Americans are very vocal about the things they want from their government. They want better jobs, better health care, a better safety net. Strangely, the one thing you never hear the average voter clamoring for is more free trade. Most Americans think free trade is bad for the country, yet our government continues to pursue new free trade agreements. 69 percent of Americans who were polled thought that free trade agreements have a negative effect on the American economy. Ignoring this data, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk has stated that in 2012 alone in addition to  implementing KORUS, the Obama administration will complete negotiations on the new Trans-Pacific Partnership. One has to wonder why these trade agreements are moving forward when the American public isn’t asking for them. There are no rabid town hall meetings with voters demanding more free trade from their legislators.  In fact, you are much more likely to see the opposite.

The only logical explanation is that the government is responding to behind-the-scenes lobbying by those who profit from free trade. Multinational corporations can make huge profits by moving their operations overseas when our borders are opened by free trade agreements. But those who profit from free trade are only a small minority of those who are affected by it. Many more individuals lose their jobs than line their pockets on the back of cheap foreign labor.  This should not be able to happen in a democracy.

Theoretically, voters should be able to throw out those officials who pursue free trade agreements. Since the majority of Americans are against free trade, it seems that a majority of our elected officials should oppose free trade as well. Unfortunately our electoral system has failed us on this front. Very few politicians run on, or even mention, their position on trade. There is very little debate about the merits of free trade in our elections, leaving Americans to choose their leaders based on other issues. When free trade is not the topic of conversation in an election, no elected official has to stand up and defend their record. This allows politicians to both get re-elected and please the lobbyists who fund their campaigns. It is a win-win for politicians but a losing situation for the American people.

Our elected officials should not be allowed to pursue a trade agenda that goes against the wishes of the American people. Trade needs to be moved front and center in our elections so that Americans can choose leaders who share their views. The American people should decide what policies our government pursues, not paid lobbyists.

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