A comprehensive trade agreement would take the downward pressure off not only for American producers but for other countries as well, |
Four or five years ago, the U.S. was very much in the mode of urging other countries to abide by decisions, but the shoe is on the other foot now. The U.S. is on the defensive on a number of these cases. |
From the U.S. standpoint, this should be a fairly easy deal to negotiate. |
It's not an innovation problem; it's more a matter of production. |
It's very easy to talk about limiting imports of bedding or shoes or whatever, but once you do it and prices shoot up, then you will get a backlash. |
It's your normal negotiating side payment. |
Korea is a very protected economy. It will be a fight in this country and in South Korea to get it ratified. |
Malaysia has one of the least open auto sectors in the region and the US will want to see this opened up. [It] also has restrictions on foreign entertainment, such as screen quotas to encourage national programming. |
Many of our banks have lent money to Brazil, and some of those loans may not look so good today after the devaluation as they did before. so banks will be hurt, or some banks will be hurt and the stockholders in those banks will be hurt. |
That will mean Canada for lumber, and Latin America also has a lot of the most relevant supplies that are needed in the United States, ... There will be tariff relief. |
The problem is that she does not have the profile that Portman does, and I am afraid that will be read abroad as a downgrading of the trade portfolio. |
The rhetoric will be stepped up on trade. |
The U.S. oil companies have a lot of clout but they are up against a formidable set of farm senators. A pretty strong lobby in the farm sector says we should hold off (lifting the duties). |
There are groups in Mexico who want limits. I can see a bargain along those lines. |
This is all organized to keep competition down and prices high for U.S. producers. |