PORT TAKEOVER: CORPORATE INTERESTS vs THE NATIONAL INTEREST

My last posting talked about Democrats’ mistake in fighting the port issue as narrowly as the Republicans (‘The Muslims are Coming! The Muslims are Coming!’).Today I want to talk about the frame and substance of the fight.

Some attempts to broaden the issue are focusing on the lack of transparency, that the process was not public, that Congress and the Public did not have the opportunity to weigh in. Mistake!

Fights about process do not play outside the beltway. The public cares about right and wrong, about how a decision affects them, not about the arcana of how they get screwed in a fairer way.

The key political pivot of the fight is where the decision was made – in the Treasury Department, the group responsible for promoting trade and otherwise looking after corporate interests. We have a group assigned to handle security matters – the Department of Homeland Security. That’s where this and similar decisions should be made.

Now, do I actually think DHS will come up with a different answer than Treasury? Probably not. But fighting to move these decisions to Homeland Security makes it a fight over whether corporate interests or national security interests should prevail, whether this decision should be based on considerations of profit or public safety. THIS is the fight we want to have!

“Decisions affecting homeland security should be made by Homeland Security. Security should trump economics.”

“This Administration has allowed corporate interests to write their energy bill and their drug bill. We cannot allow corporate interests to write Homeland Security policy.”

“The safety of our homes isn’t a chip to be traded to help some corporation make more sales in Dubai.”

“Protecting our shores should not depend on whether or not someone can make a buck out of it.”

“We are sacrificing national security on the altar of ‘Free Trade.’”