How important is the TPP to the President? The WH has a war room

[cali]

I've been looking to see if he invested as much and worked as hard on healthcare reform as I've heard folks claim. Indeed people have claimed he worked harder on healthcare reform than the tpp. I can find no indication that those claims are true. It appears that the tpa (which will last for years after he leaves the WH) and the tpp are more important agenda items than ANYTHING else has been during his presidency. Why do I think that is? My best guess is that he's become so invested in the tpp, he can't see the forest for the trees- and part of that has to do with his caring about his legacy. Unlike a lot of folks, I don't think he's doing this for some future pay day. That pay day is coming regardless, as it does for all ex-presidents. I think what he's doing takes an enormous amount of hubris and believing that only he and the people in the amen chorus know what's best, but hubris is hardly an unusual personality trait in a President.

As far as I can see, the President didn't put anywhere near the effort into healthcare reform that he's put into this. I can find no evidence that he set up a war room prior to the vote- though he did set up one after it to deal with Healthcare.gov. That "war room" was in Maryland.

http://www.benefitspro.com/2013/11/01/healthcaregov-war-room-exposed-problems
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/75077/how-they-did-it

The WH war room for the blessed TPP that us ignorant people are just too stupid to fall in line and praise our President for, is in the Eisenhower Building- right next door to the WH- and yeah, location indicates quite a bit.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/05/11/business/economy-business/dinner-data-part-obamas-courting-democrats-trade-authority-tpp/#.VVB67fBChOx

The President is cajoling and promising and threatening- in other words using both his bully pulpit and the power inherent in being President to get members of his own party (particularly in the House) on board. He is making far more effort in this area than he did with republicans.

The President is using his megaphone to excoriate opponents and, well, not being truthful. In one breath, it's that his opponents are politicians with hidden agendas, in another it's that they're ignorant. He says that lawmakers have access to the tpp drafts but then says they don't know the first thing about it.

He's been nasty, petty and demonstrated his contempt for liberals and progressives in a way he NEVER has regarding republicans. Not in the healthcare reform fight or anything else throughout the six years of his Presidency.

I've seen far too many folks saying I trust the President 100%. He knows what's best. To me, that's simply abandoning your obligation to do your due diligence. It's the politics of adoration, of personality, rather than the politics of policy. And it can be dangerous. History is replete with examples.

He'll win this battle. He'll get his legacy on this. Winners write history, and NAFTA hasn't really damaged Bill Clinton.

We will pay for it. We will pay for it with ballooning trade deficits, an unknown number of job losses, big corporate gains, further weakening of unions, less access to generic drugs, unknown damage to food safety, unknown damage to the environment, particularly to the ocean, and increased corporate power and reach. Apologies to those supporting this agreement but yeah, the strong probability is that all these will happen. You may want to deny that the past is an accurate indicator of the future in matters like this, but that's just untrue, and we know some specifics such as extending patents for drugs through the odious practice of greening which makes it impossible for generics of those drugs to be produced.

[davidpdx]

1. While I support Obama on most things, this is one I truly don't

I am crossing my fingers that the votes will be there to block it, even if it takes some of the asshole Republicans to help do it. In the past I have been a lukewarm advocate of free trade, but the TPP is bad news.

[mtasselin]

2. hell no

The politicians that are voting yes have no idea what is it tpp, I hope the democrats vote out all of these dinos. The people including the president that say they can look at it are lying flat out lying, what kind of promises were made to you that you are not voting what is best for the country, you are selfish bastards.

[Enthusiast]

3. After watching the video in this OP by madfloridian.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026652856

OMG! We are so screwn.

[fasttense]

4. If TPP passes it will be more of extreme capitalism on steroids

If you are perfectly happy with your current employment , than you are going to love the results of the TPP. If you wish you were making a better salary, if you want a better job, if you need better loan offers, or if you want to eventually work for your self than you are going to hate the results of the TPP. It is going to write in stone all the unfairness, all the bennies for the rich corporate players and the rigged political system for decades.

This mother of all "free" trade deals will firmly place corporations in charge of the USA.

[Maedhros]

28. Actually, my job will most likely be unaffected by the TPP.

However I still oppose it 100%, because it's not all about me. Liberals used to understand that.

[Jackpine Radical]

29. Empathy and compassion are what most fundamentally distinguishes us

from certain other people we might all name.

Thanks for that reminder to all of us.

[B Calm]

5. Just like NAFTA, it will pass with republican support.

[cali]

6. yep. and a handful of dems, heavily courted/bullied

[HereSince1628]

7. With no more elections, Obama can be what he wants to be...

and what he wants seems to be more than a pro-labor nativist.

Back in 2007, defending his international experience, Obama has said his four childhood years in Indonesia shaped his world view. He said it was considerably more important than experience of his competitors going on fact finding trips. It's not hard to believe that experience gave him a unique perspective on what was possible to achieve as leader of PlanetUSA. International anticipation of the impact of that perspective is the only explanation for his receiving the Nobel prize.

I don't think we should see his interests were something kept secret. It's more something long postponed by domestic economic crises. He can't help but see internationalism through his experience and desires. He seems to still be able to view international corporate investment in foreign productivity as tools for good. Getting that done for him means providing compromises/incentives to corporations, he's always acted via compromise, and, he's usually compromised first as a show of good will

I have no doubt that from within his world-view it aligns as a win-win. That much of his base and his congressional support refuses to follow him is something that he admits hurts in a personal way.

[greymattermom]

9. Why not use the Indonesia experience to argue against TPP

After all, that experience is why some folks think he's foreign. And Indonesia is Muslim, right?

[HereSince1628]

12. I don't think Islam is an issue, it's silly to ignore important features of his childhood

when the president himself says they were important to his views

I see international corporations through my own experience, and while I can see some potential for good, I see as great or greater a potential for international corporations to be harmful, neo-colonial disruptors of foreign nations.

Why do he and I differ? Because we have rather different experiences....

For part of the time during his 4 years in Indonesia Obama's mother worked for an Indonesian - American agency for cooperative development. No doubt her occupation influenced Obama. At the same time his step-father was a geographer involved in the basic mapping of resources and land needed for development and later as a geographer for an oil company.

Consequently, I am of the opinion that Obama has an interest in and sensitivity to economic development in the western pacific rim that emerges from his early and intimate relationship with adults interested in that very topic.

[DCBob]

11. Precisely how I interpret it as well.

[zeemike]

8. I think you underestimate the value of the payday.

It is not just a lot of money...there are other benefits to his whole family if he gets membership in the big club. And accomplishing the TPP gives him that.

The goal seems to be to reduce America to a third world status.

[cali]

10. I prefer to stay away from that. Other people can deal with it

make that claim and people focus on it instead of what I'm trying to focus on.

[zeemike]

16. Probably a wise thing to do.

[nashville_brook]

21. functionally it's the result regardless of it's there's a mustache-twisting villain

...but that villainy is a known quantity in modern capitalism.

[thesquanderer]

13. Obama's goal seems to be to reduce America to a third world status?

Now you sound like a Republican presidential candidate!

[zeemike]

14. It is not Obama's goal.

Obama's goal is satisfying the desires of the ruling class.
Don't confuse the goals of the workers with the goals of the company they work for.

I know I know, Conspiracy Theory...because the PTB never conspire to do anything.

[Jackpine Radical]

30. They don't need to conspire.

They are solidly together--just by the nature of things--on those issues that favor the entire corporatocracy, and reserve the right to fight it out with each other in those realms where their economic interests differ. Disney doesn't especially like wars, Raytheon does. One thing nobody wants is expensive American labor.

[UCmeNdc]

15. TPP is bad news for the average person

For Corporations it is great news. It usurps laws of sovereign nations.

[cali]

17. It's more accurate to state that it can influence the laws of sovereign nations

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026654532

and there's so much more wrong with it than the Investment Chapter.

[Marr]

18. This really *is* the most transparent administration in decades.

Just not in the way Obama suggested. It's very clear what's actually important to him, and what isn't.

[nashville_brook]

22. heh heh :)

[uwep]

19. I support the President

on this as well as health care. He, as Bill Clinton, are thoughtful and
intelligent men. While NAFTA was not as good as believed, it did
stimulate trade with our neighbors. The TPP will do the same. We
are in a world economy, like it or not. NAFTA and TPP gives us
some control over imports and exports as well as balancing our trade.

[cali]

20. Do facts matter to you?

Our trade deficits have ballooned due to the ftas we've negotiated and signed on to over the past 21 years.

Do you understand that we already have a substantial degree of control over imports and exports, and that many experts, after having analyzed the leaked chapters of the tpp, have expressed grave concern that our control will be weakened rather than strengthened? One example of that is with food safety standards being weakened. And no, it's not a fanciful concern.

Trust is a fine thing. It's no substitute for research and critical thinking, however.

[ucrdem]

23. And googling "worse than nafta" is no substitute for research. nt

[cali]

24. which is not what I did

about this. I've been researching this for over 2 years now- really researching it, including but not limited to: reading the USTR site and Brookings, obviously pro-tpp sources. I've been reading Flynn's site for a while and have it bookmarked- along with almost 30 other sites.

but go ahead and fling baseless shit accusations. It illustrates who you are.

Now how about actually addressing some of these issues? I will not hold my breath.

[BrotherIvan]

25. It's no mystery why the TPP is so important, only to the willfully blind

He ran two campaigns with unprecedented fundraising. All of those donors must be paid back. As our "party insider" has said, he had "political and financial commitments" before he even walked into the race. He has paid back Wall St, he has paid back Penny Pritzker, he has paid off a lot of his big donors including the health insurance industry.

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/02/gaius-publius-obama-got-20-million-healthcare-industry-2008-killing-single-payer-part-deal.html

Now he must pay back the rest and it's all rolled into the TPP. When one follows the money it's as clear as day. I have no idea why people don't understand that huge campaign contributions come with strings attached.

[SusanCalvin]

31. This is a theory I buy. nt

[sabrina 1]

26. I will be surprised if he wins on this. He is making ENEMIES now, more and more Dems

are responding WITH anger toward him like I've never seen them do before, since he began insulting them in public, some of the Best Dems we have btw.

And no, I have NEVER seen him insult Republicans the way he has insulted good Democrats.

It was what I had hoped to see when I supported him but instead saw nothing but compromise, never anything even close to the kind of attacks he has made on people like Warren.

If he thinks that's the way to get intelligent people on board with his 'legacy' I believe he is in for a big surprise.

Calling members of your own party 'liar's or 'opportunists' is something you rarely see a President doing.

It makes me wonder 'who is this man we all placed so much hope in'? Is this the REAL Obama?

[SusanCalvin]

32. He sounds kinda desperate,

and like it's affecting his judgment.

[BlueStreak]

27. If this is a war, who is the enemy?

Unfortunately we have met the enemy, and it is us.

Not exactly what Pogo had in mind, but there it is.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. People are near breaking point

Abroad workers get it. Americans will reluctantly follow.

We have the beginnings of uprisings in this neoliberal world.

But Americans will trail because we have an extremely good propaganda machine we have been covering the events in San Quintin Mexico. That is NAFTA... TTP will be far less amusing