--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The lobbying over China most favored…" description: "\"The lobbying over China most favored nation trading status was disgusting. There's no way in hell that MFN would have passed in '95, '96, '97, '98, '99..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/mark-shields-1572_accounts_the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nat_705272.png" --- # The lobbying over China most favored nation trading status… ![“The lobbying over China most favored nation trading status was disgusting. There's no way in hell that MFN would have passed in '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000 if all these companies hadn't come in flooding and making campaign contributions and ask for people's support. That drove the debate. Every…” quote by Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/mark-shields-1572_accounts_the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nat_705272.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/mark-shields-1572_accounts_the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nat_705272.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/mark-shields-1572_accounts_the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nat_705272.png) > “The lobbying over China most favored nation trading status was disgusting. There's no way in hell that MFN would have passed in '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000 if all these companies hadn't come in flooding and making campaign contributions and ask for people's support. That drove the debate. Every year was the allure of corporate dollars flooding into members' bank accounts.” [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Shields argues that corporate lobbying, especially from firms seeking MFN status with China, corrupted the trade debate, turning it into a money‑driven process. **In simple terms:** Corporate money swayed China trade policy. Key Takeaway Watch for hidden influences in policy. Themes politics trade corruption influence Mood cautious analytical Type investigative opinion When to use this quote - legislative hearings - policy analysis - public advocacy - media scrutiny Key Concepts economics ethics campaign finance Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports the lobbying impact? - How can transparency be improved? A Different Perspective The claim may oversimplify complex geopolitical factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allure/) [Bank account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-account/) [Bank accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-accounts/) [Campaign contributions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaign-contributions/) [Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Corporate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporate/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Flooding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flooding/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Trading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trading/) ## Related quotes > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [But please know, whether you believe campaign contributions are speech or property, that I learned to love very dearly the right of free expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/but-please-know-whether-you-believe-campaign-contributions-are-speech/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Let me thank the 2 1/2 million Americans who helped fund our campaign with an unprecedented 8 million individual campaign contributions. Anyone know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/let-me-thank-the-2-1-2-million-americans-who-helped-fund-our-campaign/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Well, the elected officials in both parties are receiving campaign contributions and support through electioneering communications from groups that aren't technically affiliated with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-painter/well-the-elected-officials-in-both-parties-are-receiving-campaign/) [Richard Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-painter/) > [The case may very well be that Congress is willing to restrict campaign contributions because it has these privileges. It is true that incumbents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-tullock/the-case-may-very-well-be-that-congress-is-willing-to-restrict/) [Gordon Tullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-tullock/) > [Ultimately, the question of campaign contributions will be decided by the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/ultimately-the-question-of-campaign-contributions-will-be-decided-by/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Most successful American politicians look well-fed on endorsements, campaign contributions and chicken dinners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hoggart/most-successful-american-politicians-look-well-fed-on-endorsements/) [Simon Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hoggart/) > [Who do you think controls the Republican Party? Big money controls the Republican Party. This is where their campaign contributions come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/who-do-you-think-controls-the-republican-party-big-money-controls-the/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The only way you do anything is to become really active. And the most effective way to get your message to your elected representatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krist-novoselic/the-only-way-you-do-anything-is-to-become-really-active-and-the-most/) [Krist Novoselic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krist-novoselic/) > [The reality is we that have a corrupt campaign finance system which separates the American people's needs and desires from what Congress is doing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-reality-is-we-that-have-a-corrupt-campaign-finance-system-which/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [“Campaign contributions don’t buy votes. What they buy is access.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/campaign-contributions-don-t-buy-votes-what-they-buy-is-access/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Whenever the media asked me how much I have received in campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry, my unapologetic answer was, 'Not enough.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-inhofe/whenever-the-media-asked-me-how-much-i-have-received-in-campaign/) [Jim Inhofe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-inhofe/) > [I just think the most important aspect in being able to have a productive relationship between the teachers' unions and the districts and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-just-think-the-most-important-aspect-in-being-able-to-have-a/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [“Most politicians are corrupt as they do not represent the masses that voted for them, but rather they choose to return numerous favors to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/most-politicians-are-corrupt-as-they-do-not-represent-the-masses-that/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [The primary source of waste in government is that legislators are often under heavy pressure to vote for projects that will benefit their campaign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-frank/the-primary-source-of-waste-in-government-is-that-legislators-are/) [Robert H. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-frank/) ## More by Mark Shields > [I'm not sure Betsy DeVos has ever spent a day in a public school. And I don't - I'm pretty sure Donald Trump hasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/i-m-not-sure-betsy-devos-has-ever-spent-a-day-in-a-public-school-and/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Donald Trump is sounding the same theme he has sounded since May or June of 2015.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/donald-trump-is-sounding-the-same-theme-he-has-sounded-since-may-or/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [I do look upon the secretary of education's primary responsibility as the quality of education that - and improving the education that every child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/i-do-look-upon-the-secretary-of-education-s-primary-responsibility-as/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Dan Coats, retiring senator from Indiana, a mild-mannered man, a former United States ambassador to Germany, former congressman, said of Ted Cruz he's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/dan-coats-retiring-senator-from-indiana-a-mild-mannered-man-a-former/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [It's interesting how identity politics and Ann Coulter-style tactics have now blossomed. But they were always there in CPAC.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/it-s-interesting-how-identity-politics-and-ann-coulter-style-tactics/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [When you run for president of the United States, everybody does the same thing in the campaign-they talk about veterans, how much they admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/when-you-run-for-president-of-the-united-states-everybody-does-the/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Americans don't like powerful figures who punch down, that is, who pick on someone less powerful and less able to speak for themselves than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/americans-don-t-like-powerful-figures-who-punch-down-that-is-who-pick/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Everyone has to take Donald Trump seriously, and I think that's what we're seeing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/everyone-has-to-take-donald-trump-seriously-and-i-think-that-s-what/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Donald Trump defies gravity. And so I guess he has to be Donald Trump. It's gotten him so far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/donald-trump-defies-gravity-and-so-i-guess-he-has-to-be-donald-trump/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [ My church \[Catholisism\] is hurting from arrogance and from its indifference to the suffering of children that were abused and the inclination of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/my-church-catholisism-is-hurting-from-arrogance-and-from-its/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [America is Republican until 5:00 or 6:00 at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/america-is-republican-until-5-00-or-6-00-at-night/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [John Kerry's biography was central to his campaign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/john-kerry-s-biography-was-central-to-his-campaign/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [I think Guantanamo, has been synonymous with the staining of American values and American legal tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/i-think-guantanamo-has-been-synonymous-with-the-staining-of-american/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Stronger together is, I think, a preposition and a comparative adjective, but it's not really an action verb or what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/stronger-together-is-i-think-a-preposition-and-a-comparative/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [If you only make fights that you're going to win, there would be no women's vote in America, there would be no civil rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/if-you-only-make-fights-that-you-re-going-to-win-there-would-be-no/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) [Explore all 227 Mark Shields quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) ## More Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The lobbying over China most favored nation trading status was disgusting. There's no way in hell that MFN would have passed in '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000 if all these companies hadn't come in flooding and making campaign contributions and ask for people's support. That drove the debate. Every year was the allure of corporate dollars flooding into members' bank accounts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Shields" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nation-trading-status-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accounts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nation-trading-status-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/mark-shields-1572_accounts_the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nat_705272.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/mark-shields-1572_accounts_the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nat_705272.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/mark-shields-1572_accounts_the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nat_705272.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The lobbying over China most favored nation trading status was disgusting. There's no way in hell that MFN…” — Mark Shields", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mark Shields", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The lobbying over China most favored...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nation-trading-status-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/the-lobbying-over-china-most-favored-nation-trading-status-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```