With Both Presidential Candidates Claiming To Be Against The TPP, President Obama Kicks Off Campaign To Ratify It
from the so-that'll-be-interesting dept
Even as the candidate that President Obama is supporting, Hillary Clinton, has been increasingly insisting that she really (no, really) is against the TPP (despite being for it prior to this campaign) -- and even as Donald Trump has been vehemently against it, despite trade agreements usually getting strong support from the GOP -- President Obama is making a big push to get the TPP ratified by Congress. It needs a majority vote in both houses of Congress to be ratified in the US. Last week, we noted the weird situation where everyone's position on the agreement appeared to be wishy-washy, though mostly for all the wrong reasons.But that's not stopping Obama from having his cabinet make a big push to get it approved by Congress:
Among those who will hit the road will be Secretary of State John F. Kerry; Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter; retired Admiral Michael G. Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents George W. Bush and Obama; Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of the United States Pacific Command; and William Cohen, a former Republican senator and defense secretary under President Bill Clinton.Of course, everyone knows that it won't be voted on until after the election.
But, of course, that seems like it could also make a so-called "lame duck" vote pretty damn awkward as well. Yes, after the charade of the election is over, perhaps politicians will revert to their previous positions supporting the deal, but even at their most cynical, it seems a bit crass to do so right after the election. It would just underscore how absolutely full of shit they were during the campaign season. Maybe that doesn't have political consequences... but it should.Although the administration’s push will begin in September, no vote on the accord will occur before the election. Just as the White House and congressional Republican leaders mostly agree on the economic benefits of trade, they have parallel political interests in delaying debate.
Republicans do not want to provoke attacks from their presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump, who called the trade accord “a rape of our country,” or hurt other Republican candidates. Mr. Obama does not want to make trouble for the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, who has struggled to persuade voters of her sincerity in switching from support of the pact to opposition. This month, during an economic address in Michigan, she declared, “I oppose it now, I’ll oppose it after the election and I’ll oppose it as president.”
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Filed Under: barack obama, congress, donald trump, hillary clinton, tpp, trade agreements
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"Trust me, once you no longer have any power over me for the next four years I'll totally keep my word."
When it comes to politics there's no such thing as 'too crass' or 'too cynical'. Both sides know full well that voting for it before the election stands a good chance to harm the chances of their respective candidates, so they'll wait until it's too late to change the votes before voting for it anyway.
After all, if they were planning on voting against it then doing so pre-election would only stand to benefit the candidates with regards to the voters, the entire point of delaying the vote is to render the public backlash moot by removing the ability of the public to immediately vote against the ones who voted in favor of TPP.
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Where should he spend his capital?
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Same reaction creates the same result
http://www.green.democrat/
5-15% in 'safe' states will start unraveling America's straitjacket
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what is the non-money reason
I mean I find it hard to believe that an entire presidential cabinet would try pushing for this if money was the only reason it would help the individuals.
Is the motivation political to get it passed or anything other than supposedly the GDP going up and protectionist laws for industry?
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Re: what is the non-money reason
bob ?
are you okay, bob ?
seriously, anyone who doesn't KNOW that 'money' is at the root of ALL these decisions hasn't been paying attention...
bob, have you been spending all your time reading novels, bob ?
wander over to the non-fiction aisle, bob, i highly recommend zinn's A People's History of the United States...
...um, it will only hurt for a while...
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Re: Re: what is the non-money reason
If there aren't that fine I'm just curious if anyone has gearshift any or has their own.
Like is this treaty supposed to help government in country X be more pro-American?
Is it meant to be a punishment for the countries that were not part of the treaty?
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Re: Re: Re: what is the non-money reason
2. if you dont know, most of the provisions have fuckall to do with trade, and everything to do with the korporatocracy enacting their own uber-laws that supercede sovereign natio s laws...
3. it is, in short, the rulebook used in a race to the bottom...
4. lastly, spot on : non 'trade' aligned countries will be pressured to conform or be left behind... OR, that is the mafia-like spiel being peddled by our betters...
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Re: Re: Re: what is the non-money reason
The article discusses the possibility that treaties like TPP and TTIP could be an attempt to keep the world under US control.
Dutch article:
https://decorrespondent.nl/5128/Maak-kennis-met-de-grootste-bank-ter-wereld-waar-je-niets-va n-weet/626188141216-bd4f4663
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Question
2. Why do some politicians want to ratify it so badly?
Why is it covered under so much secrecy that many countries don't want their own people knowing it, and have it voted on before anybody reads it?
Is this democracy?
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Re: Question
2. Why do some politicians want to ratify it so badly?
Many politicians believe (correctly, fwiw) that good free trade helps boost economies and creates a better global world. So they get focused on that. I had a good conversation with a Congressional Rep who talked about visiting Vietnam and how limited some markets are for small businesses there, and how a more open markets could help raise those people out of poverty. And that's true.
What they miss is how the TPP itself isn't really about free trade. It has some tariff reductions, but it also has a ton of other regulatory things in it, such as intellectual property. And that's where the problem is.
Why is it covered under so much secrecy that many countries don't want their own people knowing it, and have it voted on before anybody reads it?
Meh. At this point the document is and has been public for a while. This was a legitimate point during the negotiations. And the reasoning then, stupidly, was that having public debate without understanding the nuances of negotiations (the give and take parts) would make concluding a deal impossible. I don't think this is true, but that's the official reasoning.
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Re: Re: Question
I just lost a lot of respect for you sir! This secrecy and the habits of these corrupt people which you falsely claim have hearts in the right place is a farce! When did you get put on the payroll? Congress and the collection of maggots you just talked up are the #2 problem in America just after the mindless electorate that keeps them voted into office.
These politician are experts in keeping the curtains drawn and constantly wheel and deal behind closed doors. These people sought these positions for power and glory. Very few actually care. Anyone that can stand in the halls of congress for long are not good people because no sane man could feel clean there!
The corruption of the American government is so well established that we now view much of the corruption as nothing more than business as usual! Like places in the world where children are murdered and no one bats and eye because they are just used to it, they think nothing of it!
yea, Meh right?
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Re: Re: Re: Question
“We made President Obama’s big TPP trade deal searchable”, by Philip Bump, Washington Post, Nov 5, 2015(Hyperlinks omitted.)
(Via Wikipedia.)
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Question
Oh, and fwiw, here's the Techdirt story from Nov 6, 2015.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Question
Other countries then published it on their own websites.
I've often read it as "Obama decided to release the text". He didn't. The 12 nations decided.
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Re: Re: Re: Question
Uh, it hasn't been leaked -- it's been *released* in the official version for anyone to read in all it's glory, and it's been up on the web for almost a year. Here's the full text on the USTR website: https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/trans-pacific-partnership/tpp-full-text
So, yeah, "meh." That "meh" was not to the secrecy that enveloped it for all those years, but it seems silly to argue that they're trying to pass a secret document now when it hasn't been secret for nearly a year. I *agree* that the negotiations in secret were a problem, but the document has been released now.
I just lost a lot of respect for you sir! This secrecy and the habits of these corrupt people which you falsely claim have hearts in the right place is a farce! When did you get put on the payroll? Congress and the collection of maggots you just talked up are the #2 problem in America just after the mindless electorate that keeps them voted into office.
Wow. Calm down. You made a mistake. You thought it hadn't been released. It has. Don't freak out and make bullshit accusations about me that are false.
These politician are experts in keeping the curtains drawn and constantly wheel and deal behind closed doors. These people sought these positions for power and glory. Very few actually care. Anyone that can stand in the halls of congress for long are not good people because no sane man could feel clean there!
The curtains are now open. Though I will disagree with you: there are some -- a VERY SMALL NUMBER -- of members of Congress (some of whom have been there for a while) who are, indeed, fighting the good fight for good things. It may not be true of the majority, but don't confuse tenure with bad intent.
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Re: Re: Question
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Ruling as a king seems to be his style.
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A CROWD FUNDING CAMPAIGN RE A CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE TO THE TPP SCRIPT
.
Please!... no emails!
.
P.S.: Those seeking STANDING for such a Constitutional challenge... in addition to the many supporters of the Crowd Funding effort itself!... would be a WHO's WHO of the brightest minds in American politics!-- to say the least!
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9 hole
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Money; the only prophet left
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyXoYZuYzm8
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american
fim,record companys and increase the price of drugs
and It,s an attack on any countrys rights to make laws
re food standards and consumer protection .
it,ll increase the cost of drugs and mean that millions of people in india and africa will not be able to afford to
buy medicine .
Its designed to mainly protect large corporations
and let them sue any country for lost profits
if for instance company x cannot frack in national parks
or land near rivers .
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Re:
Correct me if I am wrong but a corporation just has to have an American presence in order to bribe, er 'lobby' the politicians.
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The problem with Lame Duck
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Gary Johnson Supports it
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The song will change in January, when Hillary takes over and suddenly she will like TTP again.
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Talk is cheap
Clinton, Trump say they don't support TPP? Talk is cheap, and when one of them is in office, I'm betting you'll find out just how cheap it is.
Hey, a joke: "Q: How do you tell when a politician is lying?" Oh, you've heard it.
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So even if Congress does approve TPP, it could well be replaced by a new agreement where the USA will not be invited.
China would be in and the USA would be out.
It looks like TPP is dead, regardless of whether Congress approves of it, or not.
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