Politics

Pat Buchanan: If Republicans Pass Trade Deal, They’ll Never Win The Presidency [VIDEO]

Alex Griswold Media Reporter
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Appearing on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” former GOP presidential candidate Pat Buchanan attacked Republicans for their stance on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, saying it would cost them presidential elections going forward. (VIDEO:Pat Buchanan: ‘The President Is A Constitutional Scofflaw’)

“How does [House Budget Chairman] Paul Ryan explain the fact that we’ve had $11 trillion in trade deficits since the NAFTA decade?” Buchanan posed. [T]ake a look at our country: why is China suddenly all these gleaming new cities and factories and plants to build the silk road, while the United States of America is indebted $2.5 trillion to China and Japan?”

“It stands to reason that if you have Americans making maybe $20-an-hour and Chinese making $5-an-hour, you want to produce in China because you can get four workers for one American worker,” he said. “But you want to maintain your access to the great American market, the $18 trillion American market, so you get free access there!”

Ingraham quoted Paul Ryan, paraphrasing the Republican argument for the TPP. “The rules of the global economy are being rewritten right now, the question is who will write them.”

“His argument, and the Republican argument here is look, we trust Obama, because otherwise China will be writing the rules of the global economy for China’s benefit, which is not good for American workers,” she said.

But Buchanan pushed back. “Mr. Ryan should explain this — why is it better when they get this trade agreement, this TPP, that the Republican Party, the great protector of the American worker, has surrendered all rights to amend the treaty, has surrendered all ability to change its terms in any way, but gets itself just an up-or-down vote. You’re surrendering your power to change a trade treaty, and you’re saying this is the way to get the best one?”

“Even [Republican Ohio Sen.] Rob Portman, who eventually voted for fast-track in the committee yesterday, he tried to get them to agree to this amendment that would have gone after China’s currency manipulation,” Ingraham agreed. “The Republicans even rejected that!” (VIDEO: Ingraham: Obama Bashes Christianity Out Of ‘Malicious Ignorance’)

“Portman has come to understand that the Democratic Party now has 242 basic hard-line electoral votes,” Buchanan concluded. “This is the bill, this is the policy on trade, that’s going to cost the Republicans Ohio, which pretty much means it costs them presidential elections.”

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