foes of obama trade pacts mostly democrats

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRADE_PACT_POLITICS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-25-04-06-18

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Debates on lowering trade barriers can turn Congress upside down for Democratic presidents promoting such legislation. Business-minded Republicans suddenly turn into allies and Democrats aligned with organized labor can become outspoken foes.

It's a reversal of the usual order of things, where a Democratic president can generally count on plenty of support from fellow Democrats in Congress along with varying levels of resistance from Republicans.

Now it is President Barack Obama's turn to experience such a role reversal. Already, he is encountering pockets of Democratic resistance, especially from those representing manufacturing states, to his efforts to win congressional approval for renewal of "fast track" negotiating authority.

Such expedited powers help speed the process for major trade agreements by restricting Congress to up-and-down votes on what's already been negotiated - with no amendments allowed.

[newfie11]

1. TPP is a republicans dream

In a normal world all Dems INCLUDING a Dem President would be against it.

Then again this is not a normal world.

[pampango]

2. Assuming it does not have strong provisions on labor rights and the environment, I agree.

If it had such provisions it would be far from a republican dream. Indeed, it would be a nightmare for them. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case.

[sulphurdunn]

4. These trade agreement only have

enforceable rights for corporations.

[cali]

7. let's deal with reality, not wishful thinking.

[pampango]

14. And the reality is "Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case." I agree. n/t

[stillwaiting]

8. TPP seems to have Republican support. That tells us all we need to know.

The TPP is so vast and can accomplish so very much for the elite all at once.

In the process it seems like it will usher in a defeat on many issues that most of us around here care very much about.

It's most likely a betrayal so vast and so egregious that Obama will rightfully deserve all of the scorn and derision from progressives that he gets should it be as bad as we think. And, he most likely won't care a bit that he betrayed us.

The secrecy alone should kill the TPP since it DOES deal with so many issues of interest for many Americans. The secrecy alone should deliver Obama criticism and downright scorn.

[daleanime]

10. +1

[snot]

12. Everything we know about TPP provisions

shows that it not only does not contain labor or environmental protections, it would eviscerate the few we already have.

Corporations prevented by local laws from exploiting or polluting could recover DAMAGES from the nation they were trying to exploit/pollute, meaning that, e.g., US taxpayers would be on the hook for damages, if a foreign company's bad behavior was hindered here. This has in fact already happened under NAFTA; but the provisions of the TPP are even worse.

The TPP also contains a raft of other horrible provisions re- big banks, GMO's, generic drugs, the internet, etc. etc. According to Public Citizen,

In one fell swoop, this secretive deal could:

offshore millions of American jobs,
roll back Wall Street reforms,
sneak in SOPA-like threats to Internet freedom,
ban Buy American policies needed to create green jobs,
jack up the cost of medicines,
expose the U.S. to unsafe food and products,
and empower corporations to attack our environmental and health safeguards.

Although it is called a “free trade” agreement, the TPP is not mainly about trade. Of TPP’s 29 draft chapters, only five deal with traditional trade issues. One chapter would provide incentives to offshore jobs to low-wage countries. Many would impose limits on government policies that we rely on in our daily lives for safe food, a clean environment, and more. Our domestic federal, state and local policies would be required to comply with TPP rules.

The TPP would even elevate individual foreign firms to equal status with sovereign nations, empowering them to privately enforce new rights and privileges, provided by the pact, by dragging governments to foreign tribunals to demand taxpayer compensation over policies that they claim undermine their expected future profits.

We only know about the TPP’s threats thanks to leaks – the public is not allowed to see the draft TPP text. Even members of Congress, after being denied the text for years, are now only provided limited access. Meanwhile, more than 600 official corporate “trade advisors” have special access. The TPP has been under negotiation for five years, and the Obama administration wants to sign the deal by early 2014. Opposition to the TPP is growing at home and in many of the other countries involved.

More info at http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=3129 .

[Enthusiast]

16. Any "provisions" on labor rights and the environment

won't be worth the paper they are written on. Besides, there won't be any provisions. That's why it is being negotiated in secret.

[Teamster Jeff]

3. ALEC is very much for the TPP and fast track. Strange bedfellows? Or not so strange? nt

[90-percent]

5. WTF?

Public policy negotiated in secret by corporate lobbyists and Congress is almost completely shut out - to the point of the TPP details being classified as SECRET, and only a select few Congressmen are allowed to look at portions without being allowed to make copies or even take notes? And then forbidden by law to talk about what they saw?

Man, these CORPORATE PEOPLE seem to have super-rights well beyond what the Constitution guarantees for all of us in the bottom 99%

How can this be called anything other than FASCISM?

WE ARE ALL CORPORATE SERFS NOW!

-90% Jimmy

[olegramps]

6. If Republicans support it then it must be anti-labor, pro-business.

This is where President Obama and I part ways. The proposed trade pack will only result in more outsourcing of American jobs. The attempt to force this though congress is outrageous. The fact that our representatives can only read the bill, not take any notes and because it has been secrecy classification can not even be discussed is beyond the pale. I have written both of my senators, my representative and the president opposing this bill. I urge everyone to contact their representatives and especially President Obama. If Obama was running for office this would be enough for me to not vote for him.

[Brewinblue]

9. If TPP is Implemented

Obama's entire Presidency will prove to be an abject failure. TPP will ensure that no future President can actually accomplish much of anything progressive. The die will have been cast.

[raindaddy]

11. We've been removed from the process

Our President wants to push a "secret" trade bill through congress that gives corporations even more dominance over our lives than they already have?

Three questions every politician who favors fast tracking this bill should publicly have to answer.

How do the people we elected to represent us evaluate whether this bill benefits "us" if they don't take the time to study it?
How can we tell our Representatives how we feel about legislation if we're not allowed to see it?
When's the last time you pushed any bill through congress that affected a corporation without letting their lobbyist not only study it but write the damn thing?

[Populist_Prole]

13. Sickeningly true

This is real, non-abstract stuff that will really hurt the 99 percent yet more...and so, no amount of eloquent speech making and its crocodile tears over income inequality will make any sense or any impression whatsover.

I'm done. Disengaging. It happened today.

[liberal_at_heart]

15. K&R