Is this a sign of success or failure?

From the WSJ: "By a nearly two-to-one margin, Republican voters believe free trade is bad for the U.S. economy, a shift in opinion that mirrors Democratic views".

Economists almost universally support free trade and we teach the virtues of free trade to our students. So does the fact that most voters oppose free trade mean that economists are horrible communicators? Or does the fact that the U.S. has a fairly free trade policy mean that economists have done an effective job in influencing government actions in the face of an irrational public?