[PEN-L:5180] Re: Trade Sanctions

[glevy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

A short answer to Doug's question might be that there are divisions in
the ruling class as to what policies are in their class interests.  What
may be beneficial from the standpoint of capitalists in one branch of
production may not be desirable from the standpoint of some blocs of US
capital or from the standpoint of US capital as a whole.

The political motives suggested by Doug and Justin Schwartz are also
factors as is the mark-up on luxury cars suggested by Anthony D'Costa.
It is obviously very difficult in practice to understand the exact
motivations and reasonings of the capitalist state since we are not privy
to their internal discussions and debates.

                                                     Jerry

On Mon, 22 May 1995, Doug Henwood wrote:

> If US Kapital is so hot to open the Japanese market, then why is most of US
> big business so ambivalent at best about the Clinton sanctions? Van Doorn
> Oorms (I may have inserted a superfluous 'o' there somewhere), the chief
> economist for the Committee for Economic Develoipment, a ruling class think
> tank par excellence, was quoted in the NY Times the other day as being
> opposed to the administration's move.
>
> Don't underestimate domestic political considerations. The bite of the
> sanctions, if they hit at all, will be mainly on upper middle class voters
> who hate Clinton anyway, but it could gain votes among white male workers
> in the upper midwest, who are absolutely critical to BC's re-election.
>
> Doug
>
> --
>
> Doug Henwood
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