ECONOMICS & POLICY

摘要

Sometimes you just have to keep your people happy. That seems to have been President Barack Obama's calculation when he approved, on Sept. 11, a 35% tariff hike on Chinese tire imports for three years, though there's no indication that China is dumping the tires below cost. Why would Obama risk inflaming tensions with a major trade partner? Because the original beef was brought by the United Steelworkers, the dominant union in U.S. tire plants and a key ally in Obama's battle to pass health-care reform.