Distrust for new trade deal in the Deep South
"Free trade" has always been a tough sell in the South. When the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) came up for a vote in 2005, Facing South covered the bitter debate in the South, where states dependent on manufacturing and agribusiness stood the most to lose. The fallout was seen in the 2006 elections, with candidates like Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC) successfully running on a fair trade agenda.
The Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, which sailed through the U.S. House 365-59 two weeks ago, isn't getting the same media attention as CAFTA. But in areas that will be hit hard by the deal that includes Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the debate over who trade is supposed to benefit is again revealing cracks in the "free trade" consensus.
Case in point: Alabama. As the Birmingham News recently reported, Republican Congressmen are speaking out against Andean pact, largely because of its potential impact on the local sock industry:
UPDATE: Public Citizen's new Eyes on Trade blog has more on Alabama and the Andean pact.
The Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, which sailed through the U.S. House 365-59 two weeks ago, isn't getting the same media attention as CAFTA. But in areas that will be hit hard by the deal that includes Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the debate over who trade is supposed to benefit is again revealing cracks in the "free trade" consensus.
Case in point: Alabama. As the Birmingham News recently reported, Republican Congressmen are speaking out against Andean pact, largely because of its potential impact on the local sock industry:
"The natural inclination our office has is that these trade deals are bad for the Third District unless proven otherwise by not harming any major employer or commodity," said a spokeswoman for Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL).For more coverage of the "Secret Trade Deal," see David Sirota's blog.
[A spokesman for Rep. Terry Everett (R-AL)] said, "history has repeatedly shown that past trade bills have been poorly negotiated, failed to live up to their promise of promoting American jobs and were of little or no direct benefit to southeast Alabama."
UPDATE: Public Citizen's new Eyes on Trade blog has more on Alabama and the Andean pact.
Labels: trade, Work and Community
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