[Peace-discuss] Pew: "Tea Party" Republicans more critical of "free trade" than other Republicans

[David Green]

For the past 30 years, "regular God-fearing" white people in this country were 
told that there future lay in globalization, education, and "service" 
industries. When factories and farms disappeared, they were told that it would 
all work out for the best, once "free trade" really kicked in, and the benefits 
of high tech became apparent. They were told this by both Republicans and 
Democrats. They were told that Wal-Mart was a sign of their salvation, not their 
demise.

They now look around them, and realize that they were lied to by both corporate 
parties. The media doesn't offer them the analysis that has been available from 
leftist critics all along, in response to mergers, downsizing, outsourcing, 
growing inequality, and everything else. So they are told by Republicans to 
blame immigrants, and by Democrats to go back to school and get educated. 


The Tea Party, after a fashion, has offered them the beginning of an answer. 
"Free trade," like capitalism itself, is a farce and doesn't even exist.

Will "progressives" choose to despise those who arrive at these conclusions? Or 
will they continue to shil for the Democratic Party?

DG




________________________________
From: Robert Naiman <naiman.uiuc at gmail.com>
To: Peace-discuss List <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
Sent: Thu, November 11, 2010 11:26:17 PM
Subject: [Peace-discuss] Pew: "Tea Party" Republicans more critical of "free 
trade" than other Republicans

The Pew Research Center for People and the Press did a poll that
showed the Republicans who "agree with the Tea Party" are much more
critical of "free trade" than other Republicans.

It's not clear from the data that they report how much of this might
be correlated with demographics: it's probably the case that
lower-income Republicans are more likely to describe themselves as
sympathetic to the Tea Party, and of course lower-income people are
more critical of "free trade" more generally.

Nonetheless, it's an interesting finding. It would be very interesting
to see a similar poll on foreign military policy questions: the wars,
foreign bases, military spending, US policy on Israel/Palestine.

Here is the Pew report:

http://people-press.org/report/673/

Money grafs:

"Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who agree with the
Tea Party have a particularly negative view of the impact of free
trade agreements. Only about a quarter of Republicans who agree with
the Tea Party (24%) say that free trade agreements like NAFTA and the
policies of the WTO have been a good thing for the United States,
while 63% say they have been a bad thing.

Among Republicans who have no opinion of the Tea Party or disagree
with the Tea Party movement, opinions are evenly split (42% good
thing, 42% bad thing). Overall, about half (51%) of all Republican and
Republican leaners say they agree with the Tea Party while 42% have no
opinion; very few (5%) disagree with the Tea Party."

-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

Urge Congress to Support a Timetable for Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/feingold-mcgovern
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