It is a good “objective” summary of the issues that the powers that be want people to focus on. Unfortunately, the author is not a “skeptic” about capitalism, let alone an opponent of the “free market.”

I am somewhat surprised that (according to the author) both Baker and Krugman are not agreeing with Warren, who understands how the system really works.

For socialists I would think that the major issues are:

1. The TPP is a firewall against China, both for competitive reasons, and because of the latent fear that China may not be firmly on the road to capitalism.
2. It is a means to reduce the value of labor power in the advanced capitalist countries by creating worldwide pressure towards the bottom of the competitive heap.
3. It is a means of preventing the value of labor power in the less developed countries from increasing as they develop their economies because of globalization brought on by the large capitalist countries themselves.
4. It is an attempt to “manage” inter-imperialist rivalry, notice the assertion that rules under the TPP would be “stricter” than those of the WTO.

It is no surprise that the only opposition is coming from politicians like Warren and Sanders who are committed to improving the real standards of working people, rather than the power of capital, and labor which, however limited in their analysis, know what happened with NAFTA and what is inevitable if the TPP is approved.

It is a perfect example of the need for a “left” which is based on opposition to the demands of capital even if it is not yet ready to oppose capitalism itself. Even that will not be enough in the long run, as we can see in Greece where there is definitely opposition to the attacks by international capital on the living standards of the Greek people, but not yet opposition to capitalism itself.

A better argument for an assertive Communist Party that combines the immediate struggles of the working class with a vision for changing the nature of the system that is literally killing millions around the world (including right here) can not be made.

Mike Bayer