By Attacking TPP, Trump Is Running To Hillary’s Left On International Trade

[portlander23]

By Attacking TPP, Trump Is Running To Hillary’s Left On International Trade. What Does That Mean?
Ian Reifowitz
Huffington Post

This past week, the Democratic Party’s platform committee turned aside a proposal put forth by Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota that would have put the party on record as standing opposed to TPP heading into the general election. Instead, the platform includes a statement noting that “there are a diversity of views in the party” on this matter. This is a nuanced position. Politics, however, doesn’t do nuance. One respected news source reported the story under the headline: “Democrats to endorse Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.” That may not be exactly accurate, but perception is reality.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t matter much in terms of the presidential election—despite significant dissatisfaction with TPP among many on the left—because the Republican Party has long been reflexively in favor of every free trade agreement that comes down the pike. Enter Donald Trump.

So let’s go back to where we started: What does it mean that Trump is running to Hillary’s left on international trade and TPP? No one knows, exactly, although it’s clearly roiling both the Democratic and Republican coalitions to at least some degree. Maybe this is the beginning of a fundamental political realignment, with the two major parties morphing into pro- and anti-globalization/immigration movements along the lines of how the British divided on the Brexit vote.

One thing is certain: Bernie Sanders still has an important role to play here, perhaps on this single issue more than any other in the campaign. He is the one person who can forcefully vouch for Hillary Clinton and convince those remaining holdouts (the number of which is, thankfully, shrinking even faster than the comparable number of Hillary supporters who said they opposed Obama at this point in 2008) that she—and not Donald Trump—is the candidate who will better represent the interests of working-class Americans when it comes to trade. The big question is how effectively Bernie will do so.

[ismnotwasm]

1. Charming title.

[comradebillyboy]

2. So when did protectionism become the rallying cry of the left?

[geek tragedy]

3. So Pat Buchanan and Charles Lindbergh were left wingers. nt

[w4rma]

4. Nearly every Republican in Congress voted for Obama's fast track. Only 15% of Democrats did. (nt)

[arcane1]

26. That should speak volumes, but it's generally ignored instead. n/t

[upaloopa]

5. What Trump says is meaningless. You can't compare him to any other candidate.

[CobaltBlue]

23. upaloopa—Apparently not true…

Last edited Tue Jul 5, 2016, 02:06 PM - Edit history (1)

Otherwise we would not have this thread. And, in addition to that, the presumptive Republican nomination would not have been won by Donald Trump. So, it is not entirely meaningless if he appears to be on the left of the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, on trade.

[CrowCityDem]

6. Trump isn't running on anything.

[Adrahil]

7. Protectionism and Nationalism are not "left"

Besides, Trump doesn't mean a word of it.

[w4rma]

8. Protectionism and nationalism are not "right", either.

The Founding Fathers are often called Patriots. The Founding Fathers were nationalistic and they were as "left" as possible for their time.

Conversely, the Nazis and neo-Nazis are nationalistic and they are as "right" as possible.

Right-wingers' idea of protectionism is to discriminate using differences in people. Left-wingers' idea of protectionism is regulations to prevent the exploitation of the folks who do the work.

[pnwmom]

9. Hillary's not in favor of the TPP, so he's not running on her left.

She just isn't going to attack President Obama, and he's fine with that.

[pampango]

10. He attacks all of our international agreements not just TPP. That's not 'left'.

That's refusing to engage with the rest of the world unless we act unilaterally. American 'exceptionalism' is not 'left'. Neither is 'America First'.

[Lord Magus]

11. Protectionism & isolationism have never been "left"

Making the basic premise of that article bullshit.

[JTFrog]

12. Nice try. n/t

[Scuba]

13. He's also running to her left on H1B visas, fracking and climate change.

And being opposed to the TPP is not being nationalistic or protectionist, unless you consider protecting our Constitution protectionist.

[synergie]

15. Ummm, no. He's not running left on anything.

And TPP has nothing to do with the Constitution. It's cute how Trump supporters are pushing this false argument to appeal to clueless and angry Bernie voters who share Trump's cluelessness on these topics.

[Scuba]

18. Clueless like Elizabeth Warren, eh?

[randome]

16. Which amendment is it that says trade issues cannot be adjudicated unless the U.S. always wins?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]

[Scuba]

17. Not even a good strawman. C'mon, you're slipping.

[randome]

20. Well, it is July 5th.

But I still fail to see any Constitutional issues arising out of a trade treaty. And I think Elizabeth Warren is simply wrong. I don't understand why she's taken the position that she has.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]

[AJH032]

24. To her left on climate change? I hope you're joking

Let's not forget that Trump called climate change a "Chinese hoax".

I just can't figure out why you would say something like that.

[Scuba]

28. You're correct. It's healthcare where he's also running to her left ...

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/6-key-issues-where-trump-neutralizes-hillary-or-runs-her-left

Trump wants the feds to negotiate buying in bulk from pharmaceutical companies ...

Trump has railed against the health insurance industry for preserving its state-by-state monopolies under Obamacare, saying neither Democrats nor Republicans made an effort to repeal a 1945 law that prevents Americans from buying cheaper policies in another state.

Is he running to the left of Hillary on these issues? Yes. Can he be trusted? No.

[Maven]

29. Um, no. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, gut Medicaid, and in its place...

...institute a new tax deduction for health care costs.

You think that's running to her left on the issue?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-obamacare-replacement_us_56d7b3fde4b0ffe6f8e834f1

Mostly, Trumpcare is based on proposals Republicans have touted for years, but never put much effort into enacting, even as they continue to claim an Obamacare replacement is just around the corner.

The most consequential item on Trump’s wish list is to allow anyone to deduct the full cost of their health insurance premiums for their income taxes.

Today, anyone who gets health insurance from an employer already doesn’t pay taxes on the value of that fringe benefit. This proposal would level the playing field for people who buy health coverage directly from an insurer, although they already can deduct the cost now under limited circumstances.

That may be a great deal for people who make a lot of money, giving them a big new tax break. But anyone with a low income or middle income may still find health insurance unaffordable — and that’s especially true for those who earn so little that the cost of insurance is higher than what they owe in taxes. And this would be enormously expensive for the government, because it would deprive the treasury of a tremendous amount of revenue.

(More at link)

[geek tragedy]

33. it is very sad that some so-called progressives hate Hillary Clinton so much

they literally embrace Ted Cruz's health care plan, just out of pure personal spite.

[geek tragedy]

32. You're peddling misleading falsehoods on Trump's healthcare proposals too.

Allowing the sale of insurance across state lines is a rightwing position.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/01/upshot/the-problem-with-gop-plans-to-sell-health-insurance-across-state-lines.html?_r=0

The idea of developing a more national market for health insurance has become a major part of Republican health reform orthodoxy. A bill to allow interstate insurance sales was introduced in Congress in 2005, and, since then, has been a part of the platform of every Republican presidential nominee. Mr. Trump is not alone in his view: Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal have all endorsed it. Aside from repealing the Affordable Care Act, allowing insurers to sell their products across state lines appears to be the most popular health policy idea among the G.O.P. candidates.

It’s such a perennial suggestion that when Len Nichols, a health policy professor at George Mason University and the author of a 2009 paper on the subject, was asked for comment, he said: “Are you kidding me? We’ve been through this about 30 decades ago.”

So, when someone cites this:

Trump has railed against the health insurance industry for preserving its state-by-state monopolies under Obamacare, saying neither Democrats nor Republicans made an effort to repeal a 1945 law that prevents Americans from buying cheaper policies in another state.

they reveal themselves to either be completely ignorant about the health care policy or to be a cynical liar driven by hatred of Hillary Clinton.

[Scuba]

34. No, I'm only noting that Trump is overtly running to Hillary's left on these issues.

[geek tragedy]

30. Trump is a climate change denier.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/03/22/this-is-the-only-type-of-climate-change-donald-trump-believes-in/

Anyone who says he is running to Clinton's left on climate change is either a shameless liar or a fact-free ignoramus blinded by hate.

[greatauntoftriplets]

14. Oy.

[tallahasseedem]

19. Well hot damn then...

put him in office! Screw all of those other issues Democrats hold near and dear...Donnie hate TPP!!11!!!1

[BobbyDrake]

21. The concern, as always, is noted. We've got pages and pages of noted concern at this point.

Way more than can be used in one lifetime. Enough already.

[pampango]

22. If the republican base is 'to the left' of the Democratic base and Hoover was 'to the left' of FDR,

then Trump is 'to the left' of Hillary and, even more so, Obama on international trade.

Trump is a 21st century Herbert Hoover in many ways. Obama is no FDR but he is a lot more like him than Trump is.

[MaggieD]

25. Wow, what a bullshit article

Clinton has been pretty clear that she is not in favor of the TPP and why she is not. And yet the whole article is premised on flatly ignoring that actual fact.

[1StrongBlackMan]

27. Why would any honest person claim to know what policies trump would pursue?

[Sancho]

31. I disagree with the article in the link. I believe that Bernie is taking a more-right position.

The TPP may certainly need improvement - and some parts are suspect. OTOH, simply being against all trade agreements is isolationist, privileged, and exceptionalism.

Good trade agreements are good for workers in all parts of the world, including the US. Bernie and Trump both appear to be against ALL trade agreements in a wholesale manner.

[MineralMan]

35. No, he's not. You are incorrect.

That is all.

[Bucky]

36. They way he's playing to xenophobic fears on trade is NOT "running to the left"

anyway, Clinton has come out against the TPP. She will, no doubt, just renegotiate the treaty and make it more palatable.

Defeating the TPP and not replacing it, by the way, will be a huge diplomatic victory for China. The main point of the treaty is to keep China from dominating its smaller neighbors.