Commerce Secretary Pritzker on Trade and TPP

[yallerdawg]

[downeastdaniel]

1. Hey, Ms. Pritzker, why were such hush hush measures taken towards secrecy with the TPP?

Why did Big Business attends most sessions but our representatives in Washington get treated like criminals when they had the nerve to want to see the documents? If TPP is so good, why has it been treated like the Biggest Secret since the A Bomb? And if it's so good for us how come the previous trade agreements like NAFTA are not being scrapped? I want answers to these important questions and it you can't answer who can?

[yallerdawg]

4. No secret. Read it.

https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/trans-pacific-partnership/TPP-Full-Text

[forest444]

5. Sure. It's mostly a collection of chapter summaries.

A little like asking someone to sign a legal document, and only allowing them access to the cover page.

[yallerdawg]

7. Here it is.

In the entirety.

https://ustr.gov/tpp/#text

[forest444]

9. Excellent, yellerdawg. Thank you.

If they had been as open about this from the beginning, perhaps there would be less opposition to it.

Finally getting some transparency from these people doesn't make monstrosities like the ISDS kangaroo courts any more acceptable; but it at least shows good faith on the part of negotiatiors, and of course abeyance to the law.

Thanks again.

[yallerdawg]

10. There are no monstrous ISDS kangaroo courts.

You have back-and-forth private negotiations as each and every party pushes for what they want - then, you reach a final agreement you present to the world - as mandated by our Congress.

You know - Congress authorizes the executive branch to do these kinds of negotiations because, as we know, 535 US elected representatives could never finish a damn thing!

[cadaverdog]

2. This video is an absolute waste of bandwidth.

There is no real airing of the issue, only another administration suck-up by a lame media wannabe who has blown an opportunity to have a meaningful discussion of the TPP. Simple question: if the TPP is so wonderful, why are so many intelligent leaders on the Left against it? It can't be that they are all anti trade.
Why can't we have the President go one-on-one with a strong voice from the Left so that the people can learn what this issue is really about, instead of dead air from an administration lackey?

[yallerdawg]

3. "Administration lackey?"

This is the Secretary of Commerce, a cabinet member of the Obama Administration.

Geez.

[INdemo]

6. I wonder how many days she had to rehearse the answers to questions

she probably received weeks ago...Cant tell me this is not scripted answers and questions.....
This is Obama's worst legislation he has been associated with and its direct form Big Business's attorneys /lobyists that wrote the legilation
for this Trade Deal that is the gift for the Republicans that will destroy organized labor and cost Us thousands of jobs.
What the hell is Obama thinking

[yallerdawg]

8. The Obama Administration has been working on this...

for 7 1/2 years.

The Republicans refuse to bring up TPP because they can't get it approved without Democrats - and the Republicans are the majority.

Obama is thinking about the future of America - what we need is more people like Obama!

[INdemo]

13. Well we dont need the TPP and Obama is wrong as hell on this one

If we get just a few real progressive's in Congress then the TPP will be defeated because the vote is that close and Democrats that refuse to go along with this bill are on the right side of History.
Organized labor is dead set against this and Im wondering how in the hell Obama can call himself a Democrat if he continues to push this legislation that is bad for American jobs and bad for the USA .

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. I get sick of these extremist claims that the choice is NAFTA/TPP or you are against ALL trade.

[forest444]

12. Hear, hear.

Nothing has undermined trade writ large than "free" trade.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

14. It's "free" of LAWS....

Therefore it's "Lawless Trade".

Just like this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1022162

[forest444]

15. Thread winner!

Your description is exactly what it is - that and our guillotine-worthy corporate rackets:

[mtasselin]

16. why

Why doesn't she say that her family bankrolled Obama to be president and this is how he is repaying them.

[forest444]

17. 'Cause that would be a Kinsley gaffe. And that just isn't done.

It's said that in politics, the eleventh commandment is the most important: thou shalt not get caught. But the twelfth is essential too:

Thou shalt not commit Kinsley gaffes.