Democrats to endorse Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement

[votesparks]

The initial proposal - made by Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn. - to oppose the controversial trade deal was rejected by members of the Democratic National Convention's drafting committee, which is briefed with coming up with the party's platform for the Philadelphia convention in July. It backed a measure that said "there are a diversity of views in the party" on the TPP.

It also reaffirmed that Democrats want any trade deal "to protect workers and the environment."

The original text for the party's program had rejected the Pacific Rim trade pact, which has also been opposed by presidential candidates Hillary Clinton (above L) and Bernie Sanders (above R).

Both Clinton's and Sanders' aides reportedly went through the 15,000-word draft of the platform line by line after long hours of policy discussions between the two campaigns and the Democratic National Committee.

http://www.dw.com/en/democrats-to-endorse-trans-pacific-partnership-agreement/a-19356105

[pipoman]

1. The Labor Party Is Dead

[Alex4Martinez]

2. Like a freight train barreling into economic and environmental oblivion....

It would seem that corporations are making their presence known.

Screw the workers, screw the middle class, screw the environment.

[summerschild]

3. We may as well give up.

[JaneyVee]

4. Because it's a renegotiation of NAFTA.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. And yet Brunei is preparing new laws to oppress LGBT and others as part of their path to TPP

Death Penalty being added. The Sultan, who wants the TPP also wants to 'insulate' his people from globalization so he's putting drastic new laws on the books for the people, laws which do not apply to the Sultan nor to his family and friends.

So all the affectation of mourning over Orlando and yet this Party endorses that which is being used as excuse for endless killings of LGBT in systemic and pubic ways. Stoning unto death.

That's what supporters of TPP are supporting.

[jtx]

6. Union supporters leaving

I had dinner this week with the district rep for a large union. He represents about 40,000 members under his umbrella.

He hears every day from rank and file they are fed up and are going to Trump, primarily driven by trade deals and the gun dialogue.

Most here probably do not care, but the union members have long been an important constituency. Their leaders may still voice support, but there is a shift going on at the rank and file level.

[B Calm]

7. Unbelievable. . .

[berni_mccoy]

8. This is shameful.

[NWCorona]

9. ...

[TheFarseer]

10. No one learned anything from the Brexit vote?

We're just going to write them off as a bunch of racists and move forward with job killing trade deals? I thought we were the labor party? Does this mean Hillary flipped on this too?

[NorthCarolina]

11. But of course. That's one big reason you will never see transcripts

of speeches to Wall Street where they were likely assured that TPP is a done deal.

[TwilightZone]

12. Leaving it out of the platform and endorsing it are two different things.

Binary thinking is binary.

[Andy823]

13. Yes, but you have to remember

When some are posting to promote their own agenda, and not really posting facts, they tend to be one-sided on their statements. Seems like a lot of "unhappy" posters are showing up to make these kinds of "one-sided" posts and threads.

[DCBob]

14. The President supports it.

I would find it difficult to believe the party would go against him on this.

[AntiBank]

17. on this Obama is flat out wrong, no need to support him on this ever

[DCBob]

30. I trust the President's judgment on this.

It's very complicated and no doubt there are negatives in the agreement but it seems the positive outweigh the negatives.

[AntiBank]

31. it isn't complicated, TPP gives private transnational corporations new, previously

never before held powers to sue sovereign governments and overrule their laws. Fuck corporatacracy and fuck the TPP.

[DCBob]

34. I think there is alot more in the TPP than that particular issue.

I also suspect your interpretation of that issue may be a bit extreme.

[AntiBank]

35. of course there is a lot more, much of it bad, but giving multinational

corporations a venue where they can trump sovereign law is a big enough thing to cause one ro say scupper it.

Are you a libertarian? Must be if you take no immediate umbrage with that.

here is one post picked at random dealing with it


http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512218275#post5

[DCBob]

38. Im an Obama Democrat.

[DemonGoddess]

29. I agree

I don't see the party openly rebelling against the sitting President, who is the head of the party.

[AgingAmerican]

36. HE also supported sequestration and extending Bushes tax cuts for the rich

[Orangepeel]

15. The platform is neutral on something the President supports?

Opponents should take that as a win, IMO

[AzDar]

16. Despicable... but not at ALL surprising.

[AntiBank]

18. so are they actually going to endorse it or just say nothing against?

[SaschaHM]

20. Nothing against it.

[hobbit709]

19. Well, color me surprised! NOT!

[jillan]

21. What's crazy is because of Brexit economists are saying

the TPP is dead. So the Democratic committee is fighting for something both Bernie and Hillary are against. Something that's dead in the water anyway.

Talk about being out of touch.

Google it.

[AntiBank]

23. its because they are going to ramrod TPP through in the lame duck session

If opposing it was the stated DNC position, then Obama would have a harder time twisting enough arms to get it shoved down our throats.

[rusty fender]

24. The Repukes will not vote with Obama

on this, so it won't pass.

[AntiBank]

25. they sure did on fast track

Most, but not quite all Thuggies don't pass up chances to be slaves to corporate power.

[TDale313]

32. This is the one area they've shown they will.

That should tell you all you need to know. The TPP is a bad fucking deal.

[ThePhilosopher04]

22. They are not on the side of the American people. End of story.

[Arizona Roadrunner]

26. TPP and ISDS process

As a person who has served on a local government’s Board of Directors, I am VERY concerned about the TPP ISDS court process with results being the surrendering of governmental sovereignty to corporate interests, foreign and domestic.
Basically due to secretive deliberations, this “judicial” process is designed to favor corporate over governmental concerns and interests. This agreement should not allow corporations to use this judicial process, but should demand they use our existing judicial process as it relates to governmental entities. How many state and local governments can afford to be involved in such a process? Just by the threat of suits through ISDS, a climate where governmental units cave in will be created. Look at what has happened under NAFTA and the WTO as it relates to our right to know where our food comes from. Look at how a Canadian corporation is using NAFTA to sue the U.S. on the Keystone project.
This will mean that political topics such as minimum wage increases and housing and zoning laws may be pre-empted by just the threat of a suit through the ISDS process. Look at what happened with Egypt when a corporation tried to use a process analogous to the ISDS to prevent Egypt from raising their minimum wage laws. (Veolia v. Egypt)
Therefore, I recommend, in the national interest, this agreement not be approved. When people find out how this can be used to prevent them from finding out things such as where products are made, etc., there will be charges of treason and the political process will never recover the trust of the American citizens.

[Squinch]

27. Except no, that's not what they are doing.

[CentralMass]

28. So I wonder how opponents of this bill like Bernie and Elizabeth Warren will vote

on the TPP. I can't see either one of them voting for it.

Imagine a Vice President Warren casting a tie-breaking vote..

The secretive and dark manner in which this trade deal was created smells and is blatantly undemocratic.

The Democratic rank and file shold be ashamed of themselves if they support this on the platform because the President and the authors and corporate backers of this treaty did an end run around our government to ram it down our throats.

[OKDem08]

33. Those who make peaceful revolution impossible

will make violent revolution inevitable. JFK

[NobodyHere]

37. Misleading heading

Noticing that "there are a diversity of views in the party" is hardly an endorsement.