You must really love the sound of your voice because you obviously have no clue what we are talking about or what protectionism is. Protectionism is the government taking active steps to protect the industries which work within it.
Correct, taking steps to force or coerce other companies or individual citizens to use those things.
IE putting a tarrif on foriegn goods but not domestic.
Giving tax breaks to people for buying a domestic product.
Putting heavier taxes on companies that outsource overseas.
Etc.
Putting limitations on people or business that encourages the use of the protected goods or service or discourages the use of the non-protected ones.
This is different than the government itself having a particular policy for its own operations, which is public money.
Not a private company protecting itself. Regardless of how many analogies you make, the government should give contracts to those who can do it faster, cheaper and at better quality.
Not necessarily. The government serves the PEOPLE. If the people wish for the governments priority to be:
1. Invest the money back into American Markets
2. Good quality
3. Cost
4. Speed
Then THAT should be the priority the government takes. Its lunancy to suggest that its perfectly fine to have criteria on what makes something worth while for the government to use (quality, cost, speed) but then suddenly say one such potential criteria is somehow anti-capitalistic in its very nature. Doubly so when its the government mandating it for themselves, not placing down regulations upon the actual market.
If an American company can not do this but yet the government gives it to that company on nationalistic grounds - sorry - because it is common sense to protect American business. THAT IS PROTECTIONISM. Do you not agree?
No, because there's nothing to agree with, because you're as asinine using "common sense" as a reason as aspdt is. If the economic theory is sound and the American People are behind the notion that we should make attempting to find American suppliers as a top criteria then the government is acting in the interest of the people, and the economy, not simply due to "nationalistic" grounds nor because of "common sense".