You see, unlike those frustrated residents of small-town Pennsylvania, Obama does not to cling blindly to anti-trade sentiment. He voted for free-trade deals with exporting powerhouses Peru and Oman, political consequences be damned.
But the Colombia FTA has the same worker and environmental standards as the Peru agreement, and arguably stronger standards than the agreement with Oman. So why doesn't Obama support the Colombia deal?
Two things: First, if Obama wants to put American workers first, why is he opposing a trade deal whose sole purpose is to open up Colombia's markets to American-made products? Over 90 percent of Colombian goods can already enter the U.S. duty-free. Second, violence against unionists in Colombia has fallen dramatically, from 275 killed in 1996 to 39 last year.
Obama opposes the Colombia FTA because trade is a four-letter word among those "bitter" working-class Democrats to whom he sorely needs to build inroads. It's that simple.
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