Front pager in today's WSJ notes says Republicans Grow Skeptical On Free Trade (sub req):
By a nearly two-to-one margin, Republican voters believe free trade is bad for the U.S. economy, a shift in opinion that mirrors Democratic views and suggests trade deals could face high hurdles under a new president.
The sign of broadening resistance to globalization came in a new Wall Street Journal-NBC News Poll that showed a fraying of Republican Party orthodoxy on the economy. While 60% of respondents said they want the next president and Congress to continue cutting taxes, 32% said it's time for some tax increases on the wealthiest Americans to reduce the budget deficit and pay for health care.
Six in 10 Republicans in the poll agreed with a statement that free trade has been bad for the U.S. and said they would agree with a Republican candidate who favored tougher regulations to limit foreign imports.
How about some tariffs? They work wonders for the economy.
That represents a challenge for Republican candidates who generally echo Mr. Bush's calls for continued trade expansion, and reflects a substantial shift in sentiment from eight years ago.
The idea that you can somehow "resist" globalization is both frightening and foolhardy. It's like thinking that you can resist the change in seasons. You may not like the fact that it's going to get colder here in Minnesota pretty soon, just as you may not like the fact that the US businesses increasingly face global competition. But it's going to happen whether you make the necessary changes--like wearing a coat--and adapt or not. In both cases, failure to do so is only going to leave you out in the cold.
UPDATE: Even the warm afterglow of last night's Sox win can't hide King's disappointment with this news.
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