Taking aim at WaPo biz columnist

Tim Graham of NewsHounds takes Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein to task for his July 4 column about what Americans should be thankful for on the July 4 holiday.

Graham writes, “Pearlstein’s point is the the collapse of the latest round of global trade talks means that many countries are still struggling with the economic changes that globalization has wrought, including America with its rejection of illegal immigration. Pearlstein argues that Mexico is struggling, even though it has followed the ‘script’ of international financial institutions:

‘As a result Mexican politics have lurched leftward, just as they have in the rest of Latin America, reflecting a healthy strain of anti-Americanism and a distrust of free trade and global investment.’

“Is Pearlstein rooting for anti-Americanism if he finds it a ‘healthy strain,’ or did he just lead readers to think he’s rooting for it when he begins with the ‘smug insularity’ paragraph? (Notice Mexico didn’t ‘lurch leftward’ enough to produce a victory….yet….for leftist Lopez Obrador.)

“Pearlstein concluded that any business executives or think-tank experts who would now warn of the dangers of protectionism ‘should save their breath. You can’t go around the world preaching about democracy and free markets if you’re not willing to accept the results of elections and acknowledge shifting sentiments in the marketplace of ideas.’ Something tells me it’s the Mexican left who will not be willing to accept the results of elections.”

Read more here.