There has been some confusion about the recent Democratic focus on foreign contributions being used by conservative organizations to support Republican candidates. This kind of process argument, goes the criticism, doesn't resonate with voters -- and they're right, it usually doesn't. But this message is actually a bank shot that gives the Democrats an important boost on economic issues. How? Watch this controversial ad from the Democratic National Committee, which I unfortunately can't embed. At the 15-second point, notice what kind of money is being shown in the background -- yup, it's Chinese money!
That's the real subtext of the foreign-funding message. People around the country are increasingly blaming economic woes on merging markets that suffered less, recovered quickly, and have greater prospects for growth than the United States. This recent WSJ/NBC poll shows that more Americans dislike free-trade agreements than ever, some 53 percent. The same poll [PDF] shows that 68 percent think U.S. companies are outsourcing much of their manufacturing to foreign countries -- Americans cite it as the No. 1 reason, according to that poll, for our troubled economy.
While outsourcing is an economic problem, it's harder to say conclusively that it is the central reason for high unemployment. Nonetheless, if Democrats can seize on atavism to tie their opponents to the foreign countries Americans blame for the stagnant recovery, it gives them a big advantage -- Democratic consultants tell me it polls through the roof. Note, of course, that of the specific foreign companies Think Progress is able to tie to the Chamber of Commerce, none are Chinese. (They do suggest the possibility that China donated to the Chamber, however.) Connecting Republicans to China and other global competitors, however, is the order of the day.
This is not a pretty tactic for the Democrats, who are reduced to doing whatever they can to preserve their majority. It might make it harder, too, for the Obama administration to implement its long-term international economic agenda, which includes revisiting free-trade agreements and working out any number of contentious trade and currency issue with China itself.
It's important not to lose sight of the fact that foreign money in domestic politics is a serious issue, and one that ought to be addressed -- one of the earliest campaign-finance laws, after all, forbade legislators to depend on "foreign princes." But politically, that's not how the Democrats are trying to move voters -- campaign finance concerns are a vehicle to link voters' perceptions of economic problems to the Republican Party.
-- Tim Fernholz
