Where the Battle of Algiers rages on ...Rick's Cafe Americain

Published: February 27, 2004

You can’t blame the Democrats for making the most of the Bush administration’s message malfunction on trade and jobs. When the president’s top economist suggests, even hypothetically, considering hamburger-flipping a form of manufacturing, it’s a golden opportunity to accuse the White House of being out of touch with the concerns of working Americans. ("Will special sauce now be counted as a durable good?” Representative John Dingell asks.) And the accusation sticks, because it’s true.

But the Democratic presidential candidates have to walk a tightrope. To exploit the administration’s vulnerability, they must offer relief to threatened workers. But they also have to avoid falling into destructive protectionism.

Published: February 27, 2004

You can’t blame the Democrats for making the most of the Bush administration’s message malfunction on trade and jobs. When the president’s top economist suggests, even hypothetically, considering hamburger-flipping a form of manufacturing, it’s a golden opportunity to accuse the White House of being out of touch with the concerns of working Americans. ("Will special sauce now be counted as a durable good?” Representative John Dingell asks.) And the accusation sticks, because it’s true.

But the Democratic presidential candidates have to walk a tightrope. To exploit the administration’s vulnerability, they must offer relief to threatened workers. But they also have to avoid falling into destructive protectionism.