2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: My Endorsement of Hillary Rodham Clinton for President [View all]GitRDun
(1,846 posts)I do not think you can lay an exacerbation of wage stagnation at the feet of NAFTA (see China / India and dozens of other countries). I believe you are wrong to blame NAFTA for the job losses...those jobs were going anyway. I've actually posted on TPP at length, you can see it in my journal. The trade agreements do not cover enough job losses to make a difference...not enough trade deficit comes from NAFTA / TPP countries.
To say it another way, I agree with you that the job losses are a huge problem. I also agree that current job opportunities are not high enough from a pay / opportunity perspective. You are correct on Lesser's portrayal of a golden age, welfare reform and the other criticisms as well.
Where I part company with you is to lay that at Clinton's feet and saying a couple trade deals are the main problem or exacerbation of the problem.
Enforcing trade deals we have is not done.
Establishing trade policy / tariffs / tax laws that allow companies to shift jobs and profits overseas is a huge problem. The trade deals are window dressing.
Lastly, I just can't get there on the Clinton / Obama aren't liberal enough meme. The problem isn't them, it's us. We as a people do not vote in enough right minded Congress people to effect real change. States like CA and MN are current examples of what can be accomplished when voters elect representatives who put the people first. 60 Senate votes not only stops legislation, it materially waters down what could be really good legislation. It's not their fault, it's ours.