President Obama Asks Congress To Give Up Its Oversight On Secret TPP Agreement
from the that's-not-a-good-thing dept
We've talked a few times about how the USTR and the administration are asking Congress for "trade promotion authority," which would effectively let it bypass Congressional oversight of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. In fact, in many ways the USTR has been acting as if it already has this. The specifics of "trade promotion authority" or "fast track authority" are a bit down in the weeds, but the short version is that it's the administration asking Congress to completely abdicate its authority and mandate in overseeing international trade agreements. Basically, it removes the ability of Congress to seek any fixes or amendments to a trade agreement -- only allowing them to give a yes or no vote.
This might not be such a big deal if the TPP wasn't negotiated in near total secrecy. We've been told that a final agreement is getting close, but no official text has been released at all. What we know of the IP section is one draft that leaked out from well over a year ago. And, now, we're going to get a product that will be released to the public with little time for debate and no way to make changes should the public point out how ridiculous and dangerous it is.
And, of course, President Obama is insisting it's necessary to undermine the authority of Congress with a secret agreement that will have tremendous impact on Americans... just because he wants it. He announced to "the President’s Export Council" that "We're going to need Trade Promotion Authority." Let's be clear: the only reason the administration "needs" TPA is so that it can ram through the agreement without letting Congress do its oversight job. Trade Promotion Authority offers no benefit to the public at all. All it does is make sure that the USTR has less oversight and fewer limitations on selling out the public for a few big special interests.
The "Export Council" which is basically made up of leaders of those big special interests who are looking for protectionist (not "free trade") policies that help their bottom line, but harm the American public, made an even more ridiculous statement:
“We believe that new TPA legislation is critical to America’s trade leadership in the world,” the group said in one of eight letters to Obama it approved at the meeting.Did you get that? They're claiming that if we actually let Congress do its Constitutionally-mandated job that somehow undermines America's "trade leadership?" Does anyone take this even remotely seriously? Of course, the problem is that very few are paying attention to this. "Trade Promotion Authority" sounds boring and if some big business leaders claims it's necessary, Congress will probably go with it -- even though it subverts their own powers.
If the USTR had actually been transparent, had released negotiating texts so that the public could give feedback, and that feedback was reflected in the eventual agreements, then maybe you could see how trade promotion authority might make sense. But when you have a secret agreement, driven in large part by industry lobbyists, which the public still hasn't been allowed to see, how could anyone possibly have a legitimate reason for suggesting that Congress abdicate its oversight role?
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Filed Under: congress, fast track, international trade, tpp, trade promotion authority, ustr
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Re:
It's not people with bad intentions killing off freedom and democracy, it's the fact that the public has lost control that's killing it off.
Without the public having the power to keep the government honest, the government can gain too much power which in turns allows people (even those with good intentions) the power to do evil things.
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I'm sure the globalized race to the bottom has nothing to do with the world's sluggish economies. I say push the pedal to the metal on free trade. It's been working great so far. Let's see what this puppy's can really do!
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However, since free trade sounds better than neo-protectionism, neo-bullionism or straight up blackmail it is the word served to the dear representatives.
Btw. the export council is completely correct that TPA is a necessity if you define "trade leadership" as - the biggest companies in the country writing the trade agreements to its own advantage (and the detriment to domestic and foreign competitors as well as the detriment of the public implicitly and explicitly).
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If TPP goes into force...
Good luck having a kingdom without serfs, Dear Leader.
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To paraphrase....
They are working our reality to be like these fictions, perhaps it is time we follow suit.
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Re: To paraphrase....
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Re: Re: To paraphrase....
twitchy clicky finger and all that.
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Re: To paraphrase....
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Re: Re: To paraphrase....
Me too. At first, I wasn't paying attention and was just reading it, and then all the sudden it was V talking over the television to me all over again (about the time I realized where it came from.)
That movie was awesome, in every way, and I sure hope it never comes true.
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Re: Re: Re: To paraphrase....
i think that is our *only* hope left...
all the other means of wresting control of 'our' (sic) gummint are being eliminated, stifled, gutted, or ignored: there is no effective electoral choice; there is no means of redress; there is no means of recourse...
it doesn't matter 90-99% of the people are against war with (fill in the blank/who's left?), we go to war anyway...
it doesn't matter 90-99% of us wanted single-payer/etc, we get a health insurer's bailout...
it doesn't matter 90-99% of us wanted banksters to go to the gaol, they get millions in bonuses out of our pockets...
it doesn't matter 90-99% of us want gay marriage available, constitutionally 'guaranteed' privacy, jobs, universal healthcare, scaled-back military, dismantling the security state, ending the war on _______, we get what our 1% puppetmasters want, *not* what us 99% want/need...
we can go stand meekly in our 'free speech' pens and scream until we are fucking DEAD, The They (tm) don't give a shit...
it is only unless/until we actually THREATEN them, that any attention will be paid...
what is left to us sheeple but to bare our fangs ? ? ?
it is the ONLY THING the psychopaths in charge will respond to...
art guerrilla
aka ann archy
eof
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Re: Re: To paraphrase....
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SOP
He's been doing this for a while, hasn't he? This isn't the first instance, nor the last.
For a President who was supposedly a Constitutional scholar at Harvard, he sure doesn't get the Constitution, does he?
You know the part where it says:
US Constitution, Clause 2: Advice and Consent Clause
Notice the words "Advice and Consent"-big stick, and one that Congress will use if he doesn't stop pushing their buttons.
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Re: SOP
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Re: SOP
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hello authoritarianism, hello Hitler 2
all citizens rights are being removed as it is ,one by one, a bit at a time! what is going on here? it seems to me that this is going to bring in more surveillance, more NSA and similar spying on everyone, more 'we can do what we like now, and dont even have to inform you first!'
if Congress allows this to happen, you kiss goodbye to any and all rights of the people! you can say hello to companies and industries doing whatever they like with no recourse to those buying and using stuff!
the USA has now gone so far off track that to get it back is going to be almost impossible! industries like Hollywood and their like in the recording industries are dictating what will happen and no one is trying to stop it.
when the President himself is asking for the removal of any way to challenge what a particular section of the government is doing and wants to do, there is serious shit attached and it aint gonna be for the benefit of the people!! this is turning the USA faster to a dictatorship! what an absolute disgrace it has become!!
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It's called a Do Nothing Congress.
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The idiots on the Supreme Court have already undermined congress on treaty issues by basically saying the president can pass whatever treaty they want without congress' approval by simply renaming it an 'executive agreement'.
Unfortunately the only hope to stop ACTA is to convince Republicans to oppose it because Obama supports it, and to get a few democrats like Elizabeth Warren and a few others who have already spoken out against ACTA to join them.
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Democrats pull this stunt because they have learned that the more time you give congress to think about bills, the more they're willing to deny the bill, or have reservations about the bill.
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Uh, Republicans have done this just as much. Last time Trade Promotion Authority was in place was... under GWB.
Both parties are equally bad about this.
You gotta let your hatred of a single party go.
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The lame stream media is "turning the other cheek" for BHO, in spite of his absolute disdain for the Constitution.
So no, not the same...
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Congress? who's that?
Law? what law?
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However, it does seem worth pointing out that these days Congress seems intent on doing whatever is necessary to avoid doing its job. I find it difficult to defend a group who routinely avoids scheduling votes because they don't agree with the likely outcome. If we're going to scream about democracy under attack...
Anyway, this article suggests that there is no way to fix the TPP, but states that Congress still has to vote on it. So, what happens if Congress votes No? Wouldn't it end up being renegotiated so Congress could approve it?
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Still, the tradition of always voting yes after finalizing trade agreements, if asked, is so ingrained that representatives are almost forced to go with the flow.
It is also a limited information blackmail where the representatives will be haunted by the "why didn't you say something before the treaty was finalized?" and "Our support depends on you supporting the causes we need and this is one of them." from most of the corporate backers, the negotiators and the administration.
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If only there were some reason the president might want to sidestep Congress's ability to sidestep legislation.... I guess it could have to do with the 40 votes to repeal Obamacare, and the fact that they try to attach an amendment to repeal Obamacare to unrelated legislation every chance they get.
I know the post is bitter, but damnit, I know the author of the news story is aware of the political reality too. Just report the damn news.
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Frankly, I fail to see a valid reason why Techdirt shouldn't cover something as significant as the TPP as it represents a potentially devastating corporate power grab.
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Also, you are required to insure your motor vehicle as a condition of driving it and if you have a mortgage you're required by the bank to insure your property. It's hard to fathom the whining over insuring your health as well.
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Keep on drinking your kool-aid.
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While is true that the House (read: Republicans) is obstructionist, and will jump at any reason to oppose Obama, this does not negate that the President is usurping more authority from Congress.
What people never seem to grasp is the ratcheting affect of power. The power grabs by your guy today will stay in place when the other party takes power, so the centralization of power should be opposed even when done by someone you approve of.
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Re: Re:
We have a problem right now where Congress is behaving wildly irresponsibly and it's causing all kinds of hell. They waste no chance pushing partisan agendas, and it seems like they are stuck in a state of perpetual deadlock. Thus, it's no surprise to me that Obama wants to sidestep Congress to get a trade agreement through.
Now, that said, I don't actually think it's the right solution. At best it only masks the real issue of Congress's inability to govern, and at worst it gives more authority and more potential abuse of power to one branch of government. What should happen is that we fix all of the ways Congress is broken, and then things can continue to work like they are supposed to.
My complaint about Techdirt is that instead of exploring valid reasons why Obama might want to do it (or leaving off motivations entirely) it seems to ascribe some kind of malign intentions to him. Love him or hate him, I don't think you can realistically say he is trying to ruin the country or create some bizarre authoritarian regime. And, as the article points out, he IS a constitutional scholar. I don't think he woke up and said "Today I'm going to steal the power to make trade agreements from Congress."
So I would have liked to see some of that explored in the news reporting. More and more it seems like this website just posts editorials.
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you make an initial statement that *of course* you want 'checks and balances', and then go on to refute that by saying how you think saint obama *has to* do an end run around kongress since they are dysfunctional...
cass sunstein ? is that you ?
for the authoritarian-impaired: our system is set up to make us a nation ruled by LAW, not MEN (NO MATTER how well intentioned)...
REGARDLESS of whether you think choco jesu (OR ANYONE) is a moral paragon who will 'do the right thing' for us 99%, we DO NOT invest all our power in them, because it WILL BE ABUSED when you have a 'bad guy' in power...
(and -as far as i'm concerned- obomber IS a 'bad guy'...)
these are first principles which should NEVER be abandoned; were you asleep in civics 101 ? ? ?
art guerrilla
aka ann archy
eof
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Reversed Roles
So, what you are trying to say is that 'these guys' have better security than the NSA? Is there some sort of weird role reversal taking place here? The group with NO security requirement keeps its secrets while the group with nothing BUT security requirements is a leaky colander.
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http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/09/mpaa-school-propaganda/
No wonder they want all the power consolidate in their hands.
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hard to believe Republicans fabricate scandals
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Don't expect me to respect any law passed in this way.
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Ignorance is Bliss.
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Re: Ignorance is Bliss.
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Re: Ignorance is Bliss.
Why, you'd almost think they're trying to avoid a repeat of ACTA, where once people found out what was actually in it, as opposed to what they'd been told was in it, they objected so strongly that it was eventually shot down.
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Re: Ignorance is Bliss.
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Re: Ignorance is Bliss.
It's not "exporting" if you still have a copy of it.
Hey, if sharing away something and still having a copy of it isn't sharing, selling a copy of something and still having a copy of it isn't selling, either.
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this sounds 100% depressing. Is there any kind of hope that this will be re-negotiated with the public able to point out what's fucked up or after it starta or will the 1% get everything they want on their wish list?
really want some kind of good news.
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