Neoliberalism or Progress? The Fight Over TPP in the Platform

[portlander23]

What Bernie Sanders Still Wants
Sam Frizzle
TIME (via Fortune)

Even as his campaign has largely disbanded, Sanders and his allies have been negotiating with presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton’s supporters continuously over the last few weeks in an attempt to craft theDemocratic Party’s platform as a liberal manifesto.

Sanders wants a commitment in the platform to not bring the 12-nation trade deal up for a vote in Congress—effectively disqualifying it from ever coming into effect.

Much of the Democratic Party opposes the deal, saying it would outsource more American jobs and hurt businesses.

It is the policy plank where Sanders and his aides believe they have the most leverage. But opposition to the TPP did not make it into the draft of the platform, largely because of President Obama’s influence. Sanders has to convince the party to enshrine its opposition to the President into the platform in Orlando next week. Jim Hightower, the former commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, will offer an amendment to do so,Gunnels said. Sanders is also mobilizing labor unions, including the Communication Workers of America and the American Postal Workers Union, to support the amendment.

The platform is a symbolic document so it's hard to see why so much effort is being spent on it other than progressives are spoiling for a fight with the establishment and this is where it's coming out.

What's strange is that people are going to the mat over the TPP language given how little consequence the platform actually has. TPP is the nexus of bad policy and bad politics. Even Mrs. Clinton is at odds with the president, though her denouncement of TPP has been tepid and qualified. This is an area where Mr. Sanders and Mrs. Clinton ostensibly agree, so why is anti-TPP language even controversial?

This is an inflection point for the country, perhaps the western world. The party needs to reject the failed neoliberal policies of the past and offer a progressive alternative. To the consternation of the GOP, Trump may turn the Republican party into the party against neoliberalism which would put the Democratic party at a disadvantage. (You know, if you assume for a moment that you can take anything he says seriously, which admittedly is a stretch) The idea that the GOP could seize that mantle when it was the GOP who foisted neoliberalism onto the nation is beyond depressing.

Sure Trump is a racist, protofascist, whatever other -ist you want to throw in there, but if Brexit taught us anything, it's that ugly racism and nativism is an neoliberal alternative that many people will either tolerate or embrace. According to the Lord Ashcroft poll, the number one reason for the Leave vote was voters wanted local control over their laws. Concerns about immigration came in second.

If we were to hold a country wide referendum to reject NAFTA or TPP it would pass. Americans don't want to cede the ability to pass laws and regulations to international trade tribunals, nor should we. If the party can't offer a way forward, then the other side will, and you can bet their version of it will include virulent nationalism and brazen racism.

[Scuba]

1. Mrs. Clinton may be publicly opposed to the TPP, but ALL of her delegates on the platform ...

... committee voted against having any anti-TPP language in the platform. All of them.

[fasttense]

4. Perhaps but she can change her mind and if she does Not, she will lose to Trump

Obama has not been good for Democrats in congress. While he has been in office, both houses have changed over their majorities from Dems to RepubliCONS. His policies like support for TPP and cutting Social Security have made it difficult for Dems to run against opponents on those, and other liberal issues. Why he does this I do not understand.

But anti "free" trade has become a huge issue and Obama's stance on it will ensure Democrats a loss. He's got to move away from it or Trump will win.

[Bluenorthwest]

2. TPP is yet another case of corrupt being imposed on others aggressively. Legitimzing bigots

is not a good thing in my view. TPP legitimizes nations that brutally oppress LGBT. DU's Bullies for Centrism insist that any objection to legitimizing the stoning of LGBT is nothing but 'Neo-Nationalism'. Yes, that's right. They use the same attacks on LGBT every fascist of history has used.

Those who favor making nice with genocidal States are unethical and selfish. I assume such persons would not have boycotted South African Apartheid and would have sought sexy trade deals with the Nazis. Why not? Or maybe it's just LGBT they see as expendable.

[Dem2]

6. Talk about one of the worst logical fallacy arguments I've ever seen

So anybody who doesn't argue against TPP is for stoning LGBT?

[fasttense]

3. Exactly

You put into words what I have been thinking. If we Democrats do not take up the anti-TPP mantle, the RepubliCONS will and we will lose.

[HereSince1628]

5. Political fights are made where they can be. And this fight forced enunciation of 'values'

which are at the heart of the perceived need for Democratic Party reform.

Sanders movement can and will still gain supporters by what is revealed via the platform fight.