Doubling Down on Protectionism Typically, the party platforms crafted every four years by Republicans and Democrats are equally meaningless. Some of their policy prescriptions become codified but many do not. But speakers at this week’s Republican Convention are leaving no doubt that “America First” is more than platitude. They are thinking and saying what is contained in the platform. The document itself is “Dedicated to the Forgotten Men and Women of America.” Specifically, Chapter 5 is headlined the Protection of American Farmers and Workers from Unfair Trade. The previously free trade Party now laments a trillion-dollar annual trade deficit and will seek a baseline of tariffs on imports, the decoupling fr...