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April 3, 2008 2:43 PM

Democrats, Gregoire and Trade

Our lead editorial today, "Democrats Should Come Clean on Trade," excoriates Barack Obama for an anti-trade speech he gave to the AFL-CIO, available here. Coincidentally, Gov. Christine Gregoire visited the Seattle Times editorial board today, and we asked her about that issue.

She said she had talked to Obama advisers just before the primary election in Ohio, where Obama was making speeches critical of NAFTA and other agreements that promote trade. She says she told them, "We're very unhappy with what we're hearing [from Obama] on trade and globalization. We haven't fought it. We've made it work." She added, "I'm not unmindful of 600,000 jobs lost in Ohio. But you don't put that at the feet of trade agreements."

Gregoire is right about trade, and she knows and represents our state's interests in the matter. The problem is, she is a Democrat and an Obama supporter, and the candidate that most closely represents her view on trade, and the state of Washington's interests on it, is John McCain.

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Posted by Zack

10:52 PM, Apr 03, 2008

"The problem is, she is a Democrat and an Obama supporter, and the candidate that most closely represents her view on trade, and the state of Washington's interests on it, is John McCain"

I'm not sure how exactly that's a problem. The Presidency is a a very large job, and affects people all over this country--including in Washington--in many more ways than just through economic policies, of which international trade issues are just a part. More is at stake here than just Washington's ability to sell grain and apples to Asian markets.

Posted by John425

10:57 AM, Apr 08, 2008

The hypocrisy of the Democrats on trade is appalling. On one hand the Democrats say they want to restore our relationships with our allies and on the ohter hand want to re-write NAFTA and alienate Canada nad Mexico (allies-remember?) then they want to halt CAFTA, a trade treaty with Columbia who is just about our ONLY friend in South America.