LAS VEGAS (AP) — Democrat John Kerry said Sunday that President Bush has turned his back on the American worker by allowing other countries to break trade deals negotiated with the United States and that as president he would put in place a "common-sense" effort to strengthen the bargaining and enforcement of such agreements.
"When I am president, we will never turn a blind eye to clear trade violations when American jobs are on the line," the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee told several thousand cheering Teamsters Union leaders gathered for an annual convention.
Kerry sought to defuse tensions over trade, which emerged as an issue during the race for the nomination. He argued that while there are differences over trade policy, both he and union leaders agree trade deals must be enforced once they are sealed.
"This is not a philosophical question about free trade or protectionism," Kerry said. "It is just a common-sense question: Why aren't we enforcing our own laws on behalf of our own workers and businesses?"