"If the TPP would be as good for American jobs as they claim, there should be nothing to hide."

[pampango]

7. And even more republicans (the base not the politicians) say that about NAFTA and other agreements.

Manufacturing (and overall) wages and employment increased after that under Clinton, as did family income while unemployment fell dramatically. Then everything went to pot under Bush.

If you think that the devastation under Bush would not have happened without NAFTA then you have more faith in his tax and other regressive economic and regulatory policies than I do. Trade with Mexico (we already had a 'free trade agreement' with Canada) is less than 3% of our economy. Our trade deficit with Mexico is less than 1/10 of 1% of it. Hardly the cause of widespread economic problems under Bush, though it is fun to blame poor foreign workers rather than our own politicians and their regressive laws.

The idea that he was a victim of Clinton's failed trade policy is pedaled by the far-right to shift the blame.

Plenty of progressive countries have more "NAFTA's" than we do and do fine with progressive tax, labor, safety net and regulatory policies.