Krugman: No Big Deal

[pampango]

5. He does not sound like a 'semi-reformed' "free trade" supporter. "I am in general a free trader."

I think he looks at the TPP as not being a "free trade" agreement. Many others here have made that case. Only a few of its chapters have anything to do with trade. It is primary about other things.

What he said was that "trade among these players is already fairly free, so the T.P.P. wouldn’t make that much difference". "The economic case is weak, at best, and his own party doesn’t like it. Why waste time and political capital on this project?"

That's where his conclusion that it is "no big deal" came from. He is suggesting that Obama should invest his time and political capital in other areas.