A New Hope?
Barak Obama, who has in no regards officially entered the race, is making waves about a potential run for the nomination. Since he told Tim Russert on Meet the Press he was considering a run for the presidency, he has become the talk of the political town. His superstar status and strong speaking ability could aid in a John Kennedy type of wave. Let’s look at his stances on Globalization and Free Trade. In his campaign an 2004, Obama touted his strong opposition to NAFTA, and when CAFTA came up for a vote, penned a letter explaining his vote against it. Most of his stances on globalization are explained in the letter. “Globalization is not someone’s political agenda. It is a technological revolution that is fundamentally changing the world’s economy, producing winners and losers along the way. The question is not whether we can stop it, but how we respond to it. It’s not whether we should protect our workers from competition, but what we can do to fully enable them to compete against workers all over the world.”
When it comes to his vote record, it is clear that he has mixed feelings about Free Trade.
Voted YES on free trade agreement with Oman.
Voted NO on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade.
Obama is young and charismatic, I don’t think he will focus on the issue of Free Trade but more likely on issues such as Health Care reform and Education. If he can get over the “he’s inexperienced” argument, and if he actually runs, Obama has a real shot at the White House.
References: United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement; Bill S. 3569 ; vote number 2006-190 on Jun 29, 2006, Central America Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act; Bill HR 3045 ; vote number 2005-209 on Jul 28, 2005
