More on the fair-trade mandate

Over at the Guardian, Kevin Gallagher says

The Obama administration will also be pressed to keep its promise to rethink global trade policy. A core principle of a reconfigured Doha Round should be the recognition that developing countries need the policy space to deploy the kinds of government measures that have been proven to work for development in the west. Allowing poor nations to deploy such policies is not protectionism; instead, it is "correctionism" – getting the prices right by correcting for the distortions that form the core of northern trade policy.

Over at Working Life, Jonathan Tasini says

If policy was constructed by the people, not the wishes of the lobbyists and corporate interests, we would never see a so-called "free trade" deal pass Congress again. That's pretty much the upshot of the 2008 elections--though, believe me, this fight ain't over yet.

I would argue that the issue of trade was a significant factor in the sweeping victory by Democrats this past week. The focus on the economy was a broad message. But, underneath the broad topic, trade was clearly something that has penetrated deeply into the American electorate. I say this because this is now the second cycle that one can show an electoral movement on trade

Over at Manufacture This, Steve Capozzolla takes on a trade story very close to John McCain's home.