Lessons on trade

[NoDak]

Dont say that, Trump may stumble upon your post and end up firing him for stealing his thunder.

Lighthizer has several decades in the game, he is overly qualified for USTR on a near James Mattis level. I trust him to the extent that the United States will not come out on trade in a worse position than it started. People need to stop acting like hysterical women and pretending America operates from a position of weakness, it does not.

Anyone who doesn't support the actions taken against the People's Republic of China doesn't have the best interests of this country or its future in mind. It is not a nation remotely worthy of "normal relations" nor is that even desirable. That is the choice China made a very long time ago. Stop trying to turn geopolitics into a domestic political partisan issue.

https://qz.com/1247295/the-man-behind-trumps-trade-war-once-negotiated-with-a-paper-airplane/amp/

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is the man lurking in the shadows of Donald Trump’s trade offensive on China.

The veteran international trade lawyer is known to share several traits with the US President, not least of all his skepticism of free trade, his belief that the US has been treated unfairly in trade agreements, and his belligerence.

These qualities are seen clearly in a story about Lighthizer from 1985, when he was the deputy trade representative under Ronald Reagan. Negotiating on steel imports, the rep showed his disdain for an offer from the Japanese by sending it flying back. According to the Wall Street Journal, after that, Lighthizer became known as “the missile man” in Japan.

Bloomberg described the moment:

"The trade talks on steel imports were dragging on, and Robert Lighthizer didn’t care for the Japanese offer. So he folded it into a paper airplane and launched it across his desk at Japan’s lead negotiator… The 1985 deal capped weeks of negotiations in which Lighthizer, then the deputy U.S. Trade Representative, shocked his Japanese counterparts with rough-hewn jokes and wore them out with his disdain for their proposals, former colleagues recalled. During one Japanese presentation, he devoted his attention to playfully disassembling his microphone."

BOSS.

 

[Farmer Br0wn]

they've maybe made some mistakes, but you would much rather live in Canada than in many other places

That's largely irrelevant. A principal is still violated, regardless if someone else is violating that principle even more somewhere else.

For example, just because there might be someone in the world that is hungrier than you, doesn't invalidate your personal hunger.

 

[Darth_Inv1ctu5]

Fucking cringe! Reads thread title, clicks in hopes of useful insight, sees a John Oliver video. A FUCKING JOHN OLIVER VIDEO! TS I’m actually embarrassed for you. Maybe next you’ll bless us with a “lesson” from Whoopi Goldberg

? What's the problem? Is there a refutation somewhere in your shitpost that I missed, or is the entirety of your post a sad attempt at edginess lacking any substance? (this is sarcasm at work, I actually know which it is so don't worry about answering)

 

[NoDak]

I have not seen a good analysis of the agreement yet, and it is the first real example of what Trump's goals in trade are.

There was a little known bilateral trade agreement worked out with South Korea earlier in the year that cuts their steel exports to the US by 30% with a newly imposed annual quota, in addition to further opening their automotive and pharmaceutical markets. America had to give up, well, virtually nothing in return aside from an exemption on tariffs. The reason everyone has gotten hit with them is mostly due to China's habit of using other countries as a conduit for their steel dumping through transshipments and relabeling.

Be patient and let Lighthizer do his thing.

 

[NoDak]

I don't see a trade war continuing between US, and Europe & Canada for the long-term. This just seems like a contest of economic strength before another free trade deal is struck.

While Trump and Juncker played kiss and cue cards in the oval office, Lighthizer and Cecilia Malmström were actually at the table working towards solutions. She is, of course, the actual EU Trade Commissioner.

 

[PlayswellwithLawnDarts]

I haven’t watched it yet but it doesn’t matter who delivers the message as long as it’s right. Though I’m guessing the lesson is that tariffs suck

And also don’t trade for Dwight Howard.

 

[NoDak]

And also don’t trade for Dwight Howard.

Definitely not.

 

[Rod1]

Lighthizer has several decades in the game, he is overly qualified for USTR on a near James Mattis level. I trust him to the extent that the United States will not come out on trade in a worse position than it started. People need to stop acting like hysterical women and pretending America operates from a position of weakness, it does not.

Anyone who doesn't support the actions taken against the People's Republic of China doesn't have the best interests of this country or its future in mind. It is not a nation remotely worthy of "normal relations" nor is that even desirable. That is the choice China made a very long time ago. Stop trying to turn geopolitics into a domestic political partisan issue.

https://qz.com/1247295/the-man-behind-trumps-trade-war-once-negotiated-with-a-paper-airplane/amp/

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is the man lurking in the shadows of Donald Trump’s trade offensive on China.

The veteran international trade lawyer is known to share several traits with the US President, not least of all his skepticism of free trade, his belief that the US has been treated unfairly in trade agreements, and his belligerence.

These qualities are seen clearly in a story about Lighthizer from 1985, when he was the deputy trade representative under Ronald Reagan. Negotiating on steel imports, the rep showed his disdain for an offer from the Japanese by sending it flying back. According to the Wall Street Journal, after that, Lighthizer became known as “the missile man” in Japan.

Bloomberg described the moment:

"The trade talks on steel imports were dragging on, and Robert Lighthizer didn’t care for the Japanese offer. So he folded it into a paper airplane and launched it across his desk at Japan’s lead negotiator… The 1985 deal capped weeks of negotiations in which Lighthizer, then the deputy U.S. Trade Representative, shocked his Japanese counterparts with rough-hewn jokes and wore them out with his disdain for their proposals, former colleagues recalled. During one Japanese presentation, he devoted his attention to playfully disassembling his microphone."

BOSS.

Since when has experience trumped (pun unintended) over Trump's ego? if Trump feels someone is stealing his thunder, that someone gets the boot.

 

[NoDak]

Since when has experience trumped (pun unintended) over Trump's ego? if Trump feels someone is stealing his thunder, that someone gets the boot.

I hope not, but maybe our more partisan US posters on here would be more inclined to support (and have faith in) their country on this if they knew it isn't Trump but Lighthizer doing trade negotiations, that it isn't Trump but CFIUS blocking China from buying up our critical tech.

That official "trade war" thread is utterly pathetic, you and a couple of Pinoy posters show more patriotism for America than this lot on here and people always @HomerThompson but that's total nonsense. He quietly strongly approves. It ain't Trump, you aren't supporting Trump FFS and we'll soon be back on good terms with our EU and NAFTA allies.

 

[Jack V Savage]

? What's the problem? Is there a refutation somewhere in your shitpost that I missed, or is the entirety of your post a sad attempt at edginess lacking any substance? (this is sarcasm at work, I actually know which it is so don't worry about answering)

Ha. You're new here so you don't realize that for people like @Gunny, the fact that information comes from someone outside the tribe is essentially all the refutation they need or can provide. Nothing that Oliver said in that segment was particularly controversial (for example: http://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/free-trade). Economists all over the spectrum pretty much agree about the issue, but it's one of those things like climate change, the impact of regressive taxes on employment, or evolution that a portion of the GOP base thinks that scientists are conspiring about to fool the public.

 

[Deleted member 457759]

they've maybe made some mistakes, but you would much rather live in Canada than in many other places

Irrelevant.

There is always something worse and better.

 

[Seano]

We are making leaps in trade we haven't seen in decades. Fuck John Oliver. Who is he supposed to be?

 

[Jack V Savage]

We are making leaps in trade we haven't seen in decades. Fuck John Oliver. Who is he supposed to be?

What leaps are you referring to?

 

[7437]

He dishonestly takes advantage of peoples ignorance of how complicated and nuanced a lot of subjects are. He smugly suggests they are simple and easy.

lol, im sure you hate that.

 

[RockstarChris]

Well worth a watch if only to reignite one's suicidal tendencies

we should look to the EU to figure out how to trade

 

[NoDak]

Fuck John Oliver. Who is he supposed to be?

Yer maw. I dunno, an irrelevant pompous Brit?

 

[Darth_Inv1ctu5]

Ha. You're new here so you don't realize that for people like @Gunny, the fact that information comes from someone outside the tribe is essentially all the refutation they need or can provide. Nothing that Oliver said in that segment was particularly controversial (for example: http://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/free-trade). Economists all over the spectrum pretty much agree about the issue, but it's one of those things like climate change, the impact of regressive taxes on employment, or evolution that a portion of the GOP base thinks that scientists are conspiring about to fool the public.

Must be that, coupled with my idiotic notion (that refuses to die for some reason) that all people can be reasoned with provided a sufficiently dumbed down argument. That's my mistake - and I've learned that about a few people here, they know who they are. They like to count internet argument "wins"

 

[Prutfis]

He dishonestly takes advantage of peoples ignorance of how complicated and nuanced a lot of subjects are. He smugly suggests they are simple and easy.

So a lot like Trump?

 

[ultramanhyata]

What leaps are you referring to?

For a guy like Seano I would guess it's just the imposition of the tariffs themselves that he considers the "leaps".

 

[Jack V Savage]

For a guy like Seano I would guess it's just the imposition of the tariffs themselves that he considers the "leaps".

I think it's a pure fabrication, actually. Same guy once said that by all accounts, everyone close to Trump marvels at what a hard worker he is. I asked for any of those accounts and got crickets.