Still Ticked About Those Motorcycles: Obama Releases “Buy American” Logo
Of course, the irony of a candidate who was raised in Indonesia for most of his childhood equating himself with a “buy American” mantra won’t be lost on many voters.
According to an Obama aide, the new effort dovetails with a renewed push by the Obama team in Pennsylvania to poke fun at John McCain’s recent claim that he would rather hear the roar of “50,000 Harleys” than the cheering of 200,000 Berliners.
As the Obama camp was quick to point out, McCain opposed legislation that would have forced the U.S. government to buy American-made motorcycles.
Obama is really upset about those motorcycles, isn’t he? Which seems more than a little absurd.
For one thing, how many motorcycles is the federal government actually buying?
For another, Harley Davidson is the only major manufacturer of motorcycles in America. If the federal government has need of motorcycles, does it really make sense to limit purchasing options to just one company? Thus neglecting products that may be better both for the intended application and price from nations like Germany and Japan that are our allies?
Why didn’t Obama tell those throngs of Germans he spoke in front of in Berlin that he intends to limit the access companies from their country have to our markets?
Trade isolationism and protectionism is likely to do a whole lot more to that “standing in the world” the liberals are always on about than any war. Good trade makes good neighbors, and it also allows domestic consumers (up to and including the government itself) enjoy the increased quality and lower prices that come with international competition.
