Trade, notably the proposed TPP, continues to come up at the convention.
Hillary Clinton made history on Tuesday when she was named the Democratic nominee for president – and in a show of party unity, it was onetime rival Sen. Bernie Sanders who officially moved to nominate her.
And while Tuesday night’s convention theme focused on Clinton’s work to help children and families and other Americans, manufacturing issues – most notably trade – were part of the ongoing convention conversation. Here are a few tidbits:
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While Clinton maintains her opposition to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe told Politico shortly after delivering a speech on the convention floor that he believes she will eventually back the agreement if elected president. The Clinton camp immediately pushed back on McAuliffe’s remarks, with campaign chairman John Podesta tweeting, “Love Gov. McAuliffe, but he got this one flat wrong. Hillary opposes TPP BEFORE and AFTER the election. Period. Full stop.”
Podesta’s tweet mirrors what Clinton economic adviser Gene Sperling said during our town hall discussion on manufacturing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Monday. “Hillary Clinton is against the TPP now, she’s against it in the lame duck, she’s against it when she gets inaugurated as president of the United States,” Sperling said.
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One reason for the Clinton campaign’s tough trade words? The TPP continues to be a sticking point for some Sanders supporters, many of whom continue to argue that she favors the deal. Clinton once backed the agreement; her running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine, only recently announced his opposition.
But Sanders himself urged his supporters to fully support Clinton during his own convention speech on Monday night, noting one of his campaign’s biggest successes were key additions made in the official party platform.
“I am happy to tell you that at the Democratic Platform Committee there was a significant coming together between the two campaigns and we have produced, by far, the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic party, said Sanders. “Among the many other strong provisions, the Democratic Party now calls for breaking up the major financial institutions on Wall Street and the passage of a 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act. It also calls for strong opposition to job-killing free-trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).”
When Sanders mentioned the party’s opposition to the TPP the arena, erupted with extended applause and cheers from both Sanders and Clinton supporters.
- In non-presidential convention news, former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland was spotted on Tuesday at a luncheon sponsored by the United Steelworkers. Strickland is challenging Republican Sen. Rob Portman in a tight race, and manufacturing issues such as trade have become a major issue in that contest. Strickland got personal in his remarks to the Steelworkers, noting that his father was a steelworker for 46 years. “He had a fifth grade education but was able to feed, house and clothe nine of us because of the union,” Strickland said.