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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPoll: conservative and moderate republicans oppose fast track by a ratio of 85 percent or higher.
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Poll: Only The Strongest Obama Supporters Want Him To Have Fast Track AuthorityAmericans are not keen on Congress giving U.S. President Barack Obama what he wants: the authority to negotiate a massive free-trade pact among a comity of Pacific Rim countries and then deliver the results to Capitol Hill for a swift up-or-down vote, known as fast-track authority. Overall, the U.S. public is cooling to the idea of free-trade agreements, believing, unlike they have in the past, that multinational agreements to bring down trade barriers is costing U.S. jobs while favoring large multinational corporations over the interests of small businesses.
U.S. lawmakers are most certainly tracking public sentiment to the subject of free trade and how their support or opposition will play out in their districts as voters head to the polls. And if this national poll is any indication only the staunchest supporters of the president in the Democratic Party agree with the idea of granting the White House fast-track TPP authority.
On the question of fast-track authority, 62 percent of respondent opposed the idea, with 43 percent strongly opposing it. Broken down by political affiliation, only Democrats that identify as liberal strongly favor the idea. Predictably, a strong Republican majority oppose giving the president such authority, with both conservative and moderates oppose it by a ratio of 85 percent or higher. And perhaps most important: 66 percent of respondents who identified as independent, meaning they have no party affiliation and are a key voting constituency, oppose the idea.
Among the biggest concerns by respondents for opposing fast-track authority was that they felt it gives the president too much power. But interestingly enough, the second strongest concern among respondents was that workers in TPP countries are paid so little that its unfair to U.S. workers to expect them to compete with a flood of imports made under less costly conditions to employers.
http://www.ibtimes.com/trans-pacific-partnership-tpp-poll-only-strongest-obama-supporters-want-him-have-fast-track-1552039
Republican opposition to 'fast track' probably has as much to do with ODS as with anything else though opponents also cited the risk from competition from low-wage workers.
Since most republican politicians support "fast track", this seems to have the potential for another round in their "civil war".
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)Our loyalties should be to ideals, not parties or politicians.
pampango
(24,692 posts)that these "liberals" are not being loyal to an ideal but to a party or politician. I may not agree with them on a particular poll result but I think most liberals are better at staying true to ideals than are conservatives who get more wrapped up in fear, emotion and personality.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)... and are just backing the President 'cause he's our guy.
Populist_Prole
(5,364 posts)pampango
(24,692 posts)conservatives (voters not their politicians) have been more opposed to trade deals, treaties on arms control and disability rights, the Iran nuclear agreement, the UN, the WTO and any other international negotiation or organization that I can think of.
So their (conservatives) lack of knowledge rarely keeps them from expressing a negative opinion. Perhaps liberals are the same way - in the opposite direction - but I think we are generally better informed.
frylock
(34,825 posts)these days NOT republican seems to be what passes as liberal.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)pampango
(24,692 posts)solarhydrocan
(551 posts)http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=101961
as well as the 2012 D platform:
President Obama and the Democratic Party know that America has the best workers and businesses in the world... We remain committed to finding more markets for American-made goodsincluding using the Trans-Pacific Partnership between the United States and eight countries in the Asia-Pacific, one of the most dynamic regions in the worldwhile ensuring that workers' rights and environmental standards are upheld, and fighting against unfair trade practices. We expanded and reformed assistance for trade-affected workers, and we demanded renewal of that help alongside new trade agreements...
http://www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform
pampango
(24,692 posts)will vote the other way in support of it. Which is why:
TheMathieu
(456 posts)The average American probably can't even define the most basic terminology of trade policy.
They simply regurgitate whatever they're told by those who stand to gain or stand to lose from such policies.
pampango
(24,692 posts)But I think a poll like this reflects more liberals' predilection to support international engagement and multilateral negotiations to solve problems while conservatives start from a position of opposing those things and supporting unilateral action by the US in diplomacy.
How did liberals and conservatives arrive at such different opinions towards fast track? What led the difference in what they "regurgitated"?
While many issues are complex - war and peace, budget negotiations, Iran's nuclear program and a million others. That does not men's that polls are meaningless just because the average American is not an international diplomat.