<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><i class="">Excellent response to an atrocious editorial in the Seattle Times. While corporate hacks are obviously hoping for a restart on the TPP, most Democrats understand it would be political suicide. Rather than to fall back into defense and accept inaction as a win, we need to push the incoming administration on a proactive trade agenda. —Arthur</i></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/trade-with-asia-forget-tpp/" class="">https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/trade-with-asia-forget-tpp/</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><header class="article-header " style="box-sizing: inherit; position: relative; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: rgb(35, 31, 32); font-family: ff-meta-serif-web-pro; font-size: 19px;"><h1 class="entry-title article-title p-name" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 42px; margin: 0px 0px 13.5px; font-feature-settings: "liga"; line-height: 46px; letter-spacing: -1px;">Trade with Asia: Forget TPP </h1><div class="article-dateline" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(112, 117, 124); font-family: ff-dagny-web-pro; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 27px;"><time class="line published dt-published" datetime="2020-11-27 12:40:36" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline;">Nov. 27, 2020 at 12:40 pm </time><time class="line update updated dt-updated" datetime=" 2020-11-27 12:40:39 " style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic; display: inline;">Updated Nov. 27, 2020 at 12:40 pm </time><div class="m-0 article-share" data-utm="article_inset_1.1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px !important; display: inline-block; float: right; vertical-align: top;"><a class="mb-0 mr-0 pl-24 social-share mt-0" aria-label="Share this article via Facebook" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.15s ease-in-out; color: rgb(7, 119, 179); margin-right: 10px; cursor: pointer; padding-left: 24px; display: block; float: left; width: inherit; height: inherit; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; background-position: 0px 0px;"><i class="icon-facebook large font-list" aria-hidden="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: middle; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1; position: relative; display: inline;"></i></a><a class="mb-0 mr-0 pl-24 social-share mt-0" aria-label="Share this article via email" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.15s ease-in-out; color: rgb(7, 119, 179); margin-right: 10px; cursor: pointer; padding-left: 24px; display: block; float: left; width: inherit; height: inherit; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; background-position: 0px 0px;"><i class="large font-list icon-mail" aria-hidden="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: middle; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1; position: relative; display: inline;"></i></a><a class="mb-0 mr-0 pl-24 social-share mt-0" aria-label="Share this article via Twitter" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.15s ease-in-out; color: rgb(7, 119, 179); margin-right: 10px; cursor: pointer; padding-left: 24px; display: block; float: left; width: inherit; height: inherit; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; background-position: 0px 0px;"><i class="icon-twitter large font-list" aria-hidden="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: middle; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1; position: relative; display: inline;"></i></a></div></div></header><div class="article-body e-content" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: left; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: rgb(35, 31, 32); font-family: ff-meta-serif-web-pro; font-size: 19px;"><div class="article-byline" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 27px; margin-right: 31.28125px; width: 636.234375px; margin-left: 166.875px; float: none;"><div class="single_author u-dib byline-text" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block;"><span class="byline-copy" style="box-sizing: inherit;">By </span><div class="name vcard" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline; font-family: ff-dagny-web-pro;"><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/author/letters-coordinator/" rel="author" class="h-card p-author url fn hcard" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.15s ease-in-out; color: rgb(7, 119, 179); text-decoration: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: inherit;" class="">Letters editor</span></a></div><div class="title vcard" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(112, 117, 124); font-size: 15px; font-style: italic;"><span class="p-author fn" style="box-sizing: inherit;">The Seattle Times</span></div></div></div><div id="article-content" class="article-content entry-content" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-inline-start: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px 31.28125px 13.5px 166.875px; padding: 0px; hanging-punctuation: first; width: 636.234375px; float: none;" class="">Re: <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/biden-must-prioritize-trade-asia-pacific-leadership/" class="content-link" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.15s ease-in-out; color: rgb(7, 119, 179); text-decoration: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial;">“Biden must prioritize trade, Asia-Pacific leadership”</a> [Nov. 13, Opinion]:</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-inline-start: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px 31.28125px 13.5px 166.875px; padding: 0px; hanging-punctuation: first; width: 636.234375px; float: none;" class="">The usually reasonable Seattle Times editorial board makes a misleading diversion in the recent editorial on trade treaties.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-inline-start: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px 31.28125px 13.5px 166.875px; padding: 0px; hanging-punctuation: first; width: 636.234375px; float: none;" class="">Attempting to resuscitate the dead-and-buried Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would hugely undermine President-elect Joe Biden’s priorities and Democratic Party goals.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-inline-start: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px 31.28125px 13.5px 166.875px; padding: 0px; hanging-punctuation: first; width: 636.234375px; float: none;" class="">The TPP was almost universally opposed by labor, environmental, family farm and consumer organizations. Democratic opposition killed the destructive treaty in Congress in 2016.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-inline-start: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px 31.28125px 13.5px 166.875px; padding: 0px; hanging-punctuation: first; width: 636.234375px; float: none;" class="">U.S. exporters already encounter few tariffs in most TPP countries. The proposed pact was never about expanding market access but about locking in a deregulatory agenda for big corporations seeking to handcuff government’s ability to act in the public interest on food safety, pollution reduction, data privacy, public procurement, health care and other areas.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-inline-start: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px 31.28125px 13.5px 166.875px; padding: 0px; hanging-punctuation: first; width: 636.234375px; float: none;" class="">Voluntarily imposing these restraints would needlessly constrain Biden’s “Build Back Better” proposals on economic recovery, climate change and COVID-19. Rehashing division over the TPP would reduce the ability of Congressional Democrats and progressive organizations to devote full attention to getting Build Back Better programs enacted.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-inline-start: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px 31.28125px 13.5px 166.875px; padding: 0px; hanging-punctuation: first; width: 636.234375px; float: none;" class="">With an attempted TPP restart, the Democratic Party could easily be painted as prioritizing corporate profits ahead of working families. This approach could reopen the door to another Trump-like corporate nationalist in 2024 and years to follow.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-inline-start: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-block-end: 0px; margin: 0px 31.28125px 13.5px 166.875px; padding: 0px; hanging-punctuation: first; width: 636.234375px; float: none;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;" class="">Dave Felice, Clinton (Whidbey Island)</span></span></p></div></div></div><br class=""><div class="">
Arthur Stamoulis<br class="">Citizens Trade Campaign<br class="">(202) 494-8826<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">
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