the self-proclaimed "Tariff Man" push was never that strong. It was entirely foreseeable that any new tariff regime could take hold for a longer term. There is an adage in DC about the historical difficulty to ever remove anything that lines government coffers and is embraced by some corporate constituents even if opposed by others (the supporters can give $$, what can the opposition really do?), especially if not well understood by the public. See any number of head scratching trade schemes that quietly exist today. It was why tariffs were always such a smart strategy for the new harder core R Populism (see ryno, TommyK, et al). Organized labor has always been about higher barriers -- it doesn't matter what the country or barrier. I give some credit over the years for enough internal Dem pushback that has led to trade growth -- and still with tons of "controls" -- but for now, those days are over. R's seem beholden to the populism, Biden has always been more of an organized labor champ (which is fairly funny isn't it when you see the R and D bedfellows on this issue) and we are where we are now in terms of wanting to focus against trade and our "enemies" as primary reasons for all that hurts us. It is much easier than ever looking in any mirrors. History is very repetitive.

[Post edited by fishhoo at 01/13/2022 11:39AM]