What of Edwards and protectionism?

WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) -- Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C, is an energetic campaigner, charismatic, a Horatio Alger story, and speaks to reconciling the "two Americas" -- but he is also a protectionist who has preached against free trade, or more specifically against NAFTA, while on the primary stump.

At question is how much of this protectionism will vice-presidential candidate Edwards bring to the Kerry campaign, and how much this may sway White House policy should the two men get elected.

"I have chosen a man who understands and defends the values of America, a man who has shown courage and conviction as a champion for middle-class Americans and those struggling to reach the middle class -- a man who has shown guts, determination and political skill in his own race for the Presidency -- a man whose life has prepared him for leadership and whose character brings him to exercise it. I am pleased to announce that the next vice president of the United States will be John Edwards of North Carolina," said Kerry in Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning.

A man who made his fortune as a trial lawyer -- a profession deeply anathema to the corporate world which is often dragged into the courtroom by trial lawyers -- Edwards comes from a working-class background. In his standard stump speech, Edwards often notes that he was the first in his family to attend college.

Edwards was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1999 and serves on four committees: Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Judiciary; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Select Committee on Intelligence.

Notable area of disagreement with Kerry: during the primary campaign, the North Carolina junior senator was a vocal opponent of the North American Free Trade Act, which was passed during the Clinton Administration even before Edwards began his tenure in the U.S. Senate.

Kerry voted for NAFTA, and has not opposed NAFTA during the campaign.

The unions like both Kerry and Edwards. According to the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest confederation of labor unions, in 2002 Edward's compiled a 96 percent AFL-CIO voting record -- casting "44 out of 46 votes for working-family issues."

During the primaries, Edwards was asked by the AFL-CIO in a questionnaire, "What will you do to ensure that global trade and international economic development promote workers' rights, good jobs and workers' well-being?"

His answer: "Free trade has to be fair trade. I know from first-hand experience how unfair trade agreements have hurt many American communities. Growing up in mill towns in North and South Carolina, I saw people like my father who worked hard in the mill their whole lives. Yet these mill towns -- and the good people who live in them -- have been devastated by foreign trade."

"At the same time, I also believe trade is an important part of a growing economy. I have no doubt that when America's workers have the chance to compete on a level playing field, they can win."

He added, "I'll do everything in my power to make sure that trade agreements are fair, that American workers get a level playing field, and that there is real support for American workers and their communities. When I negotiate trade agreements, I will follow certain fundamental principles. Both sides should give up something. Agreements should be fair and enforceable. Agreements should have adequate labor and environmental protections. And trade agreements should have real, tangible benefits for U.S. businesses and U.S. workers."

Edwards said he would apply those principles to future trade agreements, including the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and future World Trade Organization agreements.

Asked by the AFL-CIO whether he supported or opposed the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), based on the NAFTA model "that has created import surges that cost jobs and does not require enforcement of internationally recognized workers' rights," Edwards checked the "opposed" box.

AFL-CIO head John Sweeney praised Kerry's selection Tuesday of Edwards, saying the senator "will be a great vice president. He is a truth-teller who will bring integrity and working family values to the second-highest position in America."

"Like John Kerry, Edwards has championed the interests of working men and women in the U.S. Senate and is a staunch supporter of workers' rights, earning a 96 percent AFL-CIO voting record during his Senate career," Sweeney added. "Edwards has strong working-class and union roots. His father was a mill worker. His mother was a member of the Letter Carriers and his brother, a member of the Electrical Workers."

Sweeney noted how in the union federation's 2003 candidate questionnaire Edwards said, "I know from my own life how important unions are."

The AFL-CIO gave its strong backing to Kerry several months later.

As the morning announcement broke of Kerry's announcement of Edwards as a running mate, the Republicans were already waiting in the wings with a shotgun of criticism about what Edwards has argued for and legislated. None of it, however, focused much on economics (with the exception of attacks on Edward's trail lawyer background). Instead, there was, as usual, attacks for being "liberal."

"Who is John Edwards?" the Republican National Committee asked in Tuesday's instantly launched Web site.

"A Disingenuous, Unaccomplished Liberal And Friend To Personal Injury Trial Lawyers," the headline answered.

In the various group voting scores the GOP listed, Edwards rated extremely low with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation's largest association of business groups, and with such groups as the National Taxpayers Union.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce declined any comment Tuesday about Kerry's choice of Edwards as a running mate.

Ultimately, whoever occupies the White House in the coming four years will confront some of the same key economic issues of the last four years -- how to stem the loss of manufacturing jobs lost to lower-paid workers overseas; how to stop the inflow of inexpensive goods made overseas (again by a cheaper workforce); and how best to approach free-trade agreements, whether bilateral, multilateral, or global such as the World Trade Organization agreements now in its "Doha" round of negotiations.

Issues such as NAFTA may seem a small matter for a Kerry/Edwards administration as China continues its juggernaut ascendancy as a manufacturer and exporter. The temptation is always a heavy one to pull the China card when searching for an economic scapegoat upon which to pin the economic ills of the United States.