A whopping 59 percent of Virginians in a new poll agree with the statement:
“We can bring jobs back to America by reducing our nation’s participation in
trade deals that make it easy for other countries to flood our markets with
cheap goods.”
The poll was conducted on Americans for Limited Government’s behalf by
Norman Research and Analytics among 1,062 registered voters telephone surveyed
on both landlines and mobile devices from Sept. 2 to Sept. 11.
Overall, Virginians strongly support American
sovereignty and voters across the Commonwealth sense that current trade deals
do a poor job of protecting American interests.
That result cuts across ideological grounds. Excluding unaffiliated voters,
59 percent of conservatives, 72 percent of moderates, and 58 percent of
liberals all agree that jobs could be brought back by rolling back bad trade
deals. There is no party registration in Virginia, so that portion of the poll
was conducted on the basis of philosophy.
But the same result can also be measured in every single demographic in the
poll. The following margins all agreed that jobs could be brought back by
rolling back bad trade deals:
·
61 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds.
·
56 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds.
·
54 percent of 35 to 44-year-olds.
·
67 percent of 45 to 54-year-olds.
·
60 percent of 55 to 64-year-olds.
·
58 percent of people 65 years old and older.
It goes on. 59 percent of whites, 55 percent of blacks, 59 percent of
males, and 59 percent of females all agree trade agreements that favor foreign
nations cost Americans jobs, but that the situation could be reversed with less
participation.
It even goes across education level — 64 percent of high school
graduates or less, 63 percent of some college, and 56 percent of college
graduates agree. Every single group agreed with the basic statement on bringing jobs back to
the U.S. by reducing America's role in trade agreements with countries that
flood our markets with cheap goods. Who knew that Virginia was such a ripe
ground for an aggressive message on trade issues?
Rick Manning, president of Americans for Limited Government, argued in a
statement that the poll's result should have members of Congress reconsidering
support for lame-duck passage of the 12-nation Tran-Pacific Partnership trade
deal after the election.
"The fact that people from all age, gender, racial, and education
demographics agree with this basic statement should give strong pause to
Congress if it should attempt to pass the TPP during a lame-duck session. While
we didn't micro-target down to this level, it appears that the only segments of
the Virginia electorate that might support the TPP are those who are paid to
lobby for it by the multinationals who would most benefit from the deal,"
Manning said.
The polling also explored the general notion of who should make the laws
and regulations that impact Americans, with 69 percent to 26 percent agreeing
with the statement, "America must have the ability to set its own laws and
regulations and not be bound to standards set by foreign nations and
international organizations." That "America First" sentiment
runs deeply throughout the state, with a significant majority wanting lawmakers
to make decisions based on U.S. interests.
Overall, Virginians strongly support American sovereignty and voters across
the Commonwealth sense that current trade deals do a poor job of protecting
American interests.
"It is refreshing to see that regardless of political leaning,
Virginians are committed to the constitutional construct that our nation's laws
should be made through the consent of the governed, and not imposed by foreign,
unaccountable bodies empowered by trade deals," Manning added.
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The study clearly demonstrates that the public has little trust that
existing trade agreements have been beneficial on the whole, and while
respondents do not reject international trade, they are highly skeptical that
America's interests have been served through recent trade deals.
The study concludes by stating, "It is clear that any legislation or
proposal that cedes U.S. authority to international bodies and allows those
foreign bodies to exert authority over American citizens and commerce will be
met with strong opposition. As the debate over various trade arrangements goes
forward, these trends and attitudes will be tested in other states. But using
Virginia as a guide, moving to enact the Trans-Pacific Partnership would be a
serious political mistake for those advocating it."
As far as the presidential race is concerned, the overwhelming results on
trade show that Virginia could be ripe for the picking by Donald Trump, who has
been waging an "America First" campaign that calls for renegotiating
trade agreements with foreign nations. If that message manages to get through
to Virginians, for example in the debates, Trump could fare better in the
Commonwealth than anybody has been predicting.
Robert Romano is the senior editor of Americans
for Limited Government.
http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/voters-in-key-swing-state-agree-faulty-trade-deals-bad-for-jobs/
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