TPP update

Popular Resistance - A new group is making the outrageously false claim that rigged trade is good for American jobs. The name of the group is even false: Progressive Coalition for American Jobs, as it is neither progressive nor good for American jobs. Daily Kos reports the group is led by former Obama staffers including “Obama campaign alumni Mitch Stewart, the Battleground States Director for Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, and Lydia Tran, the former National Press Secretary for Organizing for America.”

The group is based on a big lie, in fact Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post gave the claim of job creation four Pinocchio Noses — the highest dishonesty score possible. Kessler describes claims of job creation by the Obama administration to be concocted and that most economists will not make such claims. Rather than 650,000 jobs as the administration claims, Kessler finds this false and says 0 jobs will be created. In fact, similar jobs claims were made for previous trade agreements which in fact the agreements have lost jobs.  Reuters reports: “Nearly 5 million U.S. manufacturing jobs — one in four — have been lost since NAFTA and the various post-NAFTA expansion deals were enacted through fast track.” And, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports: 3 out of 5 displaced workers who found a job are earning less money and one-third took a pay cut of 20% or more.

The split among Republicans on trade seems to be growing. The Coalition for a Prosperous America reports on a letter supporting fast track where: “Only 26 of the 46 GOP freshmen would sign the letter.  Twenty refused to sign.  By contrast, 67 of 87 GOP freshmen signed a March 2011 letter supporting the Colombia, South Korea and Panama trade deals.” The Coalition reports that “that the constitutional, economic and sovereignty questions are becoming very significant” and Republicans no longer jump when the Chamber of Commerce says trade.

People across the political spectrum are recognizing that past claims about trade and jobs have been false and it is more accurate to call these agreements “job-killing trade agreements.” As the Coalition writes: “While it’s been too slow, the country is now beginning to see that the deals they supported in the past have not produced the growth and job creation that were promised.  America was lied to.  The promotional trade treaty arguments of today are simply re-runs of past arguments that turned out to be false.”