Charlie and MBD get into it on today’s Editors episode over economic nationalism.
As Charlie points out initially, “I don’t have a problem with buying American per se. That would be great. But you’ll notice what Biden didn’t do. He just said ‘Go buy American.’ He didn’t say, ‘I want to create an environment in which that is the obvious choice.’ People would not need to be told to buy American if buying American were the natural and optimum choice in these circumstances. . . . I’m not less American because I look through the products that are on display and sometimes choose one that’s made in Germany. . . . It’s not my duty. It’s the duty of the president and our elected officials to create an environment in which American companies can thrive.”
While Charlie doesn’t think economic nationalism is, as Rich says, “the future of American politics,” MBD sees it completely differently. “I think the era of believing that the United States can be just a service economy that lives on credit and buys everything else from China is over,” he said. “I think it’s an aberration.”
What starts out as a quick exit question turns into an extended debate — and you can listen to it here.