The politics of tariffs are complicated. A Democrat just introduced a bill to make Trump's proposals law.

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

Source: NBC News

Former President Donald Trump calls himself a “tariff man” and says the taxes on imported goods “are the greatest thing ever invented,” so it’s no surprise Vice President Kamala Harris has attacked the centerpiece of the GOP nominee's economic agenda as bad policy. What’s more surprising, however, is that one House Democrat just introduced a bill to codify Trump’s 10% across-the-board tariffs, revealing how the long-dormant trade policy splits both parties.

Rep. Jared Golden, a heterodox moderate Democrat from Maine who is facing a tough re-election this year, introduced the bill Wednesday with the aim of promoting domestic manufacturing and limiting U.S. reliance on foreign goods.

“While it is undoubtedly true that Pres. Trump is the first in my lifetime to lead on tariffs, he’s hardly the first one to think about it,” said Golden in an interview. “Our Founding Fathers understood in the earliest years of the nation that we should avoid becoming a nation of consumers of foreign goods because it creates dependency.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/politics-tariffs-are-complicated-democrat-just-introduced-bill-make-tr-rcna172336

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I get it. If the Democrats don't win the Presidency and have a majority in both houses of Congress, SCOTUS wins. That said, there are a couple people calling themselves Democrats that aren't worth the label, your time, your donations or your vote. Jared Golden is one of them.

Just to correct NBC, Blue Dog Golden isn't a "moderate," he's a far-right collaborator. Moreover there is no evidence that of any "revealing [of] how the long-dormant trade policy splits both parties," at least not in the case of Democratic members of the House as far as I know. Unless NBC can cite ANY other such collaborators, this is merely a desperate wannabe trying to gain traction in an election, not a trend in some wing of the party. Otherwise, that line is evidence of shoddy journalism, angling for the "Dems in disarray" trope.

[iluvtennis]

1. And the companies doing the imports will be passing that 10% onto us the consumers. Do

the voters not understand this.

[ruet]

3. It's Not Just About Consumers Though.

I work for a company that makes specialized equipment for heavy industry. Over the last few years we have been getting mauled by China. It's cheaper for us to ship the parts there, have it built there and sent back for us to "fix". The shipping cost is exorbitant but not enough to keep the work here. It's a nightmare.

[iluvtennis]

8. Wow. Thanks for that additional info. n/t

[former9thward]

6. Don't buy the product.

You will not have to pay.

[Silent Type]

2. trump's 100% tariffs are playing to people who believe America will be much better off keeping jobs here.

I think it is a big mistake for lots of reasons, mainly because we are a part of a big world. But lots of GOPers, and plenty of Democrats, like this line of thinking. Won’t necessarily vote for him, though.

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. Golden is one of the "Problem Solvers"

And has said he is fine if Trump is elected.

[-misanthroptimist]

5. Tariffs are a legitimate tool in some cases.

Of course, when one is an idiot like Trump, every trade problem looks like a tariff. Being an idiot he doesn't realize that in the vast majority of cases it is the buyer, not the seller who ends up paying the cost.

[angrychair]

7. This nutjob aside

It does highlight an interesting strategy to attack Republicans on.

We need to extract, as close to word for word as possible, things TSF has said he wants to do as actual bills, literally in his own words and force Republicans to vote on it.
To take things straight from Project 2025 and force Republicans to vote on it.
A perfect one right now would be to take the statements in Project 2025 about disbanding the National Weather Service and NOAA and putting that in a bill and forcing Republicans to vote on it.
Of course Democrats would all vote against it but we need to do a better job holding these assholes accountable for their rhetoric.