The Party at Odds on Neoliberalism

[portlander23]

Obama and Sanders battle over TPP and the Democratic platform
David Weigel
The Washington Post

With that back-and-forth, Sanders and Obama elevated a debate that has gone on in public and private for years. It has intensified since Sanders began winding down his campaign for president and focusing on changes to the Democratic platform. According to people with knowledge of the platform negotiations, Sanders used his post-primary meeting with the president to say he would push for the party to officially oppose the TPP. The president said he would not allow it. And since then, the White House has leaned on key Democrats to make sure that the platform did not include a rebuke.

That became clear last weekend in St. Louis, when the platform drafting committee -- which includes just five Sanders appointees -- shot down a TPP plank. According to several committee members, the president personally spoke to the drafting committee's chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), and the White House did more outreach to make sure that Clinton appointees who might otherwise oppose TPP did not write that into the platform.

"Both candidates -- Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders -- oppose the TPP because it has failed to meet the standards that this committee has laid out," said Paul Booth, the executive assistant to the president of AFSCME, and a Clinton appointee. "But the platform committee should affirm what our candidates have said, but not imply that all Democrats are in agreement."

But on Friday, as Democrats debated Rep. Keith Ellison's (D-Minn.) strong anti-TPP plank, Clinton allies and DNC appointees were blunt. To change the language would be to undermine the president.

"The vast majority of Democrats in the House will not vote for the [TPP]," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Clinton appointee. "That's really not the point. I haven't voted for a trade agreement since I joined the Congress in 1993. Having said that, there are Democrats who believe in the trade agreement. I could say to them: You're not important. I could say that. I've done that in the past. But what I don't want to do is leave this place disregarding the position of the President of the United States."

TPP is bad policy and bad politics. Mr. Obama is wrong on this, and framing the party moving forward as somehow disrespecting the president is disingenuous and a dubious electoral strategy. Mr. Obama is not running in 2016, and hurting the party in the present with the illusion of agreement on failed neoliberal policy is just dumb. Mrs. Clinton is running, and this undermines her public rejection of TPP.

[merrily]

1. Based on an OP I saw at DU this week, today's Democratic Party is not even neoliberal.

[CrowCityDem]

2. How many times does it have to be said: The platform DOES NOT have an endorsement of TPP in it.

[tonyt53]

5. You are correct.

[AgingAmerican]

6. We have ops from partisans claiming TPP opposition is akin to fascism

And as long as such is pushed on us, there will be suspicion.

[tonyt53]

3. So, the author is proposing that Hillary trash Obama, when Obama is campaigning for her

Weigel won't be asked to run a campaign for anybody, that is for sure. Pretty dumb argument to make at this time.

[AgingAmerican]

4. Reaganomics is neoliberalism

What is there to be at odds about?

[MohRokTah]

7. Proving once again that the further extremes of the left do not know the definition of "neoliberal"

Looks to me like Weigel needs to invest in a good dictionary.

[JaneyVee]

8. We either lead on trade or get steamrolled.

The world isnt going to wait for us. If China writes the rules you can kiss labor and environmental standards goodbye for a generation. Many of you should actually take the time to read it, or at least go to ustr website and read about it.

[yallerdawg]

9. TPP is not rightwing neoliberalism.

You are repeatedly misrepresenting it by defining it as something it is not.

You start with a false premise, nothing credible afterwards.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

10. Buzzword!

[portlander23]

12. Reading is fundamental

neoliberalism
/ˌniːəʊˈlɪbərəˌlɪzəm; -ˈlɪbrəˌlɪzəm/
noun

1. a modern politico-economic theory favouring free trade, privatization, minimal government intervention in business, reduced public expenditure on social services, etc

Derived Forms
neoliberal, adjective, noun

[JRLeft]

14. Obama is I'm favor of privatization. Especially of our schools.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

15. That doesn't sound like the Democratic party at all.

Sounds like the Republicans, though.

[portlander23]

16. Yes

You sir, have just put into clearer perspective than I ever could about the choice the party faces.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

17. What choice? The Democratic party is not neoliberal.

Obama is not neoliberal. HRC is not neoliberal. The TPP is not neoliberal.

Reagan was neoliberal.

[emulatorloo]

18. Well said.

[gordianot]

11. Neo day continues, the best one was yesterday Neoradical.

Such cutting insight.

[JRLeft]

13. Policies are supposed to be about the people not politicians.