Clinton cautious about Obama's Pacific trade deal

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will be closely watching efforts by the Obama administration to negotiate a broad trade policy pact with Pacific nations that's raising concerns over potential harm to workers.

As she kicks off her presidential campaign, Clinton is under pressure from the liberal wing of her party to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal involving the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Canada, Mexico and seven other Pacific rim nations. Labor unions and other progressive organizations say the pact would hurt U.S. jobs and encourage abuse of workers and the environment.

In a statement Friday, Clinton's Democratic presidential campaign said she believes that any new trade measure should "protect American workers, raise wages and create more good jobs at home." The agreement should also "strengthen our national security," the campaign said.

FULL short story at link.


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c1689133a6224821b265fcf3273fd442/clinton-cautious-about-obamas-pacific-trade-deal

[OKNancy]

1. more

Clinton thinks the U.S. should reject any final deal that does not satisfy those criteria, the statement said. "The goal is greater prosperity and security for American families, not trade for trade's sake," according to the campaign.

More specifically, the statement said, she will be "watching closely to see what is being done to crack down on currency manipulation, improve labor rights, protect the environment and health, promote transparency and open new opportunities for our small businesses to export overseas."

Perfectly reasonable, yet it won't satisfy those who have made up their mind about her already.

[olegramps]

14. It appear to me that this lack of commitment will not go well for her.

It seems that it is a carefully crafted statement that really doesn't mean much. I think that she is well aware of the major issues with this trade agreement and she has shown a reluctance to address them. If she fails to come out strongly against this agreement, every union will abandon her. This is their stated position.

Could she win without the support of unions? I doubt it. It will also force the hand of Sanders who could now enter the race for the nomination. Obama has placed the party in a very vicarious position. I just can't grasp why he supports another trade deal that appears to be major defeat for the American worker.

Isn't it enough that earlier trade agreements have led to the closure of over 50,000 manufacturing plants. And, just how can we compete against countries that pay a minimum wage of less that 50 cents an hour.

The bottom line is if the Republican are for it, you can be guaranteed that the working class is going get the shaft and the owner the mine.

[QuestionAlways]

23. But the deal does not include China or India, so it handcuffs us

but does not effect them

[freshwest]

25. Don't waste you time on these threads, OKNancy. n/t

[yallerdawg]

2. Well, there!

That should make all the Clinton doubters happy!

[pangaia]

3. If WE all know the TPP is just another death knell

to your every day human being, why doesn't Clinton know it?

[OnyxCollie]

4. LOL!

Damn, that's funny.

[dirtydickcheney]

5. More Triangulation???

"Cautious" !!?!!

Bernie is 100% against it!!

I'm telling you - the Republican-Lite (Hillary) vs. True Republican will ALWAYS result in the True Republican winning.

Nominate Accordingly.

[msongs]

8. your theory didn't work for republican-lite obama so ALWAYS is a tad strong....

and obama himself refers to his policies as moderate republican

[dirtydickcheney]

11. I distinctly remember Obama saying he was going to 'renegotiate NAFTA'

That didn't sound too Republican-Lite to me.

And he said that while he was assuring Canada that he had no intention of renegotiating NAFTA the same day behind closed doors.

[Maedhros]

12. "Cautious" polled well with focus groups.[n/t]

[OKNancy]

7. yes, all the right-wing sites are carrying this non-story

JFC -

“Her grandparents always spoke about the immigrant experience and, as a result she has always thought of them as immigrants,” a Clinton spokesman told BuzzFeed News. “As has been correctly pointed out, while her grandfather was an immigrant, it appears that Hillary’s grandmother was born shortly after her parents and siblings arrived in the U.S. in the early 1880s.”

[VanillaRhapsody]

9. Oh yet another RW Nontroversy pedalled on DU???

[Politicalboi]

10. I didn't know buzzfeed was a GOP rag

She does make up stories though, and I hate that shit. Now, I WILL vote for her if she's the only choice of the 2 parties, not going to throw away my vote on a Nader.

[PoliticAverse]

15. buzzfeed was founded by Jonah Peretti who was a co-founder of The Huffington Post.

"When we started The Huffington Post, I wasn't interested in business. I wanted to see a Democrat get elected president." - Jonah Peretti
(From: http://news.yahoo.com/jonah-peretti-read-120630671.html ).

[Politicalboi]

18. Interesting

I posted a link about Hillary getting her ancestry wrong and was quickly told that was a GOP talking point. I just thought buzzfeed was a GOP rag. So it was the story not the source. So why would buzzfeed post such a story if not true?

Spokesman to the rescue.

“Her grandparents always spoke about the immigrant experience and, as a result she has always thought of them as immigrants,” a Clinton spokesman told BuzzFeed News. “

If she's not sure, she should look it up I would think, especially while running for Prez. Or is this another tale told by Hillary, like sniper fire. "She always thought" doesn't cut it with me. But STILL voting for her if she's the only choice. It's not a big issue unless she's lying just to lie. I don't want a smarter Sarah Palin.

[DrKZ]

21. I knew my grandparents were immigrants

Because they spoke with accents and their english was never perfect. Whatever a spokesperson tells buzzfeed does not matter really it is to me the same thing as Marco Rubio saying his parents were refugees which of course they were not because they were immigrans who came way before Castro ...
I mean she is supposed to be a smart woman not an idiot like Rubio
and she didn't know about her family history ... kind of reminds me of the primaries for the 2008 elections where she was from Pennsylvania and Illinois and Arkansas and her accent would change at will ...

[GoneFishin]

13. well, I believe the part about her being cautious.

[winter is coming]

16. The longer she sits on that fence, the pointier it will get. n/t

[A Simple Game]

17. I don't like it when people use too many words.

This is what I took from the first paragraph.

Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will be closely watching efforts by the Obama administration to negotiate a broad trade policy pact with Pacific nations that's raising concerns over potential harm to workers.

So my take is that "She will be closely watching raising concerns over potential harm." Not to workers, but to herself. As a candidate and knowing that the deal will most likely be done before the election in 2016 she is free to say anything she wants about the TPP. Like someone else said, the pickets on that fence are going to start hurting after awhile, she needs to pick a side and jump in with both feet.

[quadrature]

19. is this a joke?

many parts of the TPP are out in the open.
time to take a stand

[blkmusclmachine]

20. Does she really change her mind, or is this just another calculated claim to "win over" people who

are suspicious of her???

[DrKZ]

22. Ah yes in Hard Choices

in the book hard choices she expressed support for the detail .,.. she is doing the Clinton cha-cha-cha like with NAFTA which she suppiorted as first lady but then she wasn't later on ... wow dancing with dizzying speed.
Her record however is clear about her wall street backers, her history as a neo-liberal (and yes as a neo-con too) ...
And since when has a Clinton ever been a friend to unions and working people?

[CentralMass]

24. in a very non-commital sort of way.

[on point]

26. HRC visits the Waffle House

Leaders lead. They don't wait to test the winds.