A peculiar thing happens every time Hillary Clinton decides to run for President; her views on free trade start sliding left and she calls for a “time out” on free trade agreements. We can only assume that the campaign for Gary Peters (D-MI) saw this and figured she would make the perfect surrogate for him. After all, Peters voted against every trade agreement that came up for a vote during his time in Congress and opposes attempts to give President Obama trade promotion authority. Even those Hillary Clinton backed as Secretary of State.
Luckily America Rising is here to clear things up.
As Secretary of State, Clinton repeatedly praised free trade and even advocated for “as few barriers to trade and investment as possible.” She urged Congress to approve three pending free trade agreements (all of which Peters opposed) “as soon as possible” and voiced her support for Japan’s entry into Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations – a move that the UAW, and Peters, oppose.
You wouldn’t be surprised by that record, since her husband Bill Clinton was a champion of free trade, if only you didn’t see the 2008 campaign. In Ohio and Michigan, Clinton pandered to union workers saying NAFTA and free trade “hurt” American workers, and even pledged to “opt out” of NAFTA within six months of being elected.
As she gears up for a 2016 run, lets see which Clinton shows up today in Michigan – will it be the Secretary of State who supports free trade or the Presidential candidate trying to convince everyone that she doesn’t?