"Buy U.S.A." Provision Makes World Miss Bush

Published in China Daily
(China) on 26 May 2009
by Ding Gang (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Cheryl Tevis. Edited by Patricia Simoni.
Less than a month after Obama took office, the world already started to miss George W. Bush. While United States Vice President Biden was extending an olive branch in Europe, the U.S. Congress was wielding a big stick of trade protectionism. The world currently sees a U.S. that is reducing its affection for military dominance, while increasing its affection for trade dominance.

Late February 4, the U.S. Senate rejected deletion of the Buy American provision, merely softening it, instead. Two days later, the Senate passed the Employ American Workers Act, which required banks receiving subsidies to give preference to Americans when hiring.

According to the Buy American provision, public projects funded by the economic stimulus package must use iron and steel produced by the U.S.. The provision also requires that all U.S. Transportation Security Administration uniform and textile products truly be made in the U.S.. As a result of a strong reaction by the European Union, Japan and other countries, the Senate made slight amendments, requiring the U.S. to act in a manner "consistent with U.S. obligations under international agreements." Thus, countries which have signed trade agreements with the U.S. have a certain degree of immunity.

Just as The New York Times analyzed, as the world joins hands to deal with the international financial crisis in this critical time, this provision would cause as much trouble as trade protectionism. Although Obama made it clear earlier that he wanted Congress to deal carefully with this provision - which could lead to trade war, having triggered the strongest wave of worldwide criticism since he took office - because this provision remains protected, Obama appears weak.

We all remember the most intense time in the Obama campaign, when many people contended that the U.S. was putting out a strong president. Everyone was looking forward to a quick strengthening of the U.S. economy under his leadership, as well as a resulting change in the image of the U.S.. However, Obama’s initial performance has made people start to doubt, leaving us to wonder whether Americans have expected a little too much of their young president.

Today, the political foundation of the U.S. has undergone profound change. The power of the president has become constrained, most notably by Congress. After looking at the Buy American provision, Congress and lobbying groups began fierce competition; it is not hard to understand what this means. As an article in London’s Financial Times said, in this grave time of economic crisis, "angry citizens are more important than abstract theories." No member can lose sight of the battle of the votes involved in politics, and it’s hard for a president to take himself out of the battlefield to make a sensible and strong decision.

Many saw former President George W. Bush’s cowboy style of leadership as immature. But actually, for the president of a powerful country in a time of crisis, a cowboy style may be much better than indecision and the tying up of interests of the parties involved, making progress difficult. The U.S. not only needs reform - it needs the power to reform. Without that power, it will be impossible to be successful. Success in dealing with the crisis depends not only on charisma and slogans, but on leadership ability, authority, courage and foresight to go beyond policies of different interest groups. Does Obama have this power? This question has been answered in less than one month after his taking office.


购买美国货条款让世界怀念布什
作 者: 天涯海角
作者:丁刚 

  奥巴马上台还不到一个月,世界就已经开始怀念布什了。美国副总统拜登在欧洲伸出“橄榄枝”的同时,美国国会却挥起了贸易保护主义的“大棒”。世界看到的是一个减少了军事霸权主义色彩,却增加了贸易霸权主义色彩的美国。 
  2月4日深夜,美国参议院否决了删除“购买美国货”条款的提议,只做了软化处理。两天后,参议院又通过了一项“雇美国人议案”,要求接受政府救助的美国银行在增加雇员时,必须优先考虑雇用美国人。 

  根据“购买美国货”条款,获得经济刺激方案资金的公共项目必须使用美国生产的钢铁。该条款还规定美国运输安全管理局所使用的任何制服和纺织品,都必须是真正的“美国制造”。由于欧盟、日本等多方的强烈反应,参议院在通过此条款时做了一点修正,要求实施条款时须“符合美国在国际协议之下的责任”,从而使与美国签订有贸易协定的国家得到一定程度的“豁免”。 

  正如《纽约时报》所评,在全球携手应对国际金融危机的关键时刻,美国的这一条款无异于给贸易保护主义“煽风点火”。尽管奥巴马此前明确表态,要求国会慎重对待这一有可能引发贸易战的条款,全球也掀起了自奥巴马上台后最强烈的抨击声浪,但这个条款还是被遮遮掩掩地保留了下来。此时的奥巴马显得多么的苍白无力。 

  人们还清晰地记得,在奥巴马竞选最火爆的时候,很多人欢呼美国出了一个强势总统,期盼美国经济会在他的领导下迅速走强,期盼美国形象会因此而发生变化。但是,奥巴马最初的表演已经就让人们开始怀疑,他们对这位年轻总统的期望值是不是有点过高了。 

  今日美国的政治基础已经发生了深刻变化,制约总统的力量变得十分强大,其中最主要的就是美国国会。看看围绕着“购买美国货”条款,国会各派及游说集团展开的激烈较量,就不难明白这意味着什么。恰如《金融时报》的文章所言,在经济危机的严峻时刻,“愤怒的公民将比抽象的理论更重要”。任何一位议员都无法忽略这场激烈较量所涉及的选票政治,任何一个总统也很难置身于这场较量之外去做出理智而有力的决策。 

  很多人把小布什总统的牛仔作风看作是一个领导人不成熟的表现。其实,在危机时刻,对于一个强国的总统来说,牛仔作风可能要远比优柔寡断,受各方利益牵制举步维艰强得多。美国不仅需要变革,更需要变革的力量。没有力量的变革是不可能成功的。应对危机,不能只靠魅力和口号,更要靠领导力、权威性和敢于跨越不同利益集团的决策勇气与远见卓识。奥巴马有没有这样的力量?这个问号在奥巴马上台不到一个月就浮现而出了。
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Poland: Los Angeles Riots: Battle for America’s Future

Mexico: Migration: A Political Crisis?

Canada: Trump vs. Musk, the Emperor and the Oligarch

Topics

Mexico: Migration: A Political Crisis?

Poland: Los Angeles Riots: Battle for America’s Future

Germany: Donald Trump Is Damaging the US

Canada: President Trump, the G7 and Canada’s New ‘Realistic’ Foreign Policy

Taiwan: The Beginning of a Post-Hegemonic Era: A New Normal for International Relations

Canada: Trump vs. Musk, the Emperor and the Oligarch

Russia: Trump Is Shielding America*

Germany: Peace Report 2025: No Common Ground with Trump

Related Articles

Hong Kong: Amid US Democracy’s Moral Unraveling, Hong Kong’s Role in the Soft Power Struggle

Russia: Trump Is Shielding America*

Hong Kong: The Lessons of World War II: The Real World Importance of Resisting Hegemony

Mexico: The Trump Problem

Taiwan: Making America Great Again and Taiwan’s Crucial Choice

  1. well well well protectism.

    how big is our trade balance with china?

    that is what americans are angry about.

    we are losing high paying jobs to china to enhance corp profits that not not trickleing down to the middle class.

    americans are losing their wealth at a rapid rate and they are angry.

    this deregulation trickle down theory has bankrupted america.

    reagan put capitalism on steorids. capitalism will self destruct but reagan’s free trade approach was designed for the have mores to have more.

    and the middle class is paying a price for their trust and ignorance of the tenents of capitalism.

    with communism man exploits man with capitalism it is the other way around. we are now witnessing that self destruction of capitalism in america.

    but in reality what did we americans do with our wealth the last 6 decades but do imperialism and nation building and played the role of super power. ie a national ego thing.

    700 american military bases around the world and americans dont have a clue they are imperialists. that is the power of patroitism and nationalism paradigms.

    ike warned us in 1961 what would happen if we did not detune our military but no one listened.

    too much money for the few in our wars for profits.

    in the end our loss of wealth will benefit the world as someday we will have to quit playing the bully role in the world and discontinue our wars for profits.

    wealth can be as harsh a teacher as poverty.

    spiritual laws apply to nations as well as individuals.

    spiritual laws are not religious laws.

    ie christianity died on the cross but spiritual laws are always present.