March 1 (Bloomberg News) –  

In Ohio, a coalition of steelworkers and manufacturers was trying to turn the candidates’ attention to trade with China.

The group says recent candidate bashing of the North American Free Trade Agreement avoids discussion of the complicated relationship between the U.S. and China.

Nafta, China

“We have the top Democratic candidates debating who hates Nafta most, and we’re losing our shirts to China,” said Mickey Bolt, regional coordinator for the alliance. After 14 years of Nafta, Bolt said, the damage is already done. China, however, is a “huge problem now.”

Ohio has lost 66,000 jobs to China since that country received favored trade status in 2001.

In an ad set to run in Sunday newspapers in Columbus, Cleveland and Youngstown, the Alliance for American Manufacturing asks the candidates to state their positions on China trade.

“China cheats, Ohio loses. As president, will you care?” the ad asks.

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ManufactureThis received a fiery email last night from a concerned Washingtonian.  Let’s just call him Silence Dogood III.  Silence is hardly silent, though, and we thought you’d appreciate his comments on the the lack of populist rhetoric from the various presidential candidates, including their apparent apathy on the issue of China cheating on trade agreements:

“I’m for pushing the candidates to embrace the two following statements as closely as they can stand it.  Whatever words they use, these are the two messages as far as I am concerned:

In general: ‘I will keep our trade laws strong and strictly enforced.’

Specifically on China: ‘China is cheating, we are losing.  I will take names and kick ass.’

“I personally can’t believe how the candidates regularly pass up the red meat of helping people get in touch with their victimhood.  How many great movements have begun — and how many leaders have been launched — with people being told they are being SWINDLED and it’s time someone did something about it so they don’t have to feel like CHUMPS forever ?

“I think they should say: ‘My friends — you work hard and you work long — and so does every worker in your family.  Your companies struggle to be as smart and competitive as they can be — in technology, IT, new products and services, whatever.  YET, you are not getting ahead BECAUSE THE GAME IS FIXED.  The other side is CHEATING and your government — the official referee who should be keeping things fair and giving the best team a chance to win — HASN’T EVEN BEEN ON THE PLAYING FIELD lately.  You deserve better and I’m going to do what it takes to make sure you CAN win.  Not that you’d know it lately, but we DO have laws against other countries cheating you out of your job.  I will keep those trade laws STRONG and I will enforce them STRICTLY.’”
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