Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueStreak
So, anyhow;
Someone please explain something to me: Why has opening trade and engaging in commerce which, as near as I can tell has long been a basic tenet of conservative economic ideology, suddenly become a repugnant thing to Conservatives?
I mean, it's not like the GOP has ever really opposed in any serious effort NAFTA, GATT, Chinas MFN status..........etc., etc. All of those things had to have Republican support to pass........
But, of late "free trade" suddenly becomes an intolerable evil, lain exclusively at the feet of "Liberals". Is it because the lemmings follow every single shape-shifting position of the day they put forth? I dunno, you're gonna have to help me on this one.
And, now that it's Cuba and Obama is the guy tearing down the barriers...........  |
A bit of a history lesson may be in order here. Yes, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s State Department imposed the first trade embargo on Cuba. The original embargo covered all U.S. exports to Cuba except for medicine and some foods. It was JFK that expanded the embargo to cover U.S. imports from Cuba and made it permanent. So, Cuba has been a bit more of a bi-partisan effort. And it still is. There are still some Dems who don't want to see the Castro regime - whether its Raul or Fidel - getting propped up.
Also, Cuba helped make the case for the embargo when Castro nationalized hundreds of US and foreign owned businesses in a single night.