Hillary Clinton came out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Wednesday, breaking with President Barack Obama on the 12-nation trade deal that is set to become a key part of his legacy.
"As of today, I am not in favor of what I have learned about it," Clinton told Judy Woodruff of "PBS Newshour."
"I have said from the very beginning that we had to have a trade agreement that would create good American jobs, raise wages and advance our national security. And I still believe that's the high bar we have to meet," she said. "I have been trying to learn as much as I can about the agreement. But I'm worried. I'm worried about currency manipulation not being part of the agreement. We've lost American jobs to the manipulations that countries, particularly in Asia, have engaged in. I'm worried the pharmaceutical companies may have gotten more benefits -- and patients and consumers fewer. I think there are still a lot of unanswered questions."
Progressives have been pushing Clinton for months to take a position on TPP, since Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), two of her rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, came out against it long ago.
If you have been paying attention to the news you probably know that this position is being interpreted by almost everyone as political opportunism, and as a way to woo some of Bernie Sanders supporters.
Especially since Clinton once praised the deal as "the gold standard in trade agreements," and spoke out in favor of it at least 45 times in the past.
I don't know enough about trade deals to have a real firm point of view about this one, however I do understand politics, and this makes me more than a little uneasy concerning Hillary and her campaign moving forward.
