Here is the discussion of trade in last night's Democratic primary debate:
HARRIS: First of all, Donald Trump came in making a whole lot of promises to working people that he did not keep. He said he was going to help farmers. He said he was going to help auto workers.
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Because of this so called trade policy that this president has that has been nothing more than the Trump trade tax that has resulted in American families spending as much as $1.4 billion more on everything from shampoo to washing machines. He betrayed the American people, he betrayed American families, and he will lose this election because folks are clear ...
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BASH: ...
I want to turn now to a question about trade and for Congresswoman Gabbard. Many saw the Trans-Pacific Partnership issue as something that would be a critical tool to deal with the rise of China. You were against it. How would you ensure that the United States is able to remain competitive against China on the world stage?
GABBARD: By pushing for fair trade, not trade deals that give away the sovereignty of the American people and our country, that give away American jobs, and that threaten our environment. These are the three main issues with that massive trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
I think the central one was the fact that it gave away our sovereignty to a panel of international corporations whose rulings would supersede any domestic law that we would pass, either a federal law or a state or a local law. This is extremely dangerous and goes against the very values that we have as a country.
What to speak of the fact that it would have a negative impact on domestic jobs and that it lacked clear protections for our environment. These are the things that we have to keep at the forefront as we look to enact fair trade deals with other countries to make sure that we continue to be a thriving part of our global economy.
(APPLAUSE)
BASH: So to be clear, Congresswoman, would you keep President Trump's tariffs on China in place?
GABBARD: I would not, because the approach that President Trump has taken has been extremely volatile without any clear strategic plan, and it has a ravaging and devastating effect on our domestic manufacturers, on our farmers, who are already struggling and now failing to see the light of day because of the plan that Trump has taken.
BASH: Vice President Biden, would you rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which, of course, President Trump withdrew from? Please respond.
BIDEN: I'd renegotiate. We make up 25 percent of the world's economy. In order -- either China is going to write the rules of the road for the 21st century on trade or we are. We have to join with the 40 percent of the world that we had with us, and this time make sure that there's no one sitting at that table doing the deal unless environmentalists are there and labor is there.
And to make sure we equip our workers first to compete by investing in them now, in the things that make them more competitive. That's what we have to do. Otherwise, they are going to write the rules of the road. We must have the rest of the world join us to keep them in check from abusing.
BASH: Thank you. Thank you. Vice President Biden, just to be clear, would you or would you not rejoin the TPP, yes or no?
BIDEN: I would not rejoin the TPP as it was initially put forward. I would insist that we renegotiate pieces of that with the Pacific nations that we had in South America and North America, so that we could bring them together to hold China accountable for the rules of us setting the rules of the road as to how trade should be conducted. Otherwise, they're going to do exactly what they're doing, fill the vacuum and run the -- and run the table.
BASH: Thank you, sir. Mayor de Blasio, you also oppose the deal. Please respond.
DE BLASIO: Yeah, and I just want to ask this question of all the candidates, but particularly of Vice President Biden. President Trump is trying to sell NAFTA 2.0. He's got a new name for it. It's just as dangerous as the old NAFTA. It's going to take away American jobs like the old NAFTA, like it did to Michigan. And we cannot have Democrats be party to a new NAFTA.
So, Vice President, I believe you're the only person on the stage who voted for the original NAFTA. Are you ready to say here and now that you will oppose a new NAFTA and that what you will believe in, which is a lot of us hope for, is trade treaties that empower organized labor across the boundaries of the world and give working people power again, not just multinational corporations.
BASH: Mr. Vice President?
BIDEN: Yes.
BASH: Your response? Your response, sir?
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: Yes.
BASH: That's it?
BIDEN: No, he said, would I insist that labor be engaged?
(APPLAUSE)
The answer is yes.
Harris seems to be going for the moderate center on trade by being so critical of Trump's tariffs (while going for the progressive left on health care).
Criticizing the TPP as it stands now and saying you'll renegotiate and bring labor to the table, as Biden did, is the safe play. It's unlikely that anyone will ask a follow-up question which demonstrates that you have no idea what you mean by that. The same thing applies to the renegotiated NAFTA. He is against what exists now, and is for some new, undefined improvement.
Gabbard was also against the status quo of trade agreements, but didn't say what she would do instead (although maybe eliminating ISDS would be enough). However, she was pretty bold to say she would get rid of the China tariffs. If she stays in the race long enough, she could get a follow-up about what she would do instead.
