Grayson (and others) Explain TPP

[mother earth]

& for a bit more on opposition:

excerpted from Dems lead charge against Obama trade deal

http://qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/dana-milbank/dems-lead-charge-against-obama-trade-deal/article_b468a53d-05fc-5dfb-bb39-750e14ec4191.html

But Obama hasn't really split the Democrats. They are almost unanimously opposed to him on trade. The upcoming battle over fast-tracking and the Trans-Pacific Partnership shows how dramatically the center of gravity in the Democratic Party has shifted.

Twenty years ago, half of Senate Democrats and 40 percent of House Democrats voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement. This time, even if Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, signs off on a fast-track deal, proponents say a best-case scenario has them winning only 10 of the 46 Democrats -- and an even smaller percentage of House Democrats, despite aggressive lobbying by the usually passive White House.

Part of the change reflects the loss of moderates in Congress, and part is because of empirical experience with NAFTA. But the shift also is indication of the ascendancy of the populist wing of the party, in numbers and, particularly, energy. Obama, not up for re-election, can afford to defy the populists, but future Democratic leaders, including Hillary Clinton, don't have that luxury.

The populist muscle was on display Wednesday at the rally, hosted by United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard, who sprinkled foul language in his introductions of the various speakers. Privately, lawmakers expressed doubts that they could block passage, but publicly they were full of fight.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the Democrats' populist star, pumped her fist and shouted into the microphone: "No more secret trade deals! Are you ready to fight? No more special deals for multinational corporations! Are you ready to fight?"

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who is planning a symbolic challenge to Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, warned of a Congress "totally owned by billionaires and their lobbyists." American Federation of Government Employees chief J. David Cox proposed they "open up one gigantic can of whoop-ass" on legislators who support the deal.

Cox didn't propose using whoop-ass on Obama, if only because it's "a lost battle" with him. But it stung that a Democratic president was siding with Republicans on trade and against the Democratic base. Fred Rolando, head of the letter carriers union, addressed U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman "and the rest of you at USTR and in the White House: We don't trust you on this."

Grayson, after the rally, called Obama's position "unfortunate" and demoralizing. "We've done this experiment where we try to drift over to the other side and see whether we can win Republican votes," he said. "We've done that experiment just like we've done the NAFTA experiment, and both of them have failed."

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Amy Goodman had him on today, eye opening .

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/4/16/grayson_on_money_politics_if_we

[mother earth]

3. TY, Grayson is one of the few left who actually represent the people.

I hope he does run for that Senate seat, and one day for president. We are in dire need of men like Grayson.

[blkmusclmachine]

2. Menacing.

[ProudProg2u]

4. Gotta love Grayson, Thom Hartmann, Bernie sanders, Eliz Warren,...

Ralph Nader, many other ect,... when these people speak you don't have to run to your pc to check out the facts you can just trust them completely. So why is the truth so disdained these days...It's because we are OWNED. Monied interests have reached a place of influence that threatens our very existence.We need people like Warren-Sanders who talk directly. Ever notice its rare they sound like regular politicians like Hillary and our current president..? It's because they (Warren, Sanders, and the others) have nothing to hide they don't speak it terms you have to interpret...The "Code" that most politicians speak in lets them talk a lot while saying nothing and allowing them to go back and say "I never really said this or that".. It's tragic what is happening in America.

[orpupilofnature57]

9. + 1000 !!!

YOU NAILED IT !!!!!!!

[SamKnause]

5. Thank you for spreading the word !!!!!!

[daleanime]

6. K&R.....

[AuntPatsy]

7. My husband actually listened to this... It's a start...

[Geronimoe]

8. TPP is

TPP is NAFTA on crack.

[democrank]

10. Oppose the TTP

and support courageous Democrats who do the same.

[KoKo]

11. Recommend...Great Watch & Article Read!

[Thespian2]

12. K & R

Democrats voting for fast-tracking TPP should never be nominated for any office...obviously never elected again.

[L0oniX]

13. K & R