NAFTA, the Dem debate and some Chicago steelworkers

I'm watching Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama talk all over the map, both here and Los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, about the North American Free Trade Agreement. As far as I can guess, they favor it, but they want to renegotiate it. I think.

This will help John McCain, whose been very supportive of NAFTA, since this question will come up in general election debates. His policy has been consistent.

Obama made some comments about his days as a community organizer, which ran from 1985 until the autumn of 1988, and that he saw the effects to the steelworkers on Chicago's South Side, "as a result of these trade agreements."

Which ones?

The US and Canadian free trade agreement, the forerunner of NAFTA, went into effect on January 2, 1988. Prior to that there were chargers of "dumping" Japanese steel, but I really have to wonder if Obama is misplacing events here. Chicago steel mills didn't suddenly shut down on January 3 of that year.

Technorati tags: NAFTA Canada Mexico méxico trade steel industry Barack Obama politics Democrats news Barack Obama Hillary Clinton hillary hillary