When has protectionism ever worked?

CAFTA is set for a vote in the House today and it will be very close, and with the support of probably less than a dozen democrats.

I'm absolutely sick and stunned at people masking extremely short-sighted self interest with supposed concern for the poor. Nothing is better at lifting people out of poverty and raising the standard of living than free trade and more markets.

It's so simple it hurts. Just as a government cannot spend it's way into prosperity, it's simply impossible to 'protect' your way into prosperity for all. And the poor are helped the most. It's a damn shame that non-liberals have hijacked the formerly-revered label and have been able to fool people legitimately interested in helping the poor into their fold. In no world would Jesus ever be a democrat.

If you ever have an example of protectionism working to make a country better off, please, PLEASE contact me because I really want to know what Nobel laureates are missing.

UPDATE from Radar:
What is the deal with CAFTA anyway? How can a formerly liberal idea be ignored and ridiculed by Democrats? Did they all forget about Clinton and NAFTA? How did these same liberals vote when NAFTA was on the table? If the Bush adminstration introduced a nation-wide socialist medical care system would the democrats now oppose it?