Liberal Talk Radio

Jacob Weisberg says that “free trade has definitely left the building” with the election of what he calls “economic nationalists” (or, more colloquially, “Lou Dobbs Democrats”) like Sherrod Brown who argue against free trade to protect American jobs.

However, as David Sirota and Nathan Newman constantly remind us, the free trade consensus in D.C. is nearly impenetrable. As Sirote once wrote, “the free trade consensus in Washington spans elitists in both parties, again because they never have to actually deal with the real-world realities of trade deals that sell out America.”

Whether this consensus is a good or bad thing is open to debate. Sirota clearly thinks it’s bad. Regardless, the bipartisan consensus is there. Clinton’s support of NAFTA, which Weisberg cites, more-or-less cemented it.

Unfortunately, under six years of total Republican rule, free trade agreements have become less about trade and more about protecting the intellectual property and strategic advantages of American companies that have large lobbying presences. Witness the ungodly mess that is DR-CAFTA, for example.

Sherrod Brown won’t be able to single-handedly reverse globalization, but his (and others) presence in Congress will move the needle a bit, balancing future agreements to include greater protections for workers and the environment at home AND abroad.