FAILURE: Obama’s plans for trade deals with Asia and Europe in tatters after Senate vote. “Barack Obama’s ambitions to pass sweeping new free trade agreements with Asia and Europe fell at the first hurdle on Tuesday as Senate Democrats put concerns about US manufacturing jobs ahead of arguments that the deals would boost global economic growth. . . . Drama over the landmark trade negotiations has been escalating for weeks, propelling Obama into a public feud with Democrats – going so far as to accuse opposing members within his party of lying about the fast-track bill. The vote marked a rare moment in which Republicans lined up to support the president’s agenda, even as GOP leadership pointed to Obama’s failure to rally his own party in favor of the legislation.”
So I get that Democrats are no longer free traders. But the argument that they are doing so to 'protect' manufacturing jobs is silly. First of all, the manufacturing segments vulnerable to low cost manufacturing are already gone. To China or Mexico. Second, the US is in the midst of a manufacturing Renaissance focused on energy intensive applications. But the people in these industries are among the most hostile to Democrats. Third, these types of agreements typically benefit intellectual property intensive industries like tech and entertainment more than anyone else and those industries are the two stalwarts of the Democrat's plutocratic wing. This opposition doesn't make sense on realpolitic grounds. It appears to be more of a howl of frustration - one that is part and parcel with the extremist chaos going on in leftist Universities and inner city neighborhoods. After six years of indifferent leadership from their favorite President ever the left realizes that it has nothing much to show for all of the effort. And convinced that they are on the right side of history, they are throwing a tantrum at anyone and everyone that they perceive has 'held them back'.
I'm open to other explanations but I just don't see them. Does Lizzy Warren in MA really give a rip about manufacturing? New England is deindustrialized for gosh sakes.
Hat tip Instapundit
So I get that Democrats are no longer free traders. But the argument that they are doing so to 'protect' manufacturing jobs is silly. First of all, the manufacturing segments vulnerable to low cost manufacturing are already gone. To China or Mexico. Second, the US is in the midst of a manufacturing Renaissance focused on energy intensive applications. But the people in these industries are among the most hostile to Democrats. Third, these types of agreements typically benefit intellectual property intensive industries like tech and entertainment more than anyone else and those industries are the two stalwarts of the Democrat's plutocratic wing. This opposition doesn't make sense on realpolitic grounds. It appears to be more of a howl of frustration - one that is part and parcel with the extremist chaos going on in leftist Universities and inner city neighborhoods. After six years of indifferent leadership from their favorite President ever the left realizes that it has nothing much to show for all of the effort. And convinced that they are on the right side of history, they are throwing a tantrum at anyone and everyone that they perceive has 'held them back'.
I'm open to other explanations but I just don't see them. Does Lizzy Warren in MA really give a rip about manufacturing? New England is deindustrialized for gosh sakes.
Hat tip Instapundit
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