Well this is surprising:
Sen. Rob Portman announced Thursday he will oppose a sweeping trade agreement negotiated by the Obama administration and 11 other countries, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region.
It’s a surprise move from the Ohio Republican, who served as the chief trade negotiator for President George W. Bush and who supported the North American Free Trade Agreement and a series of subsequent trade deals.
Portman defended his position on Thursday as consistent, saying he has always supported free trade as long as it’s also fair to American workers.
“I can’t support this (Trans-Pacific Partnership) in its current form because it doesn’t provide that level playing field,” Portman said in a call with Ohio reporters Thursday.
But Portman’s Democratic foes called the senator’s announcement an election-year conversion on a hot-button economic issue.
"For decades, Senator Rob Portman has turned his back on Ohio's workers every chance he got — prioritizing China’s interests at the expense of our working families,” said former Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democratic candidate in the Senate race. He noted that Portman supported a fast-track bill that allows the trade pact to be "rammed" through Congress, only to turn around and say he'd vote against the deal.
But Democrats refuse to let Portman dupe voters:
Mr. Portman, however, made it plain that he would take some persuading — and only if the pact were to change. “We need to do better for the sake of American workers who are depending on the administration to give them a level playing field,” he said in a written statement, adding, “I cannot support the T.P.P. in its current form because it doesn’t provide that level playing field.”
Mr. Portman’s position is not a total surprise because he has criticized the agreement before. Also, he is running for re-election in November in a state where opposition to global trade runs strong, all the more so in a year when presidential candidates in both parties are stoking anti-trade sentiment.
Yet he has a long record of support for international trade agreements in the Senate and the House, and as Mr. Bush’s trade ambassador, when he negotiated bilateral accords and helped win passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Given that record, Mr. Portman’s Democratic rival for the Senate seat, former governor and congressman Ted Strickland, said Mr. Portman’s opposition now to the Pacific nations’ pact is disingenuous. “The difference between Senator Portman and myself when it comes to trade is clear: He voted for eight trade deals and I opposed them,” Mr. Strickland said in a statement.
This is the latest ad Strickland's campaign released, highlighting the most pro-TPP Senator’s record and sudden change of heart:
Portman’s latest flip flop was called by the conservative libertarian think tank, the Cato Institute:
The Senator’s antagonistic position on the TPP is almost certainly related to the fact that he is up for reelection this year. Ohio is well-known hotbed for trade restrictionist sentiment. Portman’s fellow Senator is Democrat Sherrod Brown, one of the most active advocates for interventionist trade policy in Congress today. The current governor of Ohio is Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, who recently spoke about the importance of antidumping tariffs to help the steel industry. In short, Portman faces political realities that limit his ability to support economically-sound trade policy.
Other Republicans who have come out against the TPP have largely justified their opposition through reasons unrelated to the value of free trade. They have relied on partisan distrust of Obama, vague constitutional objections to fast track, or conspiracy theories related to immigration.
Portman, on the other hand, has gone full protectionist. His concern for foreign currency manipulation and rules of origin reveal a close relationship between his position on trade and the interests of Detroit automakers.
Rules of origin lay out how much of a product’s content or value must be produced within TPP countries for that product to qualify for tariff-free treatment under the agreement. Liberal rules of origin are generally controversial (among people who don’t understand the benefits of unilateral free trade) because they allow other countries (China) to benefit from trade liberalization without making commitments of their own.
Strict rules of origin, however, make preferential trade agreements like the TPP less valuable economically by restricting the development of global supply chains. Rules of origin are also an excellent opportunity for rent-seeking by industries that want the agreement to privilege their supply chain arrangement over those of their competitors. Specifically, strict rules of origin in the TPP will impose a greater burden on Japanese automakers than on Detroit automakers.
It’s easy to blame local politics for a politician’s unprincipled stances on trade. But Portman’s awful rhetoric reveals an inability to make a compelling case for good economic policy or an honest adherence to illiberal economic ideology. Explaining his opposition to the TPP on purely protectionist grounds represents a missed opportunity to say correct things about the value of trade.
Strickland’s excellent track record on manufacturing, labor and opposing free trade agreements are exactly why we need to send him to U.S. Senate. Strickland would make an excellent colleague to Progressive U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D. OH) who has continued to lead the fight against the TPP. I received this e-mail today from Brown’s campaign:
The dust hasn’t even settled on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, and we’re already seeing negative effects.
American automaker Ford just announced it will withdraw from the Japanese market. Why? Because Japan engages in something called currency manipulation -- they devalue their own currency to give their manufacturers, exporters, and industries -- like their auto industry -- an unfair advantage in the global market.
Japan is a notorious currency-manipulator -- second only to China. They make it so U.S. companies like Ford can’t compete on a level playing field.
And regulations in the TPP do nothing to crack down on this practice. In fact, the Japanese -- and the Japanese auto industry -- played an outsized role in drafting the auto provisions in the TPP.
The TPP does not go nearly far enough to protect American workers and American jobs. The American auto industry is finally back, selling more cars in 2015 than ever before. We cannot squander that success on a trade deal that does not adequately protect our interests.
I’ve called on the President and the United States Trade Representative to protect American workers and jobs in the TPP -- and so far, 8,622 of you have joined me. Help us get that number up to 10,000.
Thank you.
Sherrod
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