Why New Hampshire Outcome is Bad for the TPP

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump won big last night, but the real loser wasn’t the Republican establishment or Hillary Clinton: it was the Trans-Pacific Partnership and everything it represents.

At this point, it’s almost a cliché to draw comparisons between the Trump and Sanders campaigns.

They’re both headed up but “outsiders” who “tell it like it is” and appeal to everyday Americans with “populist rhetoric” and “angry” language -- you know the drill.

But even if that kind of talk is cliché, it’s not entirely wrong.

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are tapping into something very, very real.

Americans on both sides of the political spectrum are sick and tired of being gamed by the system, they’re sick and tired of being promised one thing and given the other, and they’re sick and tired of a political establishment that could care less about them and what they want.

And what they want is a country that works for them again.

Obviously, when it comes to Donald Trump supporters, racism plays a big role in the how and why they want this country to work for them again.

I mean, you don’t cast your vote for a guy who wants to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. without at least somewhat agreeing with him.

But racism isn’t the only reason people support Donald Trump.

You know all that bragging he does about “winning” and “beating” China and Japan? It’s all about trade, sometimes explicitly so, as it was in his closing remarks at Saturday’s Republican debate.

Fixing our broken trade system is probably the most important key to Trump’s message, and it’s key to his support among working Americans in New Hampshire and beyond.

It’s also the link between him and Bernie Sanders.

As a true progressive, Bernie Sanders wants to repeal every single one of the so-called free trade deals we’ve entered into over the past 40 years and return to the sensible trade policies that worked so well for the first two centuries of this country’s existence.

He doesn’t talk about “beating” anyone, but he wants more or less the same thing as what Trump at least says he wants: a trade policy that looks after the interests of Americans, not multinational corporations.

Trade actually isn’t the only issue on which Sanders and Trump have overlapping messages. Both of them have also talk a lot about the corruption of our campaign finance system.

Sanders obviously has the more well-thought-out solution (he wants to overturn Citizens United), but the fact that Trump, a Republican, is talking about money in politics and leading in the polls is still a big deal.

It’s just more proof that a huge part of the Republican base has rejected its party’s establishment and the corporate interests it represents.

Which brings us back to this whole “populism” narrative.

All lazy media labels aside, there are definite overlaps between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, and they’re on two very specific issues: trade and campaign finance reform.

This is not a coincidence.

Our broken trade system and our broken campaign finance system are the two clearest examples of how our political system has been rigged against interests of working Americans.

If nothing else, yesterday’s New Hampshire primaries were a clear sign that Americans in both parties have had enough with candidates who aren't willing to do something about how badly the entire system has been stacked against working people.

This is very, very bad news for supporters of the TPP, or as I like to call it - the Southern Hemisphere Asian Free Trade Agreement - SHAFTA.

The TPP is everything that Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump supporters hate.

It is the establishment incarnate.

It’s a job-killing so-called free trade deal that was handwritten by corporate lobbyists and sells our sovereignty down the river.

If you want America to “win” again or care about rebuilding the middle-class, then TPP is your worst nightmare.

Luckily, though, last night’s primaries show that the days when politicians could just sneak something like the TPP through Congress without anybody caring or watching may be coming to a close.

Working Americans are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore.

Establishment politicians: proceed with caution.

Comments

pattyhaychapman's picture
pattyhaychapman 8 years 24 weeks ago
#1

Hi Tom and friends,

FYI The correct pronunciation of Nevada is Ne vad (like bad) a

I was born and raised in Reno and have been a speech therapist for 32 years. I know FOR SURE that this is how you pronounce it. Linguists agree. Look it up!

I don't think Nevadans like to hear their state mispronounced. It is NOT Ne vah da!

***Keep up the good work! Sorry I couldn't help myself on this!

Hint: Think of the word "bad" and then say NeBada, Nebada, Nebada, Nebada, Nebada to yourself then end it with "NeVada." If you do this a few times an hour for the next few hours it should stick for good or make yourself a note. :)

I love your program!

Patty Hay-Chapman

John Wilkins's picture
John Wilkins 8 years 24 weeks ago
#2

What worries me about the NH Primary is the Super Delegates. How are they chosen? Do they know each other? Can they vote en-block? Why would the 6 NH Super Delegates all vote for the same candidate? Turns out Bernie and Hillary tied. Are Super Delegates the people that actually elect a nominee? Can they be bought? How many Super Delegates are there in total for all 50 states? I find it disturbing that someone can win by 22 points and yet end up with the same number of Delegates.

w1ders's picture
w1ders 8 years 24 weeks ago
#3

Good call Thom. Like I've been saying, we can do it the peaceful way by putting Senator Sanders in the W.H. for a political revolution or the other way. Which will be a revolution without Senator Sanders in the W.H. and definately not peaceful. America is at the bottom and the only way to go is up after destroying the bottom.

scialli 8 years 24 weeks ago
#4

"...looks after the interests of American, not multinational corporations" is only what things appear to be on this side of the Looking Glass. A friend joined a national intelligence agency some time ago and said that the most important thing he learned was that there are no such things as nations, only multinationals. "Nations" provide services. E.g., the US provides mercenary and health care services (he was in the latter profession) and facilitates some aspects of banking through the Fort Knox facility. I am not making a political statement (having grown conservative in my old age, I'm forced to vote for Democrats). Vote Papoon: He's Not Insane!

2950-10K's picture
2950-10K 8 years 24 weeks ago
#5

Wait a minute..... Trump gained wealth in part by purchasing elected officials, and now using that same wealth, he may purchase the White House, but claims he stands against "corruption in our campaign finance system"??????....... yeah right!

w1ders's picture
w1ders 8 years 24 weeks ago
#6

John, read this about the delegates:

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/democratic_partys_superdelegate_system_threatens_bernie_20160211

John Wilkins's picture
John Wilkins 8 years 24 weeks ago
#7

Thanks, that is a bit more opto-mystic than my internal ravings. Werid system however. Probably take an act of congress to abolish it? Or just an act of the DNC?

RFord's picture
RFord 8 years 24 weeks ago
#8

Another thing that's broken in America is our news system. That's another monopoly that needs to be broken up. Those of us that pay attention have known about the TPP for a long time, a year or two, but mainstream media has hardly given this important matter a mention. Now Senator Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump mention it in their political debates and this is the first time many people are hearing about it. They are like "TPP?? What's that??". We need unbiased, old fashioned, public service news reporting, not "newsfotainment" (news for entertainment). We need to bring back The Fairness Doctrine and The Equal time rule and make them law. If we had all of that for the last couple of years, people would know about the TPP and and many other important issues so they would be outraged about it so much that their representatives wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole for fear of losing their next election. The problem today is there is not enough coverage about the TPP so our representatives can vote for it without us knowing what they are doing to us until it's too late. I believe Bernie is right. Money in politics is the root of all that's bad in politics today and we need to change the system so the candidates with the best policies win and not the ones with the most money.

charlesinmonterey's picture
charlesinmonterey 8 years 24 weeks ago
#10

We need Sander's judgement and Hillary's experience. Maybe she will accept vice-president.

ckrob's picture
ckrob 8 years 23 weeks ago
#11

N.H. Back room Democratic Party debate: No we've got to have two undeclared delegates because Hillary CAN'T take seventeen after the biggest voting blowout in US history.

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