Apparently, The Rallier's "Sanity" Didn't Extend to Trade Policy

Jon Stewart's big "Rally to Restore Sanity (and/or Fear)" drew hundreds of thousands of sign-waving lefty hipsters"moderates" to, according to Stewart himself, "work together" in order to "get through the darkness and back into the light."  I freely admit that I'm not exactly sure what that means (probably because this blog is part of the "problem"), but the whole thing seemed kinda, umm, vague, judgmental and directionless to me.  And if the sign below is any indication, it appears that not all of the rally's attendees were very well-informed about, you know, actual policy:

Sigh.  Where to begin here.  Well, first let me say that I did in fact consider for a moment that our NAFTA victim here was being, like, totally ironic and stuff by mocking anti-NAFTA protesters in the same hilarious vein as South Park's "they took 'r jobs" gag.  But then I saw this sad-yet-telling-yet-comical video about the big rally and the economic education of its attendees, and realized that to assume that this anti-NAFTA sign is ironic humor is almost certainly to give this guy way, way too much credit:



Now that's funny stuff.

It also leaves me with little choice but to assume that this dude wasn't being super-ironic here, and thus to openly ponder how I should respond to his bold political statement.  I guess I could first point out the overwhelming evidence demonstrating that NAFTA has nothing to do with US job losses, but that would be way too simple (and probably go right over his trendy pageboy cap head).

Or I could point out that maybe if he had spent half as much time, you know, looking for a job as he did on sign-making and concert-attending, he'd probably be employed right now.  But who knows: maybe he's networking at the rally or something. (Apparently federal government employees were at the rally attempting to add to their ranks - *shudder*.)  And anyway, that response sounds awfully curmudgeonly.

No, I think the best response here is just to ask a very simple question:  Are we really to believe that THIS GUY's job went to Mexico/Canada via the NAFTA?  I mean, have tons of freelance blogger (comic book collector?) jobs been outsourced to Canada/Mexico that I don't know about?  Or is this guy just the most delicate unemployed autoworker on the face of the planet?

I kid, I kid.  No, I'm sure that our brave NAFTA victim here had a very high-paying 'merican job that was unfairly outsourced to Canada and Mexico, and that we should therefore end all trade so that he can keep his job regardless of its actual value in the free market or the effects that such isolation would have on the US economy.  Then again, if we did that, he probably wouldn't be able to afford those glasses, that shirt or even that trendy pageboy cap.  And, of course, Ozzy Osbourne (a Brit) wouldn't be allowed to sing at the rally.

But whatever.  NAFTA totally sucks, dude.

You know, just like all that free trade with Keynesia.