2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumDemocrats Reject Platform Proposal Opposing Trade Deal
Democrats on Friday voted down an amendment to the party's platform that would have opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, avoiding an awkward scenario that would have put its statement of values at odds with President Barack Obama.
Members of a Democratic National Convention drafting committee defeated a proposal led by Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., that would have added language rejecting the Pacific Rim trade pact, which has been opposed by presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
The panel, which is developing the party's platform ahead of next month's Philadelphia convention, instead backed a measure that said "there are a diversity of views in the party" on the TPP and reaffirmed that Democrats contend any trade deal "must protect workers and the environment."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/democrats-begin-working-draft-party-platform-40107459
msongs
(70,276 posts)fun n serious
(4,451 posts)I think trade and labor market protectionism is an ethnonationalist appeal.. In my opinion globalization can not be stopped and we must be able to compete. Also, China playing footsies with Putin.. North Korea posturing missiles.. I think we have to have allegiance in the region. I think we have to cautiously proceed.
joshcryer
(62,507 posts)She's treading a fine line. Against Trump I'm not concerned though.
Betty Karlson
(7,231 posts)MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)I fully support the TPP. Long term gains in the agreement far outweigh any short term losses.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)What's critical at this point is that we become a leader of this alliance among Pacific nations while we can--or China will.
Yes, the TPP is not yet a good trade agreement, still way too business-friendly, but that can be fixed over time as national governments around the planet continue to chisel away at the power of international business. The "wild west" era of international commerce is coming to an end. Not before many more lives are destroyed by it, but it is very much happening.
Meanwhile, we've already been able to affect the form the TPP's taken and disappoint business on a number of fronts, such as medication patents, though we're not the most liberal nation party to it. From inside we will continue to influence and rewrite it.
NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)and bring workers in other nations closer to American standards of living, making them more US friendly.
China is a perfect example of how trade has worked. The Chinese people will never go back to their Maoist bondage from years ago. China is more Americanized every passing day.
BlueMTexpat
(15,503 posts)taken on ANY trade deal. Protection of workers and the environment MUST be included, among other things.
The provision that was backed gets it more or less right. If it means that Bernie won't endorse Hillary, so be it.
insta8er
(960 posts)SaschaHM
(2,897 posts)You're not going to get a strong slap down written in the platform against something supported by the President.