Sign Robert Reich's Petition: Tell the Democratic Platform Committee To Take a Stand Against the TPP

[red dog 1]

Democracy For America (DFA)
July 3, 2016


"Late last week, the DNC's Platform Drafting Committee killed an amendment introduced by Rep. Keith Ellison to take a firm stand against the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
In response, Rep. Ellison joined forces with DFA - and launched a petition asking members of the Democratic Party's full Platform Committee to re-consider the anti-TPP amendment when they meet in Orlando on July 8.

Opposition to the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership should not be controversial within the Democratic Party.
Both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton campaigned against the TPP during this year's presidential primaries.

Join Robert Reich, Bernie Sanders, Keith Ellison and DFA to demand that the Democratic Party take a stand against the TPP in the party platform:"
http://act.democracyforamerica.com/sign/stopTPPinDNCplatform/

[think]

4. Only 28 House Democrats voted to Fast Track. 190 House Republicans voted for Fast Track.

Sanders, O'Malley, AND Clinton all came out in opposition to the TPP.

So being anti TPP is NOT being anti Democratic by any stretch of the imagination....

[red dog 1]

5. + 1

[elleng]

7. You are mistaken.

Info:

'The Trans Pacific Partnership is a travesty.

It would make it more difficult to improve health, safety, environmental, investors, and labor protections in the U.S. and in every nation that signs it, and make it easier to outsource labor abroad. Yet the TPP is still moving forward. Congress will vote on it after the November elections.

And here’s the really infuriating thing: Even though Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are both against it, the committee that’s drafting the Democratic platform voted against a provision rejecting it.'

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.

By not voting against the TPP outright, the Democrats have given Trump a great opportunity to tie the Democrats to the "establishment" and "corporate America". He can also use this position to raise questions about the Democrats "really caring about you and your job". This is a loser position for the Democrats for the "down ticket" candidates too. By the way, the US Chamber of Commerce is not worried about Clinton being "currently" against TPP. They figure after she gets into office, she will find a way for her to be "currently" in favor of it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/chamber-of-commerce-lobby_b_9104096.html

[randome]

2. No.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[FreakinDJ]

3. Done

We here at DU have been in full opposition to the TPP since we have first learned of it.

I see no need to change now from what we have learned

[red dog 1]

6. Thanks for signing

[BobbyDrake]

19. Good luck undoing the flow of time and reality...

Because there's a snowball's chance in hell that America will retreat into trade protectionism and isolation like some folks want. Like it or not, the world is more connected than ever, and that includes through trade.

[840high]

8. Done and forwarding to

my whole address book.

[red dog 1]

9. Excellent!

[Vote2016]

10. Reich is correct. This fatal flaw in the platform is a huge gift to Trump

[MohRokTah]

11. Thank Goodness the only value to an internet petition is to serve as an email address...

harvester for spammers.

Reich is wrong.

[liberalnarb]

12. Done, done and DONE!

[cosmicone]

13. No. I trust President Obama far more than Robert Reich. n/t

[Dawgs]

15. Why? nt

[cosmicone]

16. Because President Obama is smarter

and has a bird's-eye view that Reich doesn't.

[think]

17. Top House Democrat on trade opposes Trans Pacific Partnership

The top Democratic member on the issue of trade in the House opposes the TPP. Should we consider his opinion?

Top House Democrat on trade opposes Trans Pacific Partnership

By Kelsey Snell February 18

It’s official, Sander Levin opposes the Pacific Rim trade agreement.

The top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee announced Thursday that he is adding his name to the growing list of lawmakers opposed to the deal, further highlighting the growing challenge the Obama administration faces in getting Congress to approve the trade pact this year.

Levin (D-Mich.), who represents a manufacturing-heavy district just north of Detroit, did not rule out supporting the Trans Pacific Partnership in the future if changes are made, but he said the deal does not go far enough to protect workers or prevent cheap Chinese auto parts from flooding the U.S. market. Levin said he raised these issues throughout the negotiating process and is disappointed by the final agreement.

“My position has never been no TPP, my position has been we have to address these very major issues that I outlined a year ago,” Levin said Thursday at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor....

Read more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/02/18/top-house-democrat-on-trade-opposes-trans-pacific-partnership/

[Dawgs]

21. Why would you say he's smarter on the economy than Reich? nt

[CobaltBlue]

14. +1

[BobbyDrake]

18. Tell Robert Reich to go back to peddling left-wing books like some liberal version of

Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reilly.

[Dawgs]

22. Like the TPP, huh? nt

[B Calm]

20. K&R