposing to raise tariffs to reduce the federal deficit.
Congress, meanwhile, harbors not enough votes to give Clinton the approval he needs to negotiate expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement to include Chile.
All of which would be lamentable enough if Clinton were speaking out on the merits of opening up foreign markets and promoting expansive trade. He's not doing that, at least not loudly or consistently. He has been much quieter than can be explained by the fact that big-time trade negotiations, for NAFTA and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, are behind him.
Clinton's apologists will explain that he needs to touch base with Democratic Party constituencies as the election draws nearer, and so is loath to offend unions, a number of which have embraced outright protectionism.
That's not an acceptable excuse. He ought to be paying more attention to the potential of one of the principal drivers of the current economic expansion - exports.
If he doesn't, who will take the podium to explain that U.S. jobs in the export sector will probably double in this decade? That they pay considerably more than the average manufacturing wage, not to mention average wages in general? That they tend to carry better benefits, require higher skill levels, and are more resistant than many to the downsizing and restructuring of corporate America?
Who will promote policies and head trade missions aimed at increasing U.S. presence in Asia and Latin America, where developing countries are expected to spend billions on infrastructure, not to mention consumer goods, entertainment and health care?
Who will show leadership in the international community to build up the World Trade Organization, recently set up to enforce fair-trade rules and, therefore, in a good position to help open more markets to U.S. products?
If free trade is a poor political platform, that has to be so in part because elected officials are leaving the debate to demagogues. Exports and imports account now for a fourth of gross domestic product and millions of good jobs. Surely, that should count for something in the political arena. Trade is too important to leave simmering on a back burner.
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