How Tom Perez Embodies the Democrats’ TPP Rift
JUSTIN MILLER
The American Prospect

When it comes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Tom Perez is stuck between a rock and a hard place—or rather, between his current boss, President Barack Obama, and his potential future boss, Hillary Clinton.

He’s long been in an awkward position on his support for the deal, given that his allies at the labor unions vehemently oppose the deal. Still, labor leaders have largely given Perez a pass on his TPP support, as they understand the position he’s in and are huge fans of everything else he’s done as labor secretary.

But he evaded a direct answer on whether he, as a “political citizen” and not as a member of Obama’s cabinet, personally supported the agreement. The evasion is indicative of a future pivot that Perez would have to soon make should he be tapped for the vice presidential slot or another position in a Clinton administration. That’s a stark change from when he said just over a year ago that “trade agreements like the TPP are critical to our 21st century competitiveness."

Perez’s current political quandary, however, is a product of the larger rift within the Democratic Party. The TPP remains a powder keg, just waiting to blow up the party as unity on the issue remains elusive.