Schumer praises Trump's China trade crackdown

[Upstate One]

Source: The Hill

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) heaped praise Thursday on President Trump's decision to crack down on China's trade practices.

"I don't agree with President Trump on a whole lot, but today I want to give him a big pat on the back. He is doing the right thing when it comes to China," Schumer said from the Senate floor.


He added that "unfortunately, previous presidents, Democrat and Republican, just stood by as China did what it did to us. President Trump is exactly right."

Trump is expected to announce on Thursday new tariffs against China in light of an investigation into intellectual property theft.


Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/379738-schumer-praises-trumps-china-trade-crackdown

[Honeycombe8]

1. Whyyyyyy? Why make statements like this?

Does he think Trump will appreciate it, really? Does he think Trump will give up on DACA negotiations?

Is it reverse psychology, showing the Repubs that their guy is pleasing a Dem leader?

[grantcart]

3. Schumer is very uneven. For example he opposed the Iranian Deal

At best of times he is OK. At the worst of times he is, like today, absolutely terrible.

While you could understand the cynical move on Iran to milk his donor base this is inexplicable.

He is the Senator of NY and on this one Wall Street is right, taking any short term benefit, and the short term benefit is very short the long term harm will be catastrophic if they continue.

[dameatball]

6. It makes no sense to me either.

[RVN VET71]

13. Only Schumer knows why Schumer acts the way he does.

For every blow and a half he strikes for freedom and progressivism, it seems he feels obligated to trike a half blow for its opposite. In his support of Trump's potentially disastrous move on China, maybe he's trying to show how, even with a fool like Trump in office, the Dems -- unlike the Repubs -- will not cast knee-jerk contempt on everything the Republican does.

Personally, I think his niece is way funnier and much more predictably progressive.

[FreepFryer]

24. Yup. Mukasey'd. (n/t)

[orleans]

26. i thought the same damn thing

and wondered if he was trying to score with trump voters!

[videohead5]

2. He just better hope

This does not start a trade war.targeting it to certain products would have been better this is too across the board and will hurt consumers.if you need a new laptop or computer you better buy one now.

[grantcart]

7. DJI is down over 500 points so far. He represents NY. He can be very stupid.

[djacq]

8. Trade War have already started

[politicaljunkie41910]

17. Exactly. That's why the stock market keeps dropping. First it was the threat of a trade war that

sent stocks tumbling. Now we've got the real thing. Market will continue to fall. Also, interest rates will continue to rise due to our ever increasing national debt, and China being the largest holder of that debt, (besides us) can reek havoc with that as well. I guess he didn't learn anything about Finance at the Wharton School of Business.

[yallerdawg]

4. Schumer is pretty slick.

"Come on, Donnie. I'll be your friend."

[BeyondGeography]

5. I give up

He just ripped Obama and praised Trump.

We stink.

[grantcart]

10. Get prepared he will do the same on the Iranian deal

[BeyondGeography]

12. Which he opposed from the get go

Most Dems approved of that; he could set the antiwar wing on fire. I think he’ll have to be more careful there.

[Mad_Mongol]

9. Schumer would have been wiser to say nothing

This is pandering to the mythical "white, blue collar" workers who leaned (R) in the last several elections.

If we (Democrats & Progressives) are going to win elections going forward; we need to ditch this crappy framing.

When the ramifications & blowback from these tariffs hits, the Dems will have less cover than they should. -- I doubt that Pelosi will make this order of magnitude a mistake.

[Honeycombe8]

32. Yes, wiser to say nothing. Pandering...

Appealing to the white blue collar workers can be done, and should be done (since the Dems have a lot to offer workers of any color collar)...but doing THIS doesn't appeal to them, for one thing (it's not election time), and only damages the Dems and props up a mentally deranged, dangerous President.

He can be in favor of the tariffs all he wants, but he doesn't have to make a big national statement on it.

If the tariffs work out fine, THEN you can always say something LATER. The Repubs do this all the time and get away with it. You don't put yourself out there early on. You wait to see the lay of the land.

The Dems have a lot to offer the working class: protection of Social Security, protection of Medicare, working toward minimum wage, safety at work protections, support for unions, helping to transition workers in dying industries to other growing industries, etc.

It doesn't pass the smell test that Dems are in favor of trade protectionism WHEN THE DEMS PASSED ALL THE TRADE AGREEMENTS that workers see as shipping their jobs overseas.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

48. That's how McConnell always plays it - crickets every time.

tRump could fondle school girls on Broadway and Mitch would like........crickets.

[Hoyt]

11. We won't beat China at a trade war. Dropping out of trade agreements -- actually reneging -- won't

play well long-term. Those that believe in America Firstism will find that trading among ourselves won't produce what they think.

[awesomerwb1]

14. WTF?

This "president" is a traitor who normalizes racism bigotry misogyny and Schumer praises him??

[njhoneybadger]

38. Really, WTF

[bearsfootball516]

15. It's possible that Schumer is trying to butter up Trump

To make sure he signs the new budget deal.

[BeyondGeography]

19. Then he is criminally stupid

A budget deal isn’t worth this kind of political capital. He just endorsed a major piece of Trump’s 2016 campaign narrative; that he can get things done economically that no other President has done. Schumer went that far, handed him a line that he can use at every campaign rally through November. Wonderful.

[IronLionZion]

27. Schumer needs money for NY's aging infrastructure

which is in dire straits

[Honeycombe8]

33. If Schumer thinks that Trump's word means anything,....

he's too dense to be in the Senate. He ALWAYS renegs on deals he makes while President. He's irrational and erratic. You can't deal with Trump like he's a normal person. Geez.

[NRaleighLiberal]

16. .

[iluvtennis]

18. I disagree with Schumer on this one. A lot of our economically priced goods come from China..

lower middle class and poor ppl like me won't be able to afford a new TV, vacuum cleaner, car mats, etc, etc, etc. with these China tariffs. But the Trumpians don't give a shit cuz they are "well to do" and can pay any price (like a $30,000 dining room table) for what they want.

[keepleft101]

20. I think its so funny

When Bernie talked about this nonstop we were all for it. Protectionism is a progressive idea. Trump took that because it plays to middle class America.

But just because an idiot fool like Trump is actually moving on it doesn't mean he is wrong. A broken clock has the right time twice a day.

I agree, maybe Schumer shouldn't have said anything to support this crazy President. But I for one support Protectionism.

Trump isn't starting a trade War. We just have been losing the war and as far as I'm concerned ... finally we are fighting back.

We wouldn't lose a trade war because we (USA) are the number 1 economy (consumers) in the world. We should be dictating the trade policy. Not bending over for big business to make money. Go listen to Bernie's trade ideas. Heck he blasted Hillary on the stump about our bad trade polices.

I'm just ashamed it took Trump to finally do something about it.

[Honeycombe8]

35. You say "we were all for it" "when Bernie talked about this nonstop."

What "we" are you talking about? You've only been a member of this forum a short while. You can't be speaking about everyone in this forum, because I, for one, was not "all for" anything that Bernie Sanders talked about. And I don't recall him talking about tariffs on China "nonstop."

The point is NOT whether tariffs are a good idea or not. The point is Schumer's public, national statements...and the reason(s) for them.

[George II]

59. Sanders has repeatedly said he'd work with trump on trade.

But why does every discussion about any Democratic politician always ultimately wind up to be about Sanders?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

41. If protectionism is a progressive idea...

If protectionism is a progressive idea why has every Democratic president beginning with FDR been a free trader ?

[still_one]

55. If you listen to Thom Hartmann, at least in the past, he was a strong advocate of tariffs

https://www.thomhartmann.com/users/cruiserdude/blog/2012/10/why-we-need-tariffs-all-imports

I agree with you that FDR was a free trader as evidenced by his dismantling of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, but I think it is an over-simplification to say that protectionism is either/or a progressive or conservative issue. It cuts both ways.

What I think is evident, that for better or worse we are a world economy, and turning back the hands of time poises an extreme danger to the world economy, and leads to world wars

[onenote]

56. If the issue is as clear as you claim, why did Paul Wellstone vote against NAFTA

along with a number of other Democratic senators and house members who most people would label "Progressive?"

[DemocratSinceBirth]

58. I stand with

Franklin Roosevelt
Harry Truman
John Kennedy
Lyndon Johnson
Jimmy Carter
Bill Clinton
Barack Obama

and


against David Dennison, ne Donald Trump

[Demsrule86]

61. I am not against tariffs...and the Chinese have been screwing us...but I don't know if the way

Trump tariffs will work.

[Wellstone ruled]

21. Wow,what can one say.

Way to go Chuckie, you just shot yourself in the foot .

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. The Dow is tanking, and you praise him?

[texasfiddler]

23. Stupid move.

He can secretly agree and not give Dotard praise he doesn't deserve. Personally I think tariffs do more harm than good. I don't agree that the 30% tariff on foreign silicon solar panels is going to spark panel production in the US. It will only temporarily slow down the U.S. solar industry in general. I totally disagree with Ron Wyden with the Solarworld decision, but at least he didn't heap praise on Dotard like Schumer is doing. In my opinion, politically stupid.

[Honeycombe8]

36. Exactly. The point is not whether tariffs on China are good or not.

The point is whether Schumer should have made this statement. I think it makes him look weak....a "me, too" statement. IF he had made a statement on tariffs last year (did he? I don't think so) BEFORE there was serious talk of implementing them, then maybe it could be seen he was ahead of the game.

But to wait until they are passed and then say, "Me, too" doesn't do him or his party any good. No one will believe it. It's weak.

[Joe Nation]

25. You know who wins in a trade war????

Those people smart enough to invest in gold before the trade war started.

[Clarity2]

28. Schumer is my senator

But sometimes I dont know wth he is doing. Between this and encouraging Trump to name Jerusalem the capital of Israel?

[zentrum]

30. He's my senator too.

You know, NYers have accused him of seeing Israel as his real constituency.

Few of us were surprised by his Jerusalem vote or his anti-Iran deal vote.

.

[still_one]

53. and those that have that mindset do they also feel that way about Menendez, Manchin, and every

non-Jewish legislator who voted against the Iran deal?

[maxrandb]

43. He works for Bibi

Not New York

[still_one]

49. This thread is critisizing Schumer for praising trump on the China crack-down, and you make an

insinuation, which is a LIE, that he works for Bibi

Disagreeing with a legislator on something is one thing, but throwing bullshit out like that has anti-Jewish overtones

[maxrandb]

50. One can be anti Bibi

without being "anti-Jewish".

Can you point to one instance where Schumer stood up to Netanyahu?

[still_one]

54. Excuse me. This thread is not about Bibi, or Israel, and that you choose to bring it into the

discussion by making a false statement saying that Schumer, "works for Bibi", has overtones that are not lost to anyone.

[EllieBC]

65. Oh look. A dual loyalty accusation.

That's always popular with the antisemites.

[IronLionZion]

29. We are all going to pay a heavy price for dotard's mistakes

[maxrandb]

51. Apparently

one of those prices we have to pay is having to watch and tolerate the Democratic Party Minority Leader in the Senate praising Donnie Shit for Brains and slamming President Obama from the Well of the Senate.

Can't wait until this Schumer clip is turned into a ReTrumplican/Donnie Short Fingers campaign ad.

Well, I'd better be careful, lest I receive another "you can't criticize Democrats" warning.

I'm just about done with DU. Enjoy your new overlords.

[orangecrush]

31. calling him "President Trump"

is enough to make one hurl

Praising him for anything in the midst of everything that is going on is unbelievable.

[Thrill]

34. As usual. Democrats are just plain awful

When it comes to messaging

[Honeycombe8]

37. He also thought "A Better Deal" was a great slogan for the Dems for 2018.

It's not. It's been rejected, for good reason. It sounds like the Dems are promising giveaways for votes, which is the stereotype of the Dems. It's not a hopeful, forward looking slogan, or even represent what the Dems stand for, IMO.

[TheCowsCameHome]

39. Between this guy and Gillibrand

NY is really losing it.

[GeorgeGist]

40. Trump is wrong for US.

[Old Vet]

42. What the hell was Schumer thinking with that statement, Between the Dow dropping over 700 pts...

And now learning about John Bolton whos in his own crazy world, WTF

[RandiFan1290]

44. lol

[stuffmatters]

46. Dems need to stand for "fair trade over free trade." A winning issue. Schummer's mucking it up.

[TheFrenchRazor]

47. free trade is not america's friend, IMO. nt

[maxrandb]

52. You can believe that

and still not rush out to the Well of the Senate and "praise" the irrational, impulsive actions of an orange man-baby.

You could even avoid slamming President Obama in the process, but hey...that's just me.

Like I said; "Can't wait until the Schumer clip is turned into a Retrumplican/Donnie Short Fingers Campaign ad."

[Bradical79]

63. Not relevant, imo.

It's about how Trump is intending to use tarrifs, and how that may affect the economy.

[AlexSFCA]

57. the reality is that many dem voters are against free trade

Bernie coalition in particular. It is actually republican voters that were far more supportive of free trade until trump. What I am saying is that trump’s imposing tarrifs may end up being popular with majority of voters. I am not so sure that China needs us more than we need them. China is now leading TPP and has the entire world as their market. Imagine China imposing steep tariffs on all american brands in China inclusing all US fast food chains, hollywood movies, etc. I don’t see us manufacturing low end stuff. Essentially these tarrifs are a huge tax on Americans that may be used to pay for national debt.

[Demsrule86]

62. I am a Hillary supporter...and I hate free trade as practiced now...Sherrod Brown, and most

rust belt Democrats are against trade the way is done now...hubs worked in autos for years. I have seen it up close.

[meadowlander]

60. ...

In other news, Wall Street Trump backers lose millions in trade war fears.

[dalton99a]

64. Disgusting and unnecessary

[question everything]

66. Wait until many NewYorkers will see how their IRAs and 401Ks are tanking

Time to protest in front of his house? Didn't many do after he reversed the government shutdown?