Hawaii Republican Senate candidate Linda Lingle

So-called “free trade” agreements — which drop trade barriers that harm the middle class but which protect well-connected corporations — are increasingly unpopular with the American public. A 2010 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 69 percent of Americans believe these agreements cost American jobs and only 18 percent think they create jobs.

But Hawaii Republican Senate candidate Linda Lingle attacked her bold progressive Democratic opponent Mazie Hirono for opposing one of these agreements in a debate last month. Here’s what Lingle said:

“My opponent doesn’t really understand the nature of being globally competitive. She was the only member of the Hawaii delegation that voted against the free trade agreement with South Korea. That made no sense for the people of Hawaii,” said Lingle.

Why would Lingle be boasting of supporting free trade agreements — such as the Korea agreement, which is estimated to cost 159,000 U.S. jobs in the first seven years — that are very unpopular with the public? Because maybe she’s not talking to constituents — she’s talking to out-of-state corporations, lobbyists, and other big donors.

One of the groups that most strongly pushed for the South Korea trade agreement was the Automotive Free International Trade Political Action Committee (AFITPAC), which is funded by certain auto dealers that benefited from the agreement. AFITPAC gave $10,000 to Lingle’s campaign. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the powerful corporate front group that spearheaded the push for the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 1990’s, gave her $11,250. Her very top donor is megabank Goldman Sachs, which also lobbied for the Korea trade agreement.

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