Edwards Notes Differences on Issue of World Trade

As the race for the US Democratic Party's presidential nomination narrows down to just two candidates – Senators John Edwards and John Kerry – a significant change in strategy is underway. Both candidates, clearly capitalizing on public sentiment stemming from the loss of US jobs to overseas competition, are attacking international trade agreements and generally siding with US labor leaders. But Senator Edwards has been making a last-minute effort to distinguish his past and present position on international trade from Mr. Kerry's. He says, for instance, that had he been in the Senate in 1993, when it passed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and President Bill Clinton signed it, he would have voted against it. Mr. Kerry, on the other hand, has voted for all trade agreements since the cold war ended and opened the way for increasing globalization. Despite their divergent voting histories on trade agreements, their current positions reflect a protectionist attitude, which given the uncertain economic times, might just be the ticket to victory in the November election. – YaleGlobal