House Democrats don't need advice from journalists on how to be ruthlessly partisan, because that's their natural state. But left-wing writer Jamelle Bouie is here to help where he can.

In an opinion piece for the New York Times on Wednesday, Bouie cautioned Democrats against voting in favor of the Trump administration's new trade deal with Mexico and Canada solely because it would be politically helpful for the president:

Bouie wrote, "Passing a bill only validates Trump’s oft-made claim that he’s an expert deal-maker, and as the presidential election nears, bolstering the president means you’re boosting his party."

Naked partisanship is usually cloaked in some kind of faux outrage or feigned concern about consequences of some particular action. But not this time. Not Bouie. The only thing Democrats need to consider is their prospects in 2020.

This comes, by the way, after most liberals in the media belittled the new trade deal, known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as a slightly tweaked version of NAFTA.

The deal, which is awaiting a vote in Congress while Democrats play around with impeachment, actually makes significant changes to the existing agreement, particularly when it comes to the auto industry, which was crushed by NAFTA.

From the Wall Street Journal:

The USMCA requires a greater portion of cars—75%, up from 62.5% under Nafta—be made in North America to qualify for tariff-free trade. ...



The new deal also requires that 40% to 45% of automotive content be made by workers earning at least $16 per hour, a new provision aimed at shifting production from Mexico back to the U.S. and Canada. U.S. officials say Mexican pledges in the deal to boost the power of its labor unions will have a similar effect.



The pact also weakens protections for multinationals investing in other countries, a change Trump officials say will discourage outsourcing. It sets de facto quotas on Mexican and Canadian auto exports to the U.S. It requires the countries to conduct regular reviews of the USMCA, including a prospect for termination.



Unlike NAFTA, the USMCA would also penalize governments that manipulate their currency, according to the Wall Street Journal, as China has been known to do.

All of that would be a needed, positive change to trade with our neighboring countries. Every working American would win.

But Democrats don't want to do that, because, as Bouie said, certifying the deal "only validates Trump’s oft-made claim that he’s an expert deal-maker." And they just can't stand to give him the win, even if it's good for the country.