2016 Postmortem
Showing Original Post only (View all)Clinton's opposition to the TPP is insulting [View all]
n October, Hillary Clinton announced in an interview that she was no longer supporting the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. This came as a big surprise to many as she was a strong supporter for the deal before coming out against it. Jake Tapper identified 45 times where Hillary Clinton pushed for the deal before finally opposing it. As a progressive and a strong opponent of the TPP, shouldn't I be pleased that Hillary Clinton is finally opposing this disastrous trade deal?
But the answer is no. I am not pleased at all by that announcement. And don't get me wrong
this has nothing to do with her evolving on the issue. I know some people are sensitive to her evolving, but progressives fight every day to change people's views. I would be glad if she actually evolved on it but I don't believe her and here is why:
1. Hillary made the announcement less than a week before the first debate. The TPP was one of the main issues that her two main challengers, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley, were hammering her with. Also, Sanders poll numbers were rising especially in Iowa and New Hampshire and started to become a real threat for the nomination. Agreeing with him on this issue would defuse a potential heated argument in the first debate that could hurt her chances. The very same can be said about her last minute opposition to the Keystone pipeline which she previously supported.
2. It was one of the main reasons that prevented many unions from endorsing her. The largest union, AFL-CIO, delayed its endorsement to put pressure on Hillary to oppose the TPP. The union's president, Richard Trumka, made it clear that opposing the TPP was important to gain the union's support.
3. Hillary Clinton stated that she wouldn't lobby or rally against the TPP. She would only state her position. Since she's not a member in the Congress, her position means absolutely nothing to defeat the TPP. In fact, she has the endorsement of the vast majority of democrats in the Congress, including those who voted to Fast Track it. This makes her the best person positioned to rally democrats to defeat it. However, she chooses to stay put and do absolutely nothing.
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http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/12/4/1456985/-Hillary-Clinton-s-Opposition-to-the-TPP-Is-Not-Wrong-It-s-Insulting
And another very good article on this subject from TPP expert Dave Johnson
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The Test
Is Clinton really opposed to TPP? Or is she only saying this to get votes, ready to turn against Democrats on trade issues after the election, as too many others have done?
There is a test for that: What is Clinton willing to actually do to stop TPP? Actions vs. words. If she means what she is saying about reversing inequality, unrigging the system and restoring the path to a middle class the first thing she should be doing is fighting and fighting hard to stop TPP.
Will she actively and boldly lobby against TPP, calling and visiting and working to convince the representatives and senators who voted for fast-track trade authority to vote against TPP?
Will she appear at anti-TPP rallies? Will she speak out again and again at her own campaign events? Will she express opposition on radio and TV interviews? Will she work to rally the media and public in opposition?
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http://seeingtheforest.com/does-clinton-really-oppose-tpp-there-is-a-test-for-that/
Clinton doesn't really oppose the TPP. She is documented as a fervent supporter, and not just when she was SoS. She praised it to the sky in her most recent book, written AFTER she left State. Her feeble and contemptuous faux opposition is a temporary political calculation. She'll be supporting it again in no time. And she hasn't said or done one thing to actually oppose it.
It's typical behavior from Clinton, and as the kos diarist said it's insulting.