Strong Words...House Democrat says Obama has lost touch with 'the real world' on "TPP"

[KoKo]

By Peter Schroeder - 06/10/15 11:57 AM EDT
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/244627-heritage-to-key-vote-against-fast-track

A House Democrat on Wednesday accused President Obama of losing touch with the real world, as his administration pushes for fast-track authority to finish a sweeping trade pact.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who opposes the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership and legislation to help finalize it, said Obama lives “in a cloister” at the White House, while Sherman and his fellow lawmakers “are out seeing the real world.”
“We’re in our districts. We don’t live in a cloister where the only people who can get in are the captains of industry and the titans of Wall Street,” he said. “We’re the ones that are standing at the county fairs, talking to whoever wants to come up and talk to us.”

Sherman said living in the White House for the last six years had put Obama out of touch with the common American and that he should listen to the perspective of fellow Democrats who oppose him on trade.

“The president should trust us, his 200 most fervent supporters who, unlike him, have a chance to get out and see the real world,” he said. “We have the same values, but we don’t have the same lifestyle.”

Obama and congressional Democrats have clashed for months over the trade pact, with the fight coming to a head in the push to pass fast-track legislation that would allow Obama to finalize terms of the 12-nation agreement by limiting Congress to an up-or-down vote.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) said it was up to Democrats to defeat the bill and "save President Obama from his advisers."

With a vote set for Friday that would send the fast-track legislation to the president, House Democrats in opposition are still trying to rally support to block it. Critics of the deal gathered outside the Capitol Wednesday to reiterate their opposition and urge Democrats to hold firm and block the bill.

“Now is the time to redouble our efforts,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). “Failure, my friend, is not an option.”

Labor groups and liberal organizations have been staunchly opposed to the deal, arguing it is a bad for workers. They have vowed they won’t forget which Democrats help pass the legislation come Election Day.

“This is a message to any member of Congress that’s thinking about voting for this unfair trade deal,” said Hasan Solomon with the Machinists Union. “You better start packing your bags right now, because we’re going to fast track you right out of office in 2016.”

The liberal group MoveOn.org vowed it would mobilize its millions of members to oppose Democrats who vote in favor of the pending bill.

“Our members knocked on doors for you, they donated to you,” said Ben Wikler, the group’s Washington director. “They are watching this vote, and they will not forget how you vote on fast track.”

[Dawgs]

1. Obama has unfortunately always trusted his advisers over other Democrats.

And, many of those advisers have come straight from Wall Street, Corporations, etc.

[truedelphi]

12. And that puts him in the running for that statement of faint praise made about

Bill Cliinton: "He's the best guldarn Republican President we have had in a long time!"

[sendero]

40. They are his "advisors"..

.... because they PAID to have a seat at the table. As shocking as it may be to so many naive DUers, Obama is BOUGHT and it has be OBVIOUS from year one.

[rhett o rick]

44. It was certainlly obvious early on. He pretended to be progressive to defeat HRC, but

on inauguration day he spit on progressive with his selection of Rick Warren. It was a calculated move IMO to show the conservatives that he was one of them.

[Betty Karlson]

51. That one choice still turns my stomach.

"fierce advocate" my slightly oversized behind.

[rhett o rick]

64. He couldn't wait to tell the conservatives that his progressive campaign was just to

get passed HRC. He couldn't wait until after inauguration day. He didn't want the Left to celebrate even one day.

[Betty Karlson]

67. There was nothing to celebrate for the GLBT+ community

Florida's Proposition H8 had already won at that point.

Inviting Rick Warren's gay-bashing reputation on the stage with him was just another slap in the face.

[raindaddy]

56. How about trusting the people who put him in The White House?

Why shove a bill that unions, environmentalists and the majority of Democrats don't want down our throats?

[lyonn]

61. What an idea!!!

I am one of them. Writing my congress person is worthless as Okla. is bought and sold.

[jwirr]

63. Call or email the WH. Google WH and go to the contact info.

[Doctor_J]

2. yipes. how sad that it's come to this.

He abandoned many of us long ago.

[SoapBox]

10. +1

[Scuba]

25. Starting with the public option.

[They_Live]

37. correctomundo!

aaaaay!

[Jack Rabbit]

3. Now would be a good time for Obama to have a team of rivals

Did he throw that away with transparency?

[dgibby]

8. He has a team of rivals.

They're called the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party.

[truedelphi]

13. Very good jab. Sadly,

it's so very true.

[TheKentuckian]

34. They are excluded from the team though.

[Angry Dragon]

4. Fast track is not the way to go

TPP scares me

[JDPriestly]

48. The TPP, NAFTA and other agreements that establish special courts, arbitration courts without

juries of ordinary people that welcome corporate, but not individual citizens, as plaintiffs place corporations way above humans in terms of legal rights and legal means to try to get what they want.

It's a corporate coup.

It makes Citizen's United look good. And that is bad for human beings.

These international agreements give corporations rights, international corporate rights, that we ordinary humans do not enjoy.

That is why I keep saying that the TPP is a corporate coup.

Multinationals through these agreements establish a supranational government of their own. Corporations can be citizens of more than one country. We humans can be citizens of only maybe three or four maximum -- by birth, by marriage, by parentage, etc.

With these international agreements, we are seeing the formation of an international government system that serves the needs and protects the interests of corporations. We humans and our national governments are being overwhelmed.

What is strange to me is that Republicans who complain about international organizations that serve human needs, organizations like the United Nations, support these trade agreements that create international trade courts and govern the governments of our nations more intrusively than do international organizations like the United Nations.

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. Fortunately for Obama, he doesn't have to worry about this

]You better start packing your bags right now, because we're going to fast track you right out of office in 2016.

Guessing he doesn't care about those who do have to worry about 2016.

[daleanime]

6. K&R.....

[tosh]

7. Every time...

I think I might end my monthly auto-payment to MoveOn, they do something awesome like this.

The liberal group MoveOn.org vowed it would mobilize its millions of members to oppose Democrats who vote in favor of the pending bill.

“Our members knocked on doors for you, they donated to you,” said Ben Wikler, the group’s Washington director. “They are watching this vote, and they will not forget how you vote on fast track.”

[appalachiablue]

23. K & R. Kudos to MoveOn, Reps. Sherman, Kaptur, Delauro, other Dems, labor et al.

[swilton]

35. I'll second that!

[chev52]

9. Photo ops

Like Obama really cares about what democrats think. In a couple of years he'll be on the speech trail going for the big money and doing photo ops with Clinton and Bush whenever there is a disaster somewhere.

[markpkessinger]

11. He has also lost touch with the real world with respect to Iraq n/t

[Enthusiast]

28. That's for damned sure!

[FlatBaroque]

14. Want to see a female president?

I would support Marcy Kaptur in an instant

[99Forever]

15. He is absolutely correct.

I didn't think Obama could disappoint me any more. I was wrong. I have never regretted voting for anyone as much as I do him.

[red dog 1]

18. + 1

[denvine]

41. I'm disappointed also but

What choice did we have? It would have been Hillary if she won in the Primary or it would have been Romney/Ryan. Think about it.

[99Forever]

42. This time we do have a choice.

I have learned from my mistakes. I won't repeat them, ever again.

[Scootaloo]

45. You know, there's a perverse part of me...

That would have liked to see a Romney/Ryan presidency play out. Like in an alternate universe, out of morbid curiosity.

Those two dudes... that honeymoon would have been over by February. Can the president fire the vice president? Can that be opposed? 'Cause I'm almost certain the republican party would have torn itself to pieces over the course of that flatulent administration, teahadists vs. corporatists.

It would be fascinating to watch.. .but I have to say I wouldn't want to live there.

[MADem]

65. UGH. War without end, Amen.

Chickenhawks playing Battle Bots with our nation's youth.

[turbinetree]

16. They just voted 217

to screw the workers in this country and gut Medicare

[cali]

17. Fantastic post. thanks

[bvar22]

19. Obama has certainly Lost Touch with the Democratic Party,

and is counting on Republicans to pass his agenda.
The fact that Republicans ARE supporting Obama on the "Trade Deals" should scare the jebus out of every Democrat, and most Republicans in this country.


Paul Ryan is Obama's "Go To Guy" in the House on the Trade Deal.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026814861

[Enthusiast]

27. Yeah, Paul Ryan, the guy that want to voucherize Medicare.

Way to go, Mr. Obama!

[Scootaloo]

46. The only republican voters i've seen supporting it...

Are the ones who just reflexively support whatever might piss a liberal off. The thinking ones all hate it.

[bvar22]

68. Unfortunately, "The Voters" will have NOTHING to do with

.....whether this piece of nastiness forged in the furnaces Mordor passes.

Our Politicians (I refuse to call them representatives anymore) will decide for the entire nation.

[BeanMusical]

20. Kick and R

[red dog 1]

21. K&R

[WillyT]

22. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[840high]

24. Bravo to him. He's right.

[Enthusiast]

26. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

Obama has lost touch with 'the real world' on "TPP"

[glinda]

29. Kick and share

[hifiguy]

30. Strong but accurate and truthful.

Nothin' wrong with that. Bravo, Reps Sherman, Kaptur and de Lauro!

[pampango]

31. "The "ivory tower liberal" is an outdated cliché; a debunking of one of the right's favorite myth."

http://www.salon.com/2013/06/18/is_there_a_liberal_bias_in_academia_partner/

[Egnever]

32. LOL

You better start packing your bags right now, because we’re going to fast track you right out of office in 2016

And we will replace you with republicans who are dismantling unions across the country!!!

[Joe Turner]

33. Sadly I don't think it is a case of saving him from his advisors

I believe Obama has always been for these corporate insider trade deals much as the DNC/3rd-Way crowd has always been. When he was running the first time it was easy for him to be critical of past trade agreements because it gave him populist appeal. Like other popular issues he ran on then it didn't him long to jettison them once he became president.

[swilton]

36. Sadly, I have to agree with you

[brentspeak]

43. Agreed.

One of the very last things Obama did as senator was shill for the Wall Street bailouts. His allegiance to the 1% precedes his presidency.

[Jefferson23]

38. Thank you, KoKo. I have no words left on this subject, it's numbing. n/t

[salib]

39. TPA (fast track) is the vote that counts. Where does Hillary stand?

[IDemo]

57. With two sides to the coin,

She's on edge:

[LiberalLovinLug]

66. Hillary would desparately love it to pass

Because its what all her big donors want.

But she's a smart politician and so she'll wait to see if it passes or fails first.

If it fails, she can then say the deal has always had problems, and that she is the person that could fix those problems.

if if passes, she can say Well, its passed now, so we will all have to work with it and look at the good aspects of the deal.

[AzDar]

47. Ayup.

[4dsc]

49. I'm with Moveon and I vote.

This must not come to pass. And still silence from Hillary.

[ucrdem]

50. Thats rich coming from Brad.

But he's entitled to his opinion.

[brentspeak]

53. But somehow you're entitled to troll the boards

by posting goofy, unflattering photos of Democratic reps without any substantive accompanying text.

Exactly the crap printed on the cover of the New York Post.

[ucrdem]

58. Let me guess, those kids try to teepee your house again?

p.s. good rundown from Josh Earnest:

Published on Jun 11, 2015

[bowens43]

52. Took him this long to notice Obama lives in fantasy world of his own making? Really?

[RiverLover]

54. K plus R! /nt

[Autumn]

55. I love this warning, it shows they are not playing around.

“This is a message to any member of Congress that’s thinking about voting for this unfair trade deal,” said Hasan Solomon with the Machinists Union. “You better start packing your bags right now, because we’re going to fast track you right out of office in 2016.”

[Dont call me Shirley]

59. Thank you Rep Sherman...Call your Rep today...

Whitehouse Comments: 202-456-1111

United States Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121

[raouldukelives]

60. K&R nt

[barbtries]

62. it's true.

his position on this issue has disappointed me a lot.

[Marr]

69. He's not running again. This is the real Obama.

Remember when he didn't know his mic was on, and was overheard telling someone he'd have much more 'flexibility' in his second term? Yeah, this is the direciton he bends.