Hillary Clinton a Free Trader, or Not, Depending on the Moment
Three years ago Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised a proposed deal to reduce trade barriers among Pacific Rim nations as “the gold standard” for such pacts.
Now, the presidential candidate Clinton has nothing to say as President Barack Obama fights to win expanded negotiating authority to complete the agreement over furious opposition from organized labor and progressives in his own party.
Her silence on the premier economic issue dividing Democrats is consistent with a long history of wavering under pressure on trade. She has even alternately praised and criticized the landmark North American Free Trade Agreement signed by her husband in 1993, calling it good for America or a “mistake,” depending on the audience and circumstances.
Critics of the current deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, are frustrated by Clinton’s ambiguous stance as she tries to hold together a political coalition that includes party activists on the left and major financial supporters from business and Wall Street.
“We expect those who seek to lead our nation forward to oppose fast track,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a speech Tuesday without naming Clinton. “There is no middle ground, and the time for deliberations is drawing to a close.”
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http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-01/hillary-clinton-a-free-trader-or-not-depending-on-the-moment
