NEWSFLASH: America Doesn't Like Its Jobs Shipped Overseas

The Wall Street Journal tells us what most Americans already know, but most politicians, operatives and reporters in D.C. apparently still find shocking: Namely, that people don't like rigged trade deals that ship their jobs overseas, and are willing to vote against politicians who help pass those trade deals. Who woulda thunk it?

The Journal focuses in on Democrat Jeff Merkley's anti-NAFTA campaign in Oregon, which I wrote about in an earlier newspaper column - but the change in the trade debate goes way beyond one or two senate races. Even the most ardent free-trade fundamentalists are feeling the heat.

The best most eye-popping example is from Mikwaukee Journal-Sentinel today:

In his fifth term, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan should be very familiar to the people of southeastern Wisconsin. The Janesville Republican is an economic conservative who hasn't seen a free-trade deal he didn't like. So forgive the people of the state's 1st Congressional District if they are a little confused by Ryan's latest ad.

"People are hurting because American companies benefit by shipping jobs overseas," the 38-year-old pol says into the camera.

Ryan then complains that it is "unfair" for American companies to get a tax break by producing goods elsewhere and then importing them to the U.S.

"Instead of exporting jobs," he concludes, "we should be exporting American products."

That's a lot of fair-trade rhetoric from someone known as a free-trade champion.

Anyone who knows Ryan's record and rhetoric understands how truly stunning this is. He doesn't represent Wisconsin as much as he represents the far right-wing reaches of Wingnuttia.

He is one of the most ardent Reaganist ideologues in the entire Congress - as the Journal-Sentinel said, a guy "who hasn't seen a free-trade deal he didn't like." And even he is rhetorically changing his tune.

The prominence of trade in campaigns - and the victories by fair traders - has been happening for some time, likely reflecting a flood of polling data showing most Americans despise our NAFTA trade model and want a change. Indeed, as Public Citizen has reported, trade was the other issue with Iraq that decided the 2006 congressional elections.

No doubt, when next Congress convenes, the way that Congress was elected will shape its posture on trade. But never underestimate corporate power. Lobbyists will stop at nothing to try to get a Democratic Congress and new president to rubber stamp more rigged trade deals, whether the NAFTA expansion into Colombia or something else. We will hopefully have more leaders like Merkley in the Senate to help us stop that kind of thing, and forge a trade policy that lifts up both American and foreign workers, and ends the race to the bottom. But it will be a big fight no matter what.

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