I asked Ryan Grim if Leo Gerard’s comment that “some people feel they’re smart enough to make decisions based on rumors” was directed at the UAW’s Bob King.

“Definitely,” he said.

Mike Michaud: “When it comes to this deal, I will work with allies on Capitol Hill to do whatever I can to defeat it. We need to finally live up to what the American people have been demanding for years – a substantial departure from the past, not a continuation of its mistakes.”

US Chamber Watch, an advocacy group originally launched by the Change to Win labor federation, issued a statement blasting the supporters of the NAFTA-style Korea Free Trade agreement as “outsourcers all.”

Sherrod Brown: “”I continue to believe it is a dangerous mistake to pursue the same kind of trade deals that ballooned our deficit and led to massive job loss. We simply cannot keep barking up this tree as American companies fold and American workers face prolonged unemployment. Until we address China’s manipulation and make decisions to reduce our trade deficit, I see no reason to pursue more NAFTA-style free trade agreements.”

The White House appears to be calculating that by getting the UAW to support the NAFTA-style trade agreement with South Korea (KORUS), it can avoid any discussion of the jobs that will be outsourced as a result of the agreement. Their big accomplishment, then, has been changing the original 2007 agreement enough to get the UAW–and Ford–to buy in.

Jamie Dimon, Vikram Pandit, Tom Donohue, Barack Obama, and the UAW: goodbye, US jobs! The official White House press release on the NAFTA-style Korea Free Trade

FDL has learned that the UAW, which was bailed out by American taxpayers two short years ago, will endorse the South Korean Free Trade Agreement and act as the liberal “postage stamp” for the deal. UAW President Bob King decided to endorse it despite strong opposition from his staff. This is a terrible, terrible deal for America, at a time when unemployment is soaring and the White House has zero plans for creating jobs — unless you’re in the international bank looting business. Everyone involved should be deeply, deeply ashamed of their participation in this, and we will do everything in our power to organize against its passage.