Congress is unfortunately expected to pass the pending free trade agreements with Korea (KORUS), Panama and Colombia today. While many Democrats are expected to vote against the deals, some will vote for them, along with their Republican counterparts. With President Obama’s support of the deals added in, this blurs the line between what constitutes Democratic and Republican policies and offers voters little choice on matters of trade.

Democrats have traditionally been the party that has looked out for the American worker. This is why unions have traditionally supported Democratic candidates. But in recent years Democrats have begun to act more like Republicans on trade issues. NAFTA was the first major example of this, with Democratic President Bill Clinton taking up the Republican negotiated bill as his own and shepherding it through Congress for approval. Now President Obama has followed suit by taking up KORUS along with the Panama and Colombia deals.

President Obama’s campaign rhetoric would have led voters to believe he would be an improvement on trade issues over his predecessors. He spoke out against his primary election opponent’s support of NAFTA, and spoke out against the trade agreements he is currently pushing. But since taking office he has moved on to what should be the fringe wing of the Democratic Party: the supporters of free trade.

Democrats were always able to draw in working class Americans because they supported policies that directly supported that group of constituents. But instead of shoring up their position by opposing free trade issues, Democrats have become free trade apologists. Many of them vote for free trade while voting for assistance programs to help unemployed workers find new jobs. They recognize that free trade is destroying jobs, but tell displaced workers that they will somehow have a better life in their new service sector jobs (if they can find those).

It is no wonder the AFL-CIO is choosing not to contribute money directly to candidates anymore, because there are few candidates who can be trusted to consistently to act in a way that supports workers. There is no safe choice on trade in elections. Unless Democrats stop their march to the political center and reestablish themselves as a party that supports working Americans, a third party will need to emerge that can do what needs to be done on trade. Eventually the ramifications of destructive free trade agreements will catch up with both parties, and there will be a political backlash.

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