AMERICA feels sick at heart this year. Can conventional politics cure that malaise, or will voters turn to those peddling radical remedies, from trade wars to high border walls? That question weighs heavily in midwestern states, where factories propelled millions of post-war workers into middle-class prosperity. Though rustbelt states like Ohio, Michigan and Illinois helped Barack Obama win the White House, this year many midwestern voters seem drawn to fiery candidates who offer the sharpest contrast with the president’s cool, headmasterly style: from Donald Trump on the right to Senator Bernie Sanders on the left.
More traditional politicians, starting with Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, are moving to placate unhappy voters by promising “fair trade”, using import rules to punish unfair competition by such rivals as China. Mrs Clinton, who lost the Michigan primary to Mr Sanders earlier this month, took Ohio on March 15th after tacking to the left on trade: at an Ohio Democratic dinner shortly before the primary she promised to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a flagship trade bill supported by Mr Obama.
A day...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/22nTANX
EmoticonEmoticon