Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Freddie Stubbs

(29,853 posts)
Fri May 8, 2015, 03:53 PM May 2015

Obama says 'dearest friends are wrong' when it comes to trade

Source: The Hill

President Obama on Friday took on Democratic critics of his trade agenda, calling them “wrong” and arguing that Congress should back his request for fast-track authority.

Speaking hours after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the U.S. jobless rate had fallen to a seven-year low, Obama made his pitch for fast-track and a 12-nation Pacific trade pact at the Oregon headquarters of footwear and apparel giant Nike.

“On trade, I actually think some of my dearest friends are wrong. They're just wrong,” Obama said of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. “This is the most progressive trade deal in history.”

The president also warned that if the United States isn’t involved in making trade deals, it will leave China to write the rules.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/241465-obama-says-dearest-friends-are-wrong-when-it-comes-to-trade

56 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Obama says 'dearest friends are wrong' when it comes to trade (Original Post) Freddie Stubbs May 2015 OP
arcane1 says "prove us wrong" n/t arcane1 May 2015 #1
Yep, pretty basic and easy solution. nt Snotcicles May 2015 #7
Jack Rabbit says "A man I voted for twice is wrong when it comes to trade" Jack Rabbit May 2015 #2
Obama's 'dearest friends' on TPP are Republicans, the same ones that call him a commie dictator. denverbill May 2015 #3
+1 CharlotteVale May 2015 #11
+ another Scuba May 2015 #41
Post removed Post removed May 2015 #4
Here is the New York Times take on this. totodeinhere May 2015 #5
Saw Bill Moyers speak here in Portland last night... americannightmare May 2015 #6
I find it odd Enrique May 2015 #8
most excellent points ....eom florida08 May 2015 #22
But the Teabaggers oppose it!!!! I've been told that point a few times by one of neverforget May 2015 #25
Dear President Obama, Don't tell me. show me. Sincerely, The Ones that Brung Ya. canoeist52 May 2015 #9
Yes indeed, I am with you +100% - n/t mazzarro May 2015 #21
I thought his dearest friends SwankyXomb May 2015 #10
If his dearest friends are wrong when it comes to trade, then he must not be very good hughee99 May 2015 #12
What did GOP leaders promise him in return if he could get TPP passed? ClickClack May 2015 #13
Not very bright, is he? PSPS May 2015 #14
is Sandy Burglar for hire? perhaps he could help us ... quadrature May 2015 #15
Sounds like Obama Thespian2 May 2015 #16
Which trade deal does President Obama consider to currently hold the title MNBrewer May 2015 #17
Then make the damned documentation AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC... elzenmahn May 2015 #18
Why? JayNev May 2015 #19
Your premise that Obama is doing this for personal gain redstateblues May 2015 #26
Welcome to DU. 840high May 2015 #27
Corporate lobbyists have found a way to buy his influence JonLP24 May 2015 #32
This is great stuff! Thank you so much! ancianita May 2015 #45
sigh Marrah_G May 2015 #20
just a slap in the face florida08 May 2015 #23
Amen StoneCarver May 2015 #24
The last two years customerserviceguy May 2015 #28
If he thinks we are wrong how about Baltimore, poverty and doc03 May 2015 #29
No, they arent the result of the deals the deals just sped the process up which from what I have cstanleytech May 2015 #43
I lived it, I had a good job in a steel mill up until Ronald Reagan and doc03 May 2015 #46
Ya but being told they exist and them actually existing is the problem. cstanleytech May 2015 #47
The US manufactures more today than at any point in history Recursion May 2015 #48
What is it we make? Please let us know doc03 May 2015 #49
Everything but light consumer goods Recursion May 2015 #50
Apparently nothing we buy at stores. Why is there an enormous trade deficit then? doc03 May 2015 #53
Correct. We make the equipment China uses Recursion May 2015 #54
Steel jobs weren't automated away. We had the most modern electric arc doc03 May 2015 #55
We refine bauxite, that is a raw material. That makes few jobs doc03 May 2015 #56
We're largely wrong about Baltimore Recursion May 2015 #51
I don't get it, DU People. I've been here for so many truthisfreedom May 2015 #30
I do.. but, of course I am in the very small minority. So what, I don't care. the President has Cha May 2015 #36
Love your posts LeftOfWest May 2015 #40
Because he refuses to explain how and why it will be good for us. Kablooie May 2015 #39
Why? JonLP24 May 2015 #31
PBO, I still love ya, I think you've done a lot of good, but on this, you are wrong. nt Quackers May 2015 #33
At least you show respect.. I actually trust the President on this. Cha May 2015 #35
I guess I just don't understand cali May 2015 #37
Glad the "Fuck you Obama" got a HIDE.. 'cause really.. that all ya got. I trust the President.. Cha May 2015 #34
So? Convince us! Lay out the details so we can see how great it is. Kablooie May 2015 #38
Why doesn't he just Rahm describe those of us who are opposed to the TPP? Scuba May 2015 #42
No, Mr. President, your dearest friends are absolutely right when it comes to trade meow2u3 May 2015 #44
So corporations are not merely people with unlimited contributions, they are now litigants with leveymg May 2015 #52

denverbill

(11,489 posts)
3. Obama's 'dearest friends' on TPP are Republicans, the same ones that call him a commie dictator.
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:09 PM
May 2015

If this trade deal is embraced by people who think Obama is a commie, that should tell anyone with more than half a brain how this trade deal will work for American workers.

Response to Freddie Stubbs (Original post)

totodeinhere

(13,058 posts)
5. Here is the New York Times take on this.
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:24 PM
May 2015
President Obama on Friday lashed out at critics within his own party as he accused fellow Democrats of deliberately distorting the potential impact of the sweeping new trade agreement he is negotiating with Asia and standing in the way of a modern competitive economy.

With the same tone of disdain he usually reserves for his Republican adversaries, Mr. Obama said liberals who are fighting the new trade accord, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, were “just wrong” and, in terms of some of their claims, “making this stuff up.” If they oppose the deal, he said, they “must be satisfied with the status quo” and want to “pull up the drawbridge and build a moat around ourselves.”

Those are some pretty strong words on Obama's part.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/business/nike-to-create-jobs-if-trans-pacific-partnership-is-approved.html

americannightmare

(322 posts)
6. Saw Bill Moyers speak here in Portland last night...
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:47 PM
May 2015

he said the same thing most sane people are...it's being negotiated in secret, they want to be able to fast track it, which means no amendments, and therefore it doesn't pass the smell test. If that's the legacy you want, Obama, too bad for you...

Enrique

(27,461 posts)
8. I find it odd
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:00 PM
May 2015

that the GOP is pushing all out to pass the "most progressive trade deal in history".

I've wondered why the GOP is so willing to work so closely with Obama on this. Is it because the deal is so "progressive?"

And at the same time, the most liberal democrats are opposing "the most progressive trade deal in history".

neverforget

(9,436 posts)
25. But the Teabaggers oppose it!!!! I've been told that point a few times by one of
Fri May 8, 2015, 10:28 PM
May 2015

the most ardent supporters of the TPP here. Oh and I hate poor people in other countries too.

Republicans and the US Chamber of Commerce are pushing the "most progressive trade deal in history". Technically, the most progressive doesn't mean it IS progressive but it's all bullshit. Lol. They're pushing it because they know they can ship more jobs overseas for cheap labor.

hughee99

(16,113 posts)
12. If his dearest friends are wrong when it comes to trade, then he must not be very good
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:31 PM
May 2015

at making the case for it. If anyone is going to listen with an open mind on this, you'd think it would be the president's dearest friends. If he can't convince THEM he's right, how can he expect to convince anyone else?

ClickClack

(55 posts)
13. What did GOP leaders promise him in return if he could get TPP passed?
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:52 PM
May 2015

Pardon me if this is the wrong place to ask, or if it has been asked (and answered) in other threads. I'm certain that I am not the first person to speculate about this.

If most politics boils down to quid pro quo, it seems highly possible to me that the most obstructive and least effective Congress of my lifetime might have offered something to the President if he can make the TPP happen for them and their deep-pocketed corporate overlords.

He's certainly going out of his way to push for it, even to the point of disparaging his own party. WTF?

PSPS

(13,601 posts)
14. Not very bright, is he?
Fri May 8, 2015, 06:06 PM
May 2015

Anyone, even if they're a ringer like Obama, should know that the very last place to tout any kind of "trade agreement" would be at Nike -- the poster company for a heinous business model.

Thespian2

(2,741 posts)
16. Sounds like Obama
Fri May 8, 2015, 06:23 PM
May 2015

has a problem making friends with people who are not out to destroy North America...

If he thinks so highly of this piece of shit, publish it...in its entirety, and let everyone read it...He knows damn well that this is not a trade deal at all, but mechanisms whereby corporations will be able to rule the world...

I thought conservative assholes were against "ONE WORLD GOB'MENT"...

MNBrewer

(8,462 posts)
17. Which trade deal does President Obama consider to currently hold the title
Fri May 8, 2015, 06:52 PM
May 2015

of "most progressive trade deal"?

elzenmahn

(904 posts)
18. Then make the damned documentation AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC...
Fri May 8, 2015, 06:54 PM
May 2015

...so why are you REALLY pushing this so hard NOW, Mr. President?

BTW, China is ALREADY WRITING THE DAMNED RULES!!!!! Look at how much of OUR DEBT they hold now!

Not to mention the increasing number of formerly American companies that they now own (e.g. Continental Motors).

Sorry, Mr. President. I'm not buying it.

 

JayNev

(23 posts)
19. Why?
Fri May 8, 2015, 07:40 PM
May 2015

Why is Obama pushing the TPP so hard, when it obviously is going to damage US workers who are supposed to be the Democratic base? The reason is that Obama knows that Bill Clintons made tens of millions after his presidency from corporations. A similar payoff waits for Obama.

It is mind blowing that Obama who campaigned on creating the “most transparent Presidency” is now keeping the details of TPP secret due to the fear that it will energize its opponents. It is hard to oppose something without knowing what it is.

The TPP is going to push the US worker down even further. Free trade agreements like NAFTA and MNF for China are the reason why workers wages are stagnant while corporations make record profits.

Back in 2008 voters had a lot of illusions about Obama, but I felt he could not be trusted. His dealings with Exelon had shown he would do corporations’ bidding.

McCain would have led the US into new foolish wars, but he is too honest to try to pass secret trade agreements. The damage to US workers from free trade agreements is practically permanent. The rotten economy has led to a spike in suicides, especially among middle aged white males. Expect this sorry situation to continue.

Obama likely cares about the US workers, but just not enough to forsake the post presidency millions that wait for him.

Those who fantasize that Warren is the savior should go back and read the things Obama said before the 2008 elections, it sounds a lot like what Warren is saying now.

redstateblues

(10,565 posts)
26. Your premise that Obama is doing this for personal gain
Fri May 8, 2015, 10:42 PM
May 2015

Is ridiculous. Obama does not need to worry about future income. Cheney perhaps but not Obama.

JonLP24

(29,322 posts)
32. Corporate lobbyists have found a way to buy his influence
Sat May 9, 2015, 01:48 AM
May 2015

Last edited Sat May 9, 2015, 02:53 AM - Edit history (1)

It is one thing to drop single payer when even Democratic Senators are threatening to filibuster -- it is one thing to have a mandate, it is quite another to use the health insurance lobby's argument -- remarkable for someone vigorously opposed to Hillary Clinton during the primary.

Here is a list of cleared advisers, TPP is being negotiated by corporate lawyers & lobbyists.

The negotiating text of ACTA and many other documents, including even the lists of participants in the negotiations, are secret. The White House claims the secrecy is required as a matter of national security. But that does not mean the documents are off limits to everyone outside of the government. Hundreds of advisors, many of them corporate lobbyists, are considered “cleared advisors.” They have access to the ACTA documents.
Who are these cleared advisors? They are the members of these 27 USTR advisory boards:

http://www.ustr.gov/Who_We_Are/List_of_USTR_Advisory_Committees.html

All members of the advisory boards can request access to classified ACTA documents. Below are the members of just four of the advisory boards, ITAC 15, 8, 10 and 3.

Industry Trade Advisory Committee On Intellectual Property Rights
ITAC 15

Chairman , Mr. Eric H. Smith
President
International Intellectual Property Alliance

Vice-Chairman
Mr. Jacques J. Gorlin
President
The Gorlin Group

Sandra M. Aistars, Esq.
Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property
Time Warner Inc.

Kira M. Alvarez, Esq.
Director, International Government Affairs
Eli Lilly and Company

Mark Chandler, Esq.
Senior Vice President, General Counsel,
and Secretary
Cisco Systems, Inc.

Ms. Erin L. Ennis
Vice President
The U.S.-China Business Council

Francis (Frank) Z. Hellwig, Esq.
Senior Associate, General Counsel
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.

J. Anthony Imler, Ph.D.
Director, Public Policy, Latin America
Merck & Co., Inc.

Ms. Mary A. Irace
Vice President, Trade and Export Finance
National Foreign Trade Council, Inc.

Jeffrey P. Kushan, Esq.
Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood LLP
Representing Biotechnology Industry
Organization

Stevan D. Mitchell, Esq.
Vice President, Intellectual Property Policy
Entertainment Software Association

Douglas T. Nelson, Esq.
Executive Vice President, General Counsel,
and Secretary
CropLife America

Timothy P. Trainer, Esq.
President
Global Intellectual Property
Strategy Center, P.C.
Representing the Thomas G. Faria
Corporation

Neil I. Turkewitz, Esq.
Executive Vice President
Recording Industry Association of America

Ms. Susan C. Tuttle
Governement Programs Executive
IBM Corporation

Mr. Herbert C. Wamsley
Executive Director
Intellectual Property Owners Association

Ms. Anissa S. Whitten
Trade Director
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc.

Ms. Deborah E. Wiley
Senior Vice President
John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Association of American Publishers, Inc.

Shirley Zebroski, Ph.D
Director, Legislative Affairs
General Motors Corporation

Total Members = 19

Industry Trade Advisory Committee On Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Health Science Products and Services

ITAC 3

Chairman
Mr. V. M. (Jim) DeLisi
President
Fanwood Chemical, Inc.

Primary Vice-Chairman
Robert E. Branand, Esq.
Representative
National Paint & Coatings Association

Secondary Vice-Chairman
W. Martin (Marty) Strauss, Ph.D.
Vice President, Consumer Traits and Food Policy
Monsanto Company

Karen L. Bland, Esq.
Consultant
Representing The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc.

Mr. Michael D. Boyd
Vice President, Public Affairs International
Schering-Plough Corporation

Shawn M. Brown
Vice President of State Affairs
Generic Pharmaceutical Association

Mr. P. Claude Burcky
Divisional Vice President, Global Government Affairs and Policy
Abbott Laboratories, Inc.

Mr. Morris A. Chafetz
President
Hemisphere Polymer and Chemical
Company, Inc.

Mr. Harrison C. Cook
Director, International Government Affairs
Eli Lilly and Company

Mr. Donald E. Ellison
Representative
Government Relations, LLC
SACMA

D. Geoffrey B. Gamble, Esq.
Director, International Government Affairs
E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company

Mr. Edward L. Gibbs
President
North Coast Medical Equipment, Inc.

Trevor J. Gunn, Ph.D.
Director, International Relations
Medtronic, Inc.

Ms. Tine K. Hansen-Turton
Chief Executive Officer
National Nursing Centers Consortium

Ms. Regina L. Harper
Regulatory Affairs Manager
Milliken Chemical

Ms. Mary A. Irace
Managing Director, Global Affairs
American Chemistry Council

Mr. Ralph F. Ives
Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Analysis
Advanced Medical Technology Association

Mr. Craig S. Kramer
Vice President, International
Government Affairs
Johnson & Johnson

Mr. Adrian Krygsman
Director, Product Registration
Troy Corporation

Ms. Nancy R. Levenson
Director, U.S. Federal Government Relations
S.C.Johnson & Son, Inc.

Matthew T. McGrath, Esq.
Partner
Barnes, Richardson and Colburn
Representing Intermune, Inc.

Mr. Lloyd N. Moon
Vice President
Chemtura Corporation

Ms. Tracey J. Norberg
Vice President, Environment and Resource
Recovery
Rubber Manufacturers Association

Ms. Rosemary L. O’Brien
Vice President, Public Affairs
CF Industries, Inc.

Mr. Gerald R. Prout
Vice President, Government and Public
Affairs
FMC Corporation

Mr. J. Lawrence Robinson
President
Color Pigments Manufacturers Association, Inc.

George L. Rolofson, Ph.D.
Consultant in Agricultural Science and Environmental, Regulatory, and Trade Policy

Rolofson Consulting
Representing Gowan Company

Ms. Lisa M. Schroeter
Director, International Policy
The Dow Chemical Company

Ms. Marjory E. Searing
Vice President, Public Affairs – Japan/Asia and Latin America
Pfizer Inc.

Mr. Isi A. Siddiqui
Vice President, Science and Regulatory Affairs
CropLife America

Mr. Arthur J. Simonetti
Director, Trade Legislation and Regulation
Honeywell International, Inc.

Mr. Henry P. Stoebenau
President
Efficient Global Trade, Inc.
Representing American Association of Exporters and Importers

Mr. Albert C. (Cal) Sutphin
President Braden Sutphin Ink Company

Mr. Ford B. West
President
The Fertilizer Institute

Mr. Andrew C. Zamoyski
President
Zamoyski and Company
Representing Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association

Total Members = 35

Industry Trade Advisory Committee On Information and Communications Technologies, Services, and Electronic Commerce
ITAC 8

Chairman
Mr. SteveW. Stewart
Director, Public Affairs
IBM Corporation

Primary Vice-Chairman
Ms. B. Anne Craib
Director, International Trade and Government Affairs
Semiconductor Industry Association

Secondary Vice-Chairman
Mr. Robert J. Mulligan
Senior Vice President International
AeA: Advancing the Business of Technology

Mr. Arun K. Bhumitra
Chief Executive Officer
Arjay Telecommunications

Mark F. Bohannon, Esq.
General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Public Policy Software and Information
Industry Association

Mr. Anthony Caldwell
President
Global Business Communication Solutions, LLC
Representing XSelData

Ms. Melika D. Carroll
Director, Federal Government Affairs
Micron Technology, Inc.

Ms. Susan D. Chapman
Director, e-Commerce Policy and Asia Pacific Trade Policy
General Motors Corporation

Mr. Calman J. Cohen
President
Emergency Committee for American Trade

Tod H. Cohen, Esq.
Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Government Relations
eBay Inc.

Holly A. Evans, Esq.
President
Strategic Counsel, LLC
Representing Advanced Micro Devices

Mark E. Foster, Esq.
Attorney
Law Offices of Mark E. Foster
Representing Transaction Network Services, Inc.

Ms. Meredith L. Golemon-Anderson
Director, International Trade Policy
Oracle Corporation

Mr. John P. Goyer
Vice President, International Trade
Negotiations and Investment
U.S. Coalition of Service Industries

Mr. Christopher G. Hankin
Director, Federal Affairs
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Ms. Tania W. Hanna
Director, Government Relations
Corporate Washington Office
Harris Corporation

Mr. Christopher J. Hirth
Director, Web Commerce Group
Intuit Inc.

Mr. David M. Leifer, Esq.
Senior Counsel
American Council of Life Insurers

Mr. Charles B. O’Hara
Manager, National Government Relations
The Procter & Gamble Company

Ms. Wendy E. Owens
Chief Executive Officer
AbleMedia LLC

Mr. Joseph A. Pasetti
Manager, Government Affairs
Applied Materials, Inc.

Mr. Daniel J. Peterson
Vice President, Industry and Government Affairs
Cook Group Incorporated

Mr. Edward M. Rozynski
Vice President, Global Government Affairs
Stryker Corporation

Jacquelynn Ruff, Esq.
Vice President, International Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs
Verizon Communications Inc.

Ms. Loretta L. Schmitzer
Vice President, Government Affairs
The Boeing Company

Mr. Gregory S. Slater
Director, Trade Policy
Intel Corporation

Ms. Sarah G. Smiley
Associate Vice President
Advanced Medical Technology Association

Stephen B. Whitaker, Ph.D.
President
Whitaker Strategies, LLC
Representing BOSE Corporation

Total Members = 28

Industry Trade Advisory Committee On Services and Finance Industries
ITAC 10

Chairman
Mr. J. Robert Vastine, Jr.
President
U.S. Coalition of Service Industries

Vice-Chairman
Ms. Elizabeth R. Benson
President
Energy Associates

Mr. Thomas A. Allegretti
President and Chief Executive Officer
The American Waterways Operators

Mr. Fredric S. Berger, P.E.
Senior Vice President
The Louis Berger Group, Inc.

Mr. Stuart J. Brahs
President
Stuart J. Brahs Consulting
American Council of Life Insurers

Timothy C. Brightbill, Esq.
Member, American Bar Association
Wiley Rein LLP

Stephen J. Canner, Ph.D.
Vice President, Investment and Financial Services
United States Council for International
Business

Ms. Ellen M. Delage
Director, International Relations
The American Institute of Architects

Paul H. DeLaney III
FedEx Express

Linda Menghetti Dempsey, Esq.
Vice President
Emergency Committee for American Trade

Peter D. Ehrenhaft, Esq.
Senior Counsel
Peter D. Ehrenhaft Consulting
Representing Harkins Cunningham, LLP

Mr. Gregory M. Frazier
Executive Vice President
Worldwide Government Policy
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc.

Madeleine F. Green, Ph.D.
Vice President and Director,
Center for International and Institutional Initiatives
American Council on Education

Ms. Leslie C. Griffin
Vice President, International Governmental Affairs
New York Life Insurance Company

Mr. Charles P. Heeter Jr.
Principal, International Government Affairs
Deloitte and Touche USA LLP

Ms. Selina E. Jackson
Vice President, International Public Affairs
UPS

Mr. William A. Jordan
Senior Director, Government Affairs and Communications
The McGraw-Hill Companies

Mr. Leonard N. Karp
President and Chief Executive Officer
Philadelphia International Medicine

Mr. Robert D. Kramer
Vice President, Public Policy
Computing Technology Industry Association

Mr. Gary W. Kushnier
Vice President, International Policy
American National Standards Institute

Ms. Laura J. Lane
Senior Vice President,
International Government Affairs
Citigroup Inc.

Dr. Marjorie Peace Lenn
President
Center for Quality Assurance in International Education

Mr. Shawn C. McBurney
Vice President, Governmental Affairs
American Hotel and Lodging Association

Mr. DeRohn S.T. Mitchell
Deputy Director, Government and Business Relations
Alvarez & Marsal, LLC

Mr. Kevin C.W. Mulvey
Assistant Vice President, Corporate and International Affairs
American International Group, Inc.

Mr. Patrick J. Natale, P.E.
Executive Director
American Society of Civil Engineers

Mr. Bryan M. Pickel
Vice President, Federal Government Affairs and External Affairs
Prudential Financial, Inc.

Mary S. Podesta, Esq.
Senior Counsel
Investment Company Institute

Jean M. Prewitt, Esq.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Independent Film & Television Alliance

Mr. Ivan J. Sotomayor
Managing Partner
Sotomayor & Associates, LLP

Ms. Sarah F. Thorn
Director, International Trade
Federal Government Relations
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Mr. Philip M. Vaughn
Senior Director, Government Relations
Fluor Corporation

Mr. Carlos C. Villarreal, P.E.
Executive Vice President, Operations
Wilbur Smith Associates

Christian (Chris) E. Wolfe, Esq.
Partner, Business Planning and Taxation
Haynes and Boone, L.L.P.

Total Members = 34

http://keionline.org/blogs/2009/03/13/who-are-cleared-advisors

Obama will advocate for some domestic labor friendly policy & veto Republican union busting legislation -- When it comes to bargaining, Big Business goodies (what the Republicans want) are offered right away in exchange for modest middle to lower class policies, moving the middle ground. I don't know if he stands to profit from it but it is clear big business has his ear defining the terms of the debate. Also when you look at US defense policy, private companies don't have to worry about US debt nor do politicians for that matter -- private defense companies are looting from taxpayers. Having board of directors of oil & banking multinationals.

I can't copy & paste but worth a read of the preview pages -- The Global Class War: How America's Bipartisan Elite Lost Our Future
By Jeff Faux
https://books.google.com/books?id=ORkb5cWp9NsC&pg=PT51&lpg=PT51&dq=oil+bank+board+of+directors+defense+secretary&source=bl&ots=wZaq3S66ly&sig=o6VyaxC9Vg9I-HQ8uHmpzmGROHA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rJpNVb2dFdbSoASmtoDgCg&ved=0CFUQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=oil%20bank%20board%20of%20directors%20defense%20secretary&f=false

Marrah_G

(28,581 posts)
20. sigh
Fri May 8, 2015, 07:45 PM
May 2015

Maybe someday we can have a leader who isn't working for big business. That won't ever happen, because to get money out of politics you have to have the support of the very people benefiting from it.

florida08

(4,106 posts)
23. just a slap in the face
Fri May 8, 2015, 08:52 PM
May 2015

of all who believed in him. Have heard it has some good things in it but that the bad significantly out weighs it. Allowing corporate fascists to sue us if they lose a dime is beyond the pale. Have lost all faith in this man.

 

StoneCarver

(249 posts)
24. Amen
Fri May 8, 2015, 09:49 PM
May 2015

I am so disappointed in BHO it makes me ill. I'm voting for Bernie no matter what. I do wish Elizabeth would run but she may be a disappointment too. Bernie is the real deal. I don't care if he's old. He actually cares about us "little people".
Stonecarver.

customerserviceguy

(25,183 posts)
28. The last two years
Fri May 8, 2015, 11:40 PM
May 2015

of an eight year Presidency are often the most painful for those who put that President into office twice.

doc03

(35,345 posts)
29. If he thinks we are wrong how about Baltimore, poverty and
Sat May 9, 2015, 12:02 AM
May 2015

unemployment. Baltimore was the home of the largest steel mill in the USA until NAFTA. Same goes for Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, Detroit, to name a few others. That's the result of all these free trade deals.

cstanleytech

(26,293 posts)
43. No, they arent the result of the deals the deals just sped the process up which from what I have
Sat May 9, 2015, 06:40 AM
May 2015

read is probably what would happen here unless it has some protection built in to prevent the corporations from fucking over the American people like they are slathering all over themselves to do.

doc03

(35,345 posts)
46. I lived it, I had a good job in a steel mill up until Ronald Reagan and
Sat May 9, 2015, 04:03 PM
May 2015

corporate Democrat Bill Clinton showed and destroyed unions and manufacturing in the USA. We were told about protections by
Bill Clinton and Al Gore they lied out their fucking ass.

cstanleytech

(26,293 posts)
47. Ya but being told they exist and them actually existing is the problem.
Sat May 9, 2015, 04:34 PM
May 2015

If there were actual protection in this trade deal and not vague reassurances I would say sure why not but so far its looking like there is jack shit in it that would do anything to prevent or at least make the corporations hesitate on fucking over most of us.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
48. The US manufactures more today than at any point in history
Sun May 10, 2015, 01:38 PM
May 2015

Until people can grasp the fact that US manufacturing has been going up they're going to have trouble coming up with workable trade ideas.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
50. Everything but light consumer goods
Mon May 11, 2015, 06:17 PM
May 2015
http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/G17/Current/

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_in_the_United_States

Manufacturing exports alone are up 400% over the last 30 years; output is up 500%.

The biggest sectors are transportation equipment, electronics, heavy plant, processed foodstuffs (see "Food, Inc." if you think this shouldn't count -- this isn't burger flippers but the guys in factories making pink slime), and business equipment. About the only sector we've lost ground in is light consumer goods, and we still do most of the prototyping for that.

The collapse in manufacturing employment is undeniable, but there simply has not been a collapse in manufacturing itself. We've never manufactured more. If the top 500 us manufacturers were a country, they'd have the third largest GDP in the world. China only surpassed our manufacturing sector two years ago, and we will probably pass them again this decade.

doc03

(35,345 posts)
53. Apparently nothing we buy at stores. Why is there an enormous trade deficit then?
Mon May 11, 2015, 06:45 PM
May 2015

Where did all the 10000 local steel jobs and the 3000 local aluminum jobs we had in 1970s go? Steel and aluminum aren't light consumer goods. The only reason we have an auto industry at all is from government intervention.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
54. Correct. We make the equipment China uses
Mon May 11, 2015, 06:57 PM
May 2015

to make the stuff we buy in stores.

The steel and aluminum jobs were automated away; we still refine a lot of bauxite.

doc03

(35,345 posts)
55. Steel jobs weren't automated away. We had the most modern electric arc
Mon May 11, 2015, 09:17 PM
May 2015

furnace in the USA and we could not compete with 50 cent an hour slave labor and a country that has no environmental or safety laws.
Our furnace was built after one the same company built in China. We recovered 100 tons of dust a day from our emissions. The one in China has no pollution control it pumped 100 tons of dust into the air every day. The engineer that built it over there said you could shovel up the dust on the ground around that plant. It contained iron, zinc, arsenic, lead and various other carcinogenic gases that we had to remove. Bill Clinton said we would be playing on an even field, does that look even to you? Oh and our furnace was made in Italy and Korea, why? Because the companies that did make mill equipment in this country don't exist anymore. Mesta, Wean, McKay and Blow Know to name a few. All the pipe used in our furnace came from China, we don't make it anymore. The electric equipment came from General Electric (made in Mexico). The furnace vessel was made in Italy. The electronics came from Germany. The AC came from Mexico. Out of a $130 million project the only piece I saw that came from the USA was one piece of 36" diameter pipe, the contractor said it had been laying around their yard for several years.

doc03

(35,345 posts)
56. We refine bauxite, that is a raw material. That makes few jobs
Mon May 11, 2015, 09:29 PM
May 2015

money is made from value added products, now you take that and make aluminum and cars and other
products that is were jobs are made. For every job in the steel industry they say there were 8 to 10 indirect jobs
produced in companies that serviced the industry and service jobs produced because we had a good middle class income from a middle class income. The Chinese buy lots of our coal, it is used to make value added products that they send over here now.

truthisfreedom

(23,148 posts)
30. I don't get it, DU People. I've been here for so many
Sat May 9, 2015, 01:01 AM
May 2015

years, seen so much, and I feel an intrinsic trust for Obama. What gives? Why not trust the professor?

Cha

(297,287 posts)
36. I do.. but, of course I am in the very small minority. So what, I don't care. the President has
Sat May 9, 2015, 03:34 AM
May 2015

been right more than those who have spewed nothing but cheap pot shots since 2009.

Check out the "Fuck you Obama".. that got a hide. HAHA.

Kablooie

(18,634 posts)
39. Because he refuses to explain how and why it will be good for us.
Sat May 9, 2015, 04:32 AM
May 2015

He's not trying to convince with facts.
Instead he uses scare tactics which is a Fox News technique.
That is always a sign that they are trying to pull something over on you.

I don't know why he sides with them, it seems uncharacteristic, but there is no doubt in my mind that it will be great for the rich corporations while damaging the average guys life even more, otherwise he would be laying out all the positive points to convince us.

JonLP24

(29,322 posts)
31. Why?
Sat May 9, 2015, 01:10 AM
May 2015

What exactly will it do that will open up jobs here?

From what I can tell, it appears US companies will move their electronics manufacturing from China to Singapore or Malaysia. Vietnam has a significant manufacture sector themselves but seems to be more food processing & cloth. They all manufacture rubber & plastics. Malaysia & Vietnam have significant (secondary to their main manufacturing) oil & gas production -- Malaysia has a trade surplus too, they are also Singapore's top trade partner from what I can tell it works out for both. Not sure how exactly but water is a huge part of it.,

-----Singapore Economy



Financial aspects

Tariffs. Water and sewer tariffs in Singapore are set at a level allowing cost recovery, including capital costs. Water and sewer tariffs were raised substantially in the late 1990s, so that the average monthly domestic bill including taxes increased from S$ 13 in 1996 to S$ 30 in 2000.[44] The sewerage tariff (called "waterborne fee&quot is S$ 0.30/m3 for domestic users plus a fixed tariff of S$ 3 per "chargeable fitting" per month. The water tariff includes a conservation tax set at 30% that increases to 45% for domestic consumption above 40 m3 per month. A general service tax of 7% is added to the bill. As of 2012, a household consuming 20 m3 per month and that has three "chargeable fittings" faces a water bill of S$ 32.5 per month and a sewer bill of S$ 15 per month, both including all taxes. The total of S$ 47.5 (USD 37.7) per month corresponds to S$ 2.38/m3 (US$1.88/m3). Industrial water tariffs are set lower at S$ 0.52/m3.[3] Water and sewerage tariffs are lower than tariffs in some European countries such as in Germany where the average water and sewer tariff including taxes was Euro 3.95 per m3 in 2004.

Investment. In the financial year 2010 PUB undertook investments of S$ 411 million (USD 290 million) in its own assets, mainly for water supply and NEWater, and S$ 451 million (USD 319 million) for assets belonging to the government, mainly for sanitation and stormwater drainage.[4] This corresponds to annual investments of USD 117 per capita, which is higher than in the United States where the corresponding figure is USD 97.

Financing. In 2005 PUB issued for the first time a bond, raising S$ 400 million, to finance part of its investment program. Since then, bonds have been issued regularly, including a S$ 300 million bond with a maturity of 20 years in 2007.[45] During the financial year 2010, PUB Group received an operating grant of S$ 185 million to fund the operation and maintenance of the stormwater drainage network and operating costs of certain water infrastructure assets such as the Marina, Serangoon and Punggol Reservoir schemes.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_Singapore#Financial_aspects

Like I said with Malaysia having a trade surplus, one thing I notice is outside of China all of the countries already have trade relations I don't see how without black magic this will be good for US labor. The good news is it doesn't appear one sided for most of the countries involved -- I just don't see manufacturing jobs here. Especially for electronics, all those Foxconn jobs will just move south.

------Malaysia Economy

In 2013, Malaysia's total external trade totalled US$424 billion, made up of US$230.7 billion of exports and US$192.9 billion of imports, making Malaysia the world's 21th largest exporter and the world's 25th largest importer.

Malaysia's largest trading partner is China. Malaysia has been China's top trading partner within ASEAN for five years in a row since 2008. The two-way trade volume between China and Malaysia in 2013 reached $106 billion, making Malaysia China's third-largest trade partner in Asia, just behind Japan and South Korea and eighth largest overall.[66] On 31 May 2014, during Najib Razak's visit to China where he was welcomed by China's Premier Li Keqiang, China and Malaysia pledged to increase bilateral trade to US$160 billion by 2017. They also agreed to upgrade economic and financial co-operation, especially in the production of halal food, water processing and railway construction.[67]

Malaysia's second largest trading partner is Singapore and Malaysia is Singapore's biggest trading partner, with bilateral trade totalling roughly $91 billion US dollars in 2012, accounting for over a fifth of total trade within ASEAN.[68][69]

Malaysia's third largest trading partner is Japan, amounting RM137.45 billion (US$42 billion) of trade in 2014, an increase of 1.4% compared with to 2013. Out of this, exports totalled RM82.71 billion (US$25.6 billion), a growth of 4.4% cent while imports contracted 2.9% to RM54.75 billion (US$16.74 billion). Malaysian Ambassador to Japan Datuk Ahmad Izlan Idris said the main exports from Malaysia to Japan were liquefied natural gas (LNG), electrical and electronics as well as chemical-based products. He said Malaysia's main imports from Japan were electrical and electronics, machines and equipment as well as spare parts and accessories for vehicles and cars.[70]

Malaysia is an important trading partner for the United States. In 1999, two-way bilateral trade between the US and Malaysia totalled US$30.5 billion, with US exports to Malaysia totalling US$9.1 billion and US imports from Malaysia increasing to US$21.4 billion. Malaysia was the United States' 10th-largest trading partner and its 12th-largest export market. During the first half of 2000, US exports totalled US$5 billion, while US imports from Malaysia reached US$11.6 billion.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Malaysia#Free_trade_efforts

Cha

(297,287 posts)
34. Glad the "Fuck you Obama" got a HIDE.. 'cause really.. that all ya got. I trust the President..
Sat May 9, 2015, 03:30 AM
May 2015

he's been right a lot more than the ignorant cheap pot shots on the internet.

And, no.. it's not a "slap in the face for all those who believed in him".. I trust him and I'm not the only one.

Kablooie

(18,634 posts)
38. So? Convince us! Lay out the details so we can see how great it is.
Sat May 9, 2015, 04:12 AM
May 2015

the fact that he refuses to do this And instead resorts to Fox News style scare tactics raises a huge, HUGE red flag.

meow2u3

(24,764 posts)
44. No, Mr. President, your dearest friends are absolutely right when it comes to trade
Sat May 9, 2015, 07:08 AM
May 2015

YOU are wrong! Do you really want Americans to lose their jobs to slaves in Malaysia, which has a serious human trafficking problem? Do you want foreign corporations to be able to sue to overturn American laws, even if the demands of big business fly in the face of the Constitution?

No, Mr. President, YOU are wrong--not your friends! Get a clue.

leveymg

(36,418 posts)
52. So corporations are not merely people with unlimited contributions, they are now litigants with
Mon May 11, 2015, 06:23 PM
May 2015

greater power than nation-states to sue to overturn national labor, environmental and human rights laws they don't like.

On this one, you're "just wrong" my friend.

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»Obama says 'dearest frien...