Ron Kirk Selected to Deliver on Obama's Campaign Pledge to Reform U.S. Trade Policies

Whether Ron Kirk is a good choice for trade representative will be determined by his ability to deliver on President-elect Obama's pledges to the American public to create a new trade and globalization policy that benefits more Americans.

As a past supporter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR), Kirk will face close scrutiny as he assumes the responsibility for delivering on Obama's pledges to fix existing trade agreements and create a new trade policy that benefits more people. Kirk's vocal opposition to Fast Track during his 2002 U.S. Senate race puts him in line with the majority view in Congress and positions him well to deliver on Obama's campaign pledge to replace Fast Track with a process that provides a greater role for Congress to ensure that American trade agreements promote the public interest.

Whatever Kirk's past views on various trade policies, his future course of action must reflect the powerful expectations for change created by Obama's trade reform pledges. His actions must also reflect the new political realities created by congressional elections that resulted in 71 House and Senate supporters of the trade status quo being replaced by those who were elected campaigning for a new approach. Scores of Democrats and Republicans used attacks on NAFTA and China PNTR to win elections nationwide this year and these candidates and the Democratic House and Senate campaign committees featured more than 140 television ads criticizing the trade status quo.

Kirk's first challenge will be negotiating at home to create a new American trade and globalization policy that benefits more Americans and thus gains the support of the public and Congress, a majority of whom oppose the status-quo model. Kirk's recognition that a new approach is needed was conveyed in a 2008 CNN interview, when he said that "we're never going to have a more responsible trade policy if we don't change the climate in Washington." The Democratic platform language reflects Obama's campaign pledges that trade agreements will not "stop the government from protecting the environment, food safety, or the health of its citizens; give greater rights to foreign investors than to U.S. investors; require the privatization of our vital public services; or prevent developing country governments from adopting humanitarian licensing policies to improve access to life-saving medications." This provides a starting place for Kirk's formulation of a new policy.

Among Kirk's challenges as U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will be to obtain modifications to existing agreements to both add improved labor and environmental standards and to remove numerous provisions that conflict with Obama's priority non-trade policy goals on health care, climate change, energy independence and more. To create the political space needed for Obama to succeed in these areas, aspects of the World Trade Organization agreements must be modified, including provisions covering procurement policy, service-sector regulation (including financial services and health care), food and product safety, access to affordable medicines and more. (See Public Citizen's report Presidential Candidates' Key Proposals on Health Care and Climate Will Require WTO Modifications [PDF].)

The unprecedented focus on trade and globalization reform during the recent elections reflects the consolidation of American public opinion that our current trade and globalization model needs a major overhaul. Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe that a "free trade agreement" has had a negative effect on their families. Across every demographic, majorities oppose NAFTA including GOP voters who, by a two-to-one majority, agree that "[f]oreign trade has been bad for the U.S. economy, because imports from abroad have reduced demand for American-made goods, cost jobs here at home, and produced potentially unsafe products," according to a recent Wall Street Journal opinion poll.

Comments

[dallas8]

Ron Kirk is by far Obama's worst choice to lead.....he did very little for the city of Dallas other than take care of himself and his wife(thru the $$$$ pockets of Tom Hicks), Ron Kirk is a lobbyist and an opportunist whose main concern is doing whats best to promote Ron Kirk. I voted for Obama and looked forward to change but will not believe another word he says after this nomination to lead trade... Obama is a politician as usual to me now....to sad!

[DontSpin]

You guys should read this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-sedaei/on-abortion-pro-choice-is_b_152744.html

[joebhed]

I completely agree with you about what we need in terms of fair trade policies, and what needs to be done to get there.

But I don't expect much from Obama.
More jobs for Americans?
Not much about fair trade in that policy goal.

More jobs should be the result from a national monetary policy that treated American workers as if they were deserved of the public policy of full employment.
As long as the American companies had to borrow from foreign banks, they could take their business off to whatever shore they thought could give them good security.
But, the US monetary system should operate on what my Dad used to call a priority-use basis.
Such would ensure that the issues connected with international trade related to fairness and equality in tade policy.
Protecting American workers is and should be the job of the American people.
Because it is OUR money system.

[11907281]

"imports from abroad have reduced demand for American-made goods, cost jobs here at home, and produced potentially unsafe products," - 1) America doesn't really make much that is tangible anymore 2) Be prepared to pay double or triple for the same product if you want it to be "American Made" 3) Depending on how far you go with this, prepare to see your exports slapped with tariff's in return and possibly have oil bought in Euro's instead of dollars which would destroy your economy. Kinda hard to get understanding and sympathy when you have been gorging at the biggest trough, latley at the expense of the rest of us.