This diary is not intended to debate the merits (or demerits) of the Trans Pacific Partnership, a trade pact generally loathed by those on the left but supported by President Obama. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are campaigning against it.
The point, rather, is to underline the vast gulf that separates what those of us who frequent sites like Daily Kos — in other words, those of us who essentially marinate in politics 24/7 — and the much larger segment of the American public know about such issues. Too often, I think, we take it for granted that everyone has the same store of knowledge that we have and will use that knowledge to make an informed choice come election time.
Well, now there’s a poll put out by Politico that asks Americans’ views on the TPP. The results might surprise you:
www.politico.com/…
11% support it; 18% oppose it, and a whopping 70% have never heard or read anything about it.
70%!!!!!!!
Think of all the ink that has been spilled arguing about the TPP — all the shouting at debates and the general sturm und drang surrounding this topic, yet only 3 in 10 people have ever even heard of the thing. It makes one realize that every little twist and turn of these endless presidential campaigns that we think of as so important and decisive in determining the outcome may be little more than barely perceived background noise in the lives of most of our fellow Americans.
I find it more than a little disconcerting that we have an electorate this tuned out on issues of such vital importance to the survival of the republic.