boxwood celery: Tire tariffs saved jobs? Don't believe everything in a campaign ad

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Tire tariffs saved jobs? Don't believe everything in a campaign ad

September 20, 2012

By: Bob Ulrich

Tire tariffs saved jobs? Don t believe everything in a campaign ad

I listen to most of the political ads during an election year. I just don't believe what any of them try to tell me.

Here's a case in point: One of the latest ads for the re-election of President Barack Obama trumpets how he stood up to China by imposing steep tire tariffs.The ad says:

"When a flood of Chinese tires threatened a thousand American jobs, it was President Obama who stood up to China, and protected American workers."

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know what I think of that statement (see "Tire tariffs did not equal jobs, despite what President Obama said"). So I don't believe the second claim of the ad.

However, the ad also offers up a quote from Presidental candidate Mitt Romney's book, "No Apology: the Case for American Greatness." Here's what the ad said the former Massachusetts Governor wrote in response to the tariffs:

"President Obama's action to defend American tire companies from foreign competition... is decidedly bad for the nation and our workers."

I'm sure one of the reasons for the use of the quote was to show that the president defended American tire companies. I don't believe the president's action was intended to do that. That's a "no" to claim number three.

Did they really need defending? No. A number of them were producing low-cost Chinese consumer tires for export to the United States, so the tariffs hurt them, too.

In fairness, some manufacturers quietly supported the tariffs. They did help raise prices and force many consumers to buy "better" and "best" tires instead of "good" after they wore their tires to the bone. That sure helped their profitability.

But to find out who the tariffs really defended, you would have to read the full quote:

?President Obama?s action to defend American tire companies from foreign competition may make good politics by repaying unions for their support of his campaign, but it is decidedly bad for the nation and our workers. Protectionism stifles productivity."

I shouldn't have said I don't believe anything the political ads say. I believed the very first claim in the ad:

"I'm Barack Obama, and I approved this message."

Of course he does.

Now an aside. Both of the photos used in this blog are screen captures from the ad, which was paid for by Obama for America. The first photo is self-explanatory.

However, I couldn't figure out where the second photo, which was used to represent Chinese tires, was taken. Here it is.

If anyone happens to know where the second photo was taken, just respond to this blog.

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