Bernie Sanders slams Joe Biden for downplaying China's economic threat to the US

[TomCADem]

Biden is going to have his hands full trying to fight against both Bernie and Trump who have both made a signature issue of repeatedly confronting China and Mexico on trade. Indeed, Bernie has suggested that he would go even further than Trump in opposing free trade agreements.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/02/sanders-slams-bidens-china-trade-stance-in-2020-democratic-primary.html

Sanders, who has aimed to set himself apart from Biden by highlighting his opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement and Trans-Pacific Partnership deals, took a veiled shot at the former vice president Wednesday night. The Vermont independent said that since the 2000 passage of a bill extending normal trade status to China, which he opposed as a House member, the U.S. has lost more than 3 million manufacturing jobs. Biden voted for the measure as a senator.

“It’s wrong to pretend that China isn’t one of our major economic competitors,” the Sanders campaign wrote in a tweet. “When we are in the White House we will win that competition by fixing our trade policies.”

* * *

On Monday, Sanders released a trade plan designed to put more pressure on Trump over trade policy. He called on all of his presidential rivals to pledge to renegotiate U.S. trade deals and label China a currency manipulator, among other proposals. Trump promised to label China a currency manipulator but has not yet done so.

Biden — who has pegged his presidential hopes in part on winning his home state of Pennsylvania — will have to defend his trade policy history as he tries to garner support in Midwestern states. As a senator, he voted to ratify NAFTA. As vice president, he also pushed for the TPP agreement — which Trump, Sanders and several Democratic senators running for president opposed.

https://abcstlouis.com/news/nation-world/lashing-back-china-lets-yuan-drop-halts-us-farm-purchases

Lashing back, China lets yuan drop, halts US farm purchases

WASHINGTON (AP) — China decided Monday to meet President Donald Trump's latest tariff threat with defiance, letting its currency drop to an 11-year low and halting purchases of U.S. farm products.

The moves, which came four days after Trump threatened more taxes on Chinese imports, knocked stock markets worldwide into a tailspin. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 850 points by mid-afternoon.

Earlier, stocks tumbled from Shanghai to London on fears the escalation in U.S.-China trade tension will drag down a global economy that is already weakening.

Raising worries that China will wield its currency as a weapon in a trade war, Beijing let the Chinese yuan weaken to the politically sensitive level of seven to the U.S. dollar for the first time since February 2008.

[George II]

1. UNITY PLEDGE!!!!

[Princetonian]

5. Excellent explanation but he should not be attacking Joe because Joe is fully cognizant.

Although knowing Bernie, he is speaking out of principle not politics like some other candidates who have attacked Joe.

[Princetonian]

4. That's dead after last Wednesday's debate where Bernie wasn't even on stage.

[HerbChestnut]

7. Thank you.

[HerbChestnut]

8. Please, George.

That's a tame statement by the Sanders campaign.

[NNadir]

3. And later, he'll slam (enter winning candidate's name here) for being a Democrat.

I'm sure that the Sanders/Trump "blame China" scam will work much much better in Bernie's hands.

[TomCADem]

6. Bernie Sanders Says U.S. Can't Have 'Open Borders' Because Poor People Will Come 'From All Over

True. Bernie can even take Trump's anti-immigration views and make them sound progressive. For example, here is Bernie throwing shade at folks like Elizabeth Warren and Julian Castro who have advocated decriminalizing crossing the border without papers by describing such "open border" proposals as being a Koch Brother's proposal. Who knew that AOC, Elizabeth Warren and Julian Castro were right wingers as explained by Bernie Sanders:

https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-open-borders-poverty-world-immigration-1388767

Senator Bernie Sanders pushed back to clarify his position on immigration on Sunday after he was asked in Iowa about his reported support for open borders.

"I'm afraid you may be getting your information wrong," said Sanders, an independent from Vermont who is currently seeking the Democratic nomination to unseat President Donald Trump in 2020, The Washington Post reported. "I think what we need is comprehensive immigration reform," he said.

"Oh my god, there's a lot of poverty in this world, and you're going to have people from all over the world. And I don't think that's something that we can do at this point. Can't do it," the senator added.

Trump has inaccurately accused opponents from both parties, but especially Democrats, of supporting open borders, claiming they would allow "criminals" and "terrorists" to enter the U.S. undeterred. Democratic leaders have pushed back, pointing out that they support secure borders, and as Sanders said, wanted comprehensive immigration reform. But they have staunchly opposed the president's plan to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as they believe such a measure would prove ineffective and costly.

[tirebiter]

9. TPP was designed to keep China in check

Obama was looking ahead to situations like what is happening currently.

[quickesst]

10. "slams Joe Biden"

"took a veiled shot"

[emmaverybo]

12. Good catch. That's funny. NT

[quickesst]

13. happens quite often...

....and all I can do is and point it out.

[Eric J in MN]

14. Bernie Sanders expresses possible disagreement without mentioning his opponent. NT

NT

[ucrdem]

11. Uh Bern, this approach was your idea, not Joe's

Remember?