Clinton now says NAFTA should be reassessed

[babylonsister]

Clinton seeks to re-evaluate NAFTA
Divides with husband on key program

By Susan Page
USA TODAY

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton distanced herself Monday from one of her husband's signature White House achievements, saying NAFTA should be reassessed and "adjusted" and any new free trade agreements postponed.

"I think we do need to take a deep breath and figure out how we can make it work for the greatest numbers of people," she told USA TODAY. Clinton said NAFTA's benefits have gone to the wealthy and cost jobs for working people. She said a "timeout" in new accords would last until she felt the issue of trade in the 21st century had been adequately studied.

In 1993, Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, which lifted most tariffs on goods traded among the USA, Mexico and Canada.

The New York senator said she has no qualms about splitting with her husband on a key economic point — one in which he battled fellow Democrats and their union allies. "Part of leadership is continuing to evaluate what we currently do to figure out if we can do it better," she said.

more...

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20071009/1a_bottomstrip09_dom.art.htm

[Adelante]

1. She's been saying this for a while, I believe

I would like to see the China trade deal reassessed, as well.

[babylonsister]

7. I just recall Kucinich getting the most applause at a Dem debate when he proposed

cancelling it when no one else would, Clinton included. But I guess that's moot now.

[Totally Committed]

40. Remember that? You are exactly right about that!

Just scrap the whole damned mess, and be done with it!

TC

[papau]

23. Hillary's proposed 5 year and reassess each treaty program should start day one with

reassessing every trade treaty we now have - IMO

[ginchinchili]

2. Sounds to me like one of Mitt Romney's convenient "reassessments."

[BridgeTheGap]

3. It's political suicide, at this point, to say anything else

isn't it?
Try tell working people that NAFTA/GATT haven't been a disaster.
These schemes seem to be designed primarily to help the rich get richer.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. NAFTA Bad - China Worse

Permanent "free" trade status for China - which the Clintons rammed through Congress - is far, far worse than NAFTA. Has Mrs. Clinton said that she feels our pain on China yet? Last time I checked, she was desperately working to increase the number of guest worker visas to drive down the wages of US engineers,

[jmp]

14. Exactly. The DLC is selling American workers ...

Down the river ever chance they get.

[Maribelle]

26. Permanent "free" trade status for China is a lie.

Please look up "fair trade status for China". Please look up the significant difference between "free trade" and "fair trade" if you are truly interested in discussing this.


Sheesh.

[MannyGoldstein]

36. Test For You!

What happened to tariffs on Chines goods when China was granted "normalized trade relations" (a euphemism invented by the Clinton administration, by the way):

1. Tariffs remained the same.
2. Tariffs dropped a bit.
3. Tariffs dropped a lot.
4. Tariffs almost vanished.

[pampango]

27. As long as China and the US are both members of the WTO "normal trade relations"

are mandatory, the way I understand it. One or the other would have to drop or be kicked out or WTO rules would have to change for us to change trading rules with them. Permanent normal trade relations with China, "rammed through Congress by Clinton", allowed it to join the WTO.

As with any multinational organization, the UN, Kyoto, NAFTA, etc, a member country can either comply with the rules it agreed to, seek to change the rules in cooperation with other members, or withdraw from the treaty or organization.

"The World Trade Organization requires members to grant one another most favoured nation status."

"In the United States, "most favored nation status" has been renamed Normal Trade Relations (NTR) in 1998 as all but a handful of countries had this status already, making it a misnomer."

"GATT members recognized in principle that the most favoured nation rule should be relaxed to accommodate the needs of developing countries, and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (est. 1964) has sought to extend preferential treatment to the exports of the developing countries."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_favored_nation

"For many years, People's Republic of China was the most important country in this group which required an annual waiver to maintain free trade status. The waiver for the PRC had been in effect since 1980. Every year between 1989 and 1999, legislation was introduced in Congress to disapprove the President's waiver. The legislation had sought to tie free trade with China to meeting certain human rights conditions that go beyond freedom of emigration. All such attempted legislation failed to pass. The requirement of an annual waiver was inconsistent with the rules of the World Trade Organization, and for the PRC to join the WTO, Congressional action was needed to grant PNTR to the PRC. This was accomplished in late-1999, allowing the PRC to join WTO in the following year."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_Trade_Relations

[Rydz777]

5. A "reassessment" !? How long will that take? Reality has already

provided all the reassessment that we need. NAFTA was a disaster for both the United States and for Mexico. It was a Bush (senior) idea pushed through a reluctant Democratic Congress by Bill Clinton - and through Mexico's Congress by Salinas who later escaped his own country just ahead of the police.

[wyldwolf]

6. she said that months ago

[Dawgs]

8. Where?

[wyldwolf]

16. TV, radio, newspapers, internet

* Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY): "I had said that for many years, that NAFTA and the way it's been implemented has hurt a lot of American workers." (Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), AFL-CIO Presidential Candidates Forum, Chicago, IL, 8/7/07)

* "Hillary Clinton, 59, Has Already Put Some Distance Between Herself And The Free-Trade Policies Of The Administration Of Her Husband, Former President Bill Clinton." (Kim Chipman and Nicholas Johnston, "Edwards's Trade Stance May Win Union Support At Rivals' Expense," Bloomberg, 8/7/07)

* Hillary "Is Moving Away" From Clinton Administration Trade Policies. "Clinton promoted Bill Clinton's trade agenda for years ....Now, Hillary Clinton is moving away from her husband's policies by opposing a trade deal with South Korea and raising questions about NAFTA. 'We just can't keep doing what we did in the 20th Century,' Clinton said in a March interview." (Kim Chipman and Nicholas Johnston, "Edwards's Trade Stance May Win Union Support At Rivals' Expense," Bloomberg, 8/7/07)

[Dawgs]

25. I'm sorry, but you need to try a little harder to convince me that this is same.

Can you point out how it is the same?

[wyldwolf]

29. no Dawgs, nothing could convince you of what you don't want to understand

[Dawgs]

32. Why are you getting so angry?

Talk about testy. I was asking a serious question and you freaked out because I wasn't convinced with your answer. You need to lighten up.

[wyldwolf]

33. LOL! Why do you think you're a psychic? "freaked out" - - LOL!

[jmp]

9. "saying NAFTA should be reassessed"

WTF has she BEEN doing while in the Senate??? NAFTA didn't just start hurting Americans during this election cycle.

Just more Clintonian nothing-speak.

[Maribelle]

11. Just more Clintonian nothing-speak is a lie.

Hillary voted against CAFTA, spearheading her comprehensive indictment of what the corrupt right wing has done with free trade.

[jmp]

12. What they have done with free trade?

They are doing exactly what "free trade" was designed to do. "Free trade" is designed to allow businesses to chase low labor cost. This IS the point.

[Armstead]

20. Bingo

If the Clintons had had any brains or moral scruples, they would have listened to the many many people who were warning against so-called "free trade" in the 1990's.

But noooooo....Now that it's more politically expedient, Hilary has finally realized that it was a massive screw-up.

But of course she wants to consign this to the dumper of issues that have to be "studied."

[LWolf]

10. The key words here are:

"figure out how we can make it work..."

Instead of "let's scrap NAFTA and set a fair trade policy based on labor rights and environmental responsibility."

[Maribelle]

13. Fair trade policy based on labor rights and environmental responsibility is tops for Hillary

Why do you think she has to keep repeating this over and over, because you want to pretend she hasn't already said this perhaps one thousand times?

[jmp]

15. Because she's trying to get elected President?

You don't think THAT has anything to do with the change of heart, do you?

[Maribelle]

18. That it is a change of heart for Hillary is a lie.

Since 2001, when she first entered the Senate she has been a stalwart on fair trade - - so much so that CATO gave her an extremely low rating, which was deemed as a huge plus for Hillary by Democratics.

I would bet if you ask Hillary about her low rating with CATO she might beam with pride.

[LWolf]

17. Because "fair trade" and "NAFTA"

don't coexist. You don't "fix" NAFTA to achieve fair trade.

She can say it one thousand times ten times, and it won't mean anything.

Her actions speak for themselves when it comes to NAFTA.

[Maribelle]

21. Instead of fixing NAFTA's flaws, the corrupt Bush quietly shoves through CAFTA

Since Bush has taken control he has greased the slippery slope with total corruption, guiding NAFTA to richly reward a few American businessmen, with no benefits to any of the three participating countries: the US, Canada, and Mexico - - - such corruption that it could very well lead to its ultimate downfall when the Democrats take back our raped nation.

However, NAFTA, in fact, could be fixed. But first the multinational economic, and social problems as well as relations would need to be clearly addressed and safety nets built into it.

[LWolf]

41. I don't think NAFTA can be "fixed."

I think that's political double-speak for "appease the masses while still pleasing the masters."

I don't want NAFTA "fixed." I want it scrapped.

[Voltaire99]

19. Who believes a triangulating neoliberal?

I mean, we're talking about an outsourcer and former Wal-Mart board member.

Who stumped for NAFTA and, as with her eagerness to invade Iraq, now tries to "distance" herself from the positions that made lots of money for her corporate friends.

You, you sad fraud. You, Hellary.

[Maribelle]

22. So is "triangulating neoliberal" the contrived cuss word de jour?

It seems to be poppin often.

[TwilightZone]

35. Maybe it's this week's "authoritarian"

[Double T]

24. HRC blowing more smoke up our butt. Sorry, don't believe it..........

and she has NOTHING specific planned about it.

[rucky]

31. I'm skeptical, too.

But we can't afford to be dismissive, judging from the handwriting on the wall. It's obvious her strategy is to be as vague as possible, so nobody can pin her down and pick her apart. The fact that she's leading from this strategy is more of an indictment on the electoral process than it is Hillary herself. I'd be more okay with that if we had some reassurance that she'll actually follow through. There may come a time where we need to hold her to these promises, or the voters will just get as skeptical as we are and pick somebody who will commit to specifics.

[rucky]

28. It's a step in the right direction.

I'd like to hear what she'd change about it.

[Alegre]

30. She's Differed From Bill on This For Quite Some Time Now

If memory serves, she's voted against several trade bills (CAFTA) quite a few times, and has some very impressive ratings from labor unions - even has quite a few endorsing her historic run for teh White House ;o)

[antigop]

34. More weasel words from sHillary...that's it

So NAFTA should be reassessed and "adjusted".

No mention of how it should/would be adjusted or when.

Just weasel words that mean nothing.

[napi21]

37. Hillary has been saying this for a long time, and I've even heard

BC stating that as well. Must be a slow news day and USA Yoday needed to fill space.

[Whisp]

38. sure, reasses it to the WORLDFTA

why go piece by piece - take the whole enchilada.

[goodgd_yall]

39. "Now says"? She's been saying it needs to be fixed for some time now

In the debates she's she has said it needs to be adjusted. And most of the other candidates have said the same thing. Kucinich and, I believe, Gravel each say they would get rid of it. I don't remember Richardson's stand.