Dean Baker | The Incredible Arrogance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Crowd
There are few policies that show the split between elite opinion and everyone else as clearly as trade policy. On trade, we see a remarkable convergence of the leadership of both parties against their base, with the elites firmly behind the leadership against what they view as the ignorance of the masses.
As is often the case, the ignorance rests largely on the side of the elites. If that seems surprising, after all these are highly-educated people, remember these are people who could not see the $8 trillion housing bubble whose crash wrecked the economy. There is little reason to believe their understanding of economics has improved much in the last seven years.
For the elites, trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are a no-brainer. After all, do we want autarky? Globalization is a natural process and standing in the way is like trying to block the flow of the Amazon River.
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/30837-the-incredible-arrogance-of-the-trans-pacific-partnership-crowd
YoshitakaShindo, a Japanese legislator, stands with Lt. Gen. Lawrence Snowden, a
World War II veteran of the Pacific Theater, before Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe's address to a joint meeting of Congress, on Capitol Hill in
Washington, April 29, 2015. Abe's historic speech followed meetings with
President Barack Obama, from which both leaders reported making
progress toward a sweeping Pacific Rim trade agreement. (Photo: Stephen
Crowley/The New York Times)
