Morning Plum: Why Obama is pitching trade deal at Nike
Today, President Obama is attempting an unusual strategy in advocating for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: He is amplifying his pitch for it at none other than Nike headquarters. This will tick off a lot of Democrats and others suspicious of the trade deal who will hate the symbolism at play.
“Nike for years has been used as a case study by opponents of trade liberalization for its reliance on low-wage workers in Asia,” Peter Baker writes today. “Only a small fraction of Nike’s current work force is in the United States. While the company employs about 26,000 people in America, its contract factories overseas employ about one million people, roughly a third of them in Vietnam.”
But at the event, Nike will announce that if the TPP is approved, the company will create 10,000 jobs in the United States. (My note: Actually what Nike promised is to create up to 10,000 jobs)
The decision to deliver this pitch at a company that many free trade critics see as an enduring symbol of globalization’s discontents perfectly captures Obama’s gamble here: He is betting that he can ultimately sell the TPP as the best possible antidote to free trade’s depredations. Eric Bradner explains the thinking:
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/05/08/morning-plum-why-obama-is-pitching-trade-deal-at-nike/
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