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Good evening and welcome to "Tucker Carlson Tonight". Let's start tonight with a thought experiment: if the Republican leaders in Washington had bothered to draw lessons from the 2016 election? And if they wanted enough? What if they understood and embraced the economic nationalism that was at the heart of Donald Trump's presidential campaign? What would the world look like two and a half years later? For starters, Republicans in Congress would regularly say things like this.
Quote: "I am deeply grateful for the opportunities that America has offered me. But the giant "American" societies that control our economy do not seem to have the same feeling. They certainly do not act like that. Of course, these companies wave the flag – but they have no loyalty or allegiance to America.
"Levi's is an iconic American brand, but the company only operates 2% of its plants." Dixon Ticonderoga, maker of the famous # 2 pencil, "has transferred almost all of its pencil production in Mexico and China. "And General Electric recently shut down an industrial engine plant in Wisconsin and transferred jobs to Canada.
"The list goes on and on and on." These "American" companies show only one loyalty: the short-term interests of their shareholders, one-third of which are foreign investors. shut down an American factory and ship jobs abroad save a dime, that's exactly what they will do: abandon the loyal American workers and dry up American cities along the way.
"Politicians like to say that they care about American jobs." But for decades, these same politicians have invoked "free market principles" and have refused to intervene on the markets on behalf of American workers. They ignore, of course, these same principles and intervene regularly to protect the interests of multinational corporations and international capital: millions of good jobs have been lost abroad and a generation of stagnant wages, inequalities growth and sluggish economic growth.
"If Washington wants to stop this, it can, if we want faster growth, a stronger US industry and more good jobs in the United States, then our government should do what other leaders do and do evidence of aggression to achieve these goals to the financial interests of companies with no particular allegiance to America.
…
"The truth is that Washington's policies, not the unstoppable market forces, are a key factor in the problems faced by American workers – from our trade agreements to our tax code, we have encouraged companies to invest in Foreigners, to ship jobs abroad and to keep wages low.All this in the interest of serving multinational companies and international capital with no particular loyalty to the United States.
…
"It is becoming easier to transfer capital and jobs from one country to another. That's why our government needs more than ever to defend and create jobs in the United States. We can manage the changes ahead if we adopt economic patriotism and make American workers our number one priority, rather than continuing to serve the interests of businesses and people who have no allegiance to America. "
End quote.
Now, let's say you vote Republican regularly. Ask yourself, what part of this statement did you disagree with? Was there a single word that seemed wrong? Probably not. Here is the depressing part: no one for whom you voted said that, or would never say it. Republicans in Congress can not promise to protect American industries. They would not dare. This could violate certain principles of the Austrian economy. That could make the Koch brothers angry. This could distance libertarian ideologues who, to date, finance most of the republican campaigns. So, no, a Republican did not say that. Sadly.
Instead, the words you just heard come from Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and are preparing you here. Yesterday, Warren published what she calls her "Economic Patriotism Plan." Surprisingly, it's exactly what it is: economic patriotism. There is no word on the identity policy in the document. There is no hysterical about gun control or climate change. There is no course on the fate of transgender illegal immigrants, it is just about the old economy: how to preserve well paid American jobs.
Even more remarkable: many of Warren's policy prescriptions have an obvious meaning: she says the US government should buy American goods when it can. Of course it should. She says we need more apprenticeship programs in the workplace because four-year degrees are not suitable for everyone. That's true. She says taxpayers should benefit from the research and development that they fund.
And yet, she writes, "we often see American companies relying on this research to make them abroad, like Apple with the iPhone. Companies are getting richer and American taxpayers have subsidized the creation of low-paying foreign jobs. "
Etc. She looks like Donald Trump at his best. Who is this Elizabeth Warren, ask yourself? Not the extremist abortionist, hungry for weapons, and abortionist you thought you knew. Unfortunately, Elizabeth Warren is still all that. And that's exactly the problem, not just with Warren, but with American politics.
In Washington, almost no one speaks for the majority of voters. You are either a libertarian zealot controlled by the banks, which speaks of entrepreneurship and the need to reduce rights. It's one side of the alley. Or worse, you are a decadent socialist who wants to ban private cars and give Medicaid to illegal aliens. This is the other side.
There is no caucus representing most Americans: nationalist in economics, fairly traditional socially. Imagine a politician who wants to reduce the costs of your health care, but is not terribly excited about partial abortion. Imagine a person who truly respects the nuclear family and who sympathizes with the culture of rural America, while being willing to take a stand against the rapacious credit card companies that bleed you at 35% interest.
Do you want to vote for someone like that? My God. Of course. Who would not? This candidate would be elected in a landslide. Everytime. Yet this candidate is the opposite of almost all current members of Congress. Our ruling class remains resolutely libertarian: attached to the rhetoric of markets when it serves them; totally libertine on issues of culture. Republicans will explain how payday loans scams are an essential part of the market economy. Then they will work to help your children smoke grass because, hey, freedom. Democrats will agree completely. They are on the same page.
Last week, the Trump government announced a new and innovative way to protect American workers from the rising tide of the country, which reigned in the Third World. While waiting for the Mexican government to stop pushing illegal aliens north of our border, we will be imposing tariffs on all Mexican goods that we import. This is the kind of thing you would do to protect your country if you care about your people. Democrats, of course, opposed it. They do not even pretend to care about America anymore. This is what Republicans have said:
[SOT: MITCH MCCONNELL: Look, I think it’s safe to say – you’ve talked to all of our members and we’re not fans of tariffs. We’re still hoping this can be avoided.]
"We are not supporters of tariffs." Imagine a more ridiculous, disconnected and infuriating response. You can not because there is none.
In other words, says Mitch McConnell, the idea can work in practice. But we are against it because it does not work in theory. It's the Republican Party, 2019. It's no wonder they continue to lose. They deserve it. Will they ever change?
– Tucker Carlson
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