Free Trade and the Presidential Campaign

Free Trade and the Presidential Campaign

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Democrats in Pennsylvania, Indiana and North Carolina will be voting next week. Obama and Clinton have been exchanging barbs about "bitter" voters, religion and guns. In tomorrow's final debate, one issue that might come up is free trade, including the deal with Colombia. Would it be good or bad for American workers? Why are Democratic leaders opposing what they've supported before? Also, deadly bombings destroy weeks of calm in Iraq, and income taxes are due at midnight. What about next year? We hear what the presidential candidates are proposing.

Making News

Bomb Blasts Kill Dozens In and Around Baghdad ()

In two of Iraq's provincial cities today, deadly bombings broke weeks of relative calm. Baqubah is central to al Qaeda's hopes for an Islamic caliphate. Ramadi is the capital of al Anbar, where Sunni leaders have been working with US forces. Tina Susman is Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times in Baghdad, where there was also a bombing.

Guests:

Tina Susman: Baghdad Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times

Main Topic

Free Trade and the Presidential Campaign ()

Barack Obama says Pennsylvania's rural voters are "bitter" over lost jobs. Hillary Clinton bellies up for a beer with a whiskey chaser in a working-class Indiana bar. So go the latest primaries, with voting scheduled for next week and another televised debate tomorrow. One real issue that might come up is the free-trade deal, like the deal with Colombia, which Democrats have scuttled, at least for the moment. Both Obama and Clinton have publicly promised to renegotiate NAFTA, while surrogates were reassuring Canada they supported free trade. They're both opposed to President Bush's trade pact with Colombia, too. But Bill Clinton's a big supporter. What are the pros and cons? Why do Bill and Hillary Clinton disagree? Is free trade America's only choice in the global economy?

Guests:

Leon Panetta: former Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton
Charles Babington: Political Reporter, Associated Press
Ed Gresser: former Policy Advisor, US Trade Representative
Thea Lee: Chief International Economist, AFL-CIO
John Murphy: Vice President for International Trade, US Chamber of Commerce

Reporter's Notebook

Where the Presidential Candidates Stand on Taxes ()

More people are filing their tax returns on time than the Internal Revenue Service had expected. Experts think it's because of the rebate checks authorized by the economic stimulus package. In Florida, for example, timely filings are up almost 10%. The deadline is midnight tonight. Walter Mondale was the last presidential candidate to advocate raising taxes. He said he was being honest, but was swamped by Ronald Reagan's re-election despite the biggest deficit in American history. George W. Bush cut taxes, most famously for the rich, with plenty of help from Congressional Democrats. Knight Kiplinger, editor in chief of the Kiplinger Letter, looks at what today's presidential candidates have to say.

Guests:

Knight Kiplinger: Editor in Chief, Kiplinger Letter

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