NPR hosted a radio debate Tuesday between the Democratic presidential candidates.

It was a radio-only debate with no cameras, no audience, and no strict time limits for candidate answers (although they were kept thankfully brief). It was an excellent forum to hear their ideas.

Link (You can also get it as an MP3 for you mobile audio junkies.)

One scary thing I learned:

• Seemingly “progressive” Democrats seem to be frighteningly against free trade, especially with China and Mexico. Their justifications were varied and had some juice, but I am a fan of trade first, regulate later most of the time (with regards to product safety, environmental impact, fair pay). Rarely should we ever significantly restrict trade but for human rights violations or other egregious acts. But, restricting trade to keep “blue collar jobs in America” is scary, antiquated thinking. We need better education for our displaced workers, not more shitty jobs.