US, 11 Other Countries Sign Free-Trade Deal In New Zealand

[Purveyor]

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Trade ministers from 12 Pacific Rim countries including the United States have ceremonially signed a free-trade deal.

The representatives gathered Thursday in Auckland, New Zealand, to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The agreement must still be ratified by individual countries.

In the U.S., the agreement has been at the center of President Obama's trade agenda, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not yet backed it and has suggested Congress shouldn't vote to ratify it until after the November elections.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3430895/US-11-countries-sign-free-trade-deal-New-Zealand.html

[djean111]

1. For me, this is Obama's "legacy". And it reeks. n/t

[2naSalit]

3. Same here.

If this goes through it will undo the Constitution, as is the wont of the likes the Kochs. It would cancel out any genuine positive regard I had when voting for him. And I suspect he is only pushing it under duress from someone we never get see or hear about.

[Unknown Beatle]

11. Under duress? I don't think so.

Obama is a crony capitalist, and as such, he'll gladly do the bidding of corporations, big banks, and wall st., a quid pro quo, so to speak. Nobody is twisting his arm as he has a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" with big money.

Knowing now what I know about Obama from reading various articles, the 'Grand Bargain' was not an eleven dimensional game that he was playing, he was really going to sacrifice Social Security and Medicare to cuts.

So no duress, just a greedy president with future earnings on his mind. And We The People must suffer the consequences.

[pampango]

15. "Obama is a crony capitalist ... just a greedy president with future earnings on his mind."

So if I disagree with Obama on this, it is not possible that he believes that the TPP is an improvement on the WTO and NAFTA. (Improving on those two is a rather low bar to hurdle.) He must be a selfish, greedy Democratic politician out to line his own pockets?

Where am I?

The republican/tea party base also hates the TPP, the WTO and NAFTA and believes that Obama is a selfish, greedy (Muslim socialist) Democratic politician out to line his pockets while impoverishing the rest of us. I can disagree with Obama on an issue without casting him as some tea party caricature of a Democratic president or a member of a vast right wing conspiracy.

[Unknown Beatle]

18. I'm a progressive, but just because I'm on a Democratic site I'm always

supposed to support the president? I can disagree with him but that's it? I can't call him out on his lies?

You know who also hates the TPP, the WTO and NAFTA? Progressives.

I can disagree with Obama on an issue without casting him as some tea party caricature of a Democratic president or a member of a vast right wing conspiracy.

It's not a conspiracy that Obama threw progressives under the bus. I worked hard to get him elected, twice. Where was Obama when Occupy Wall St. was going on? Why didn't he say anything while cops were cracking heads at Zuccotti Park and elsewhere around the US? Why did he bail out Wall St but not Main St?

He promised to walk the picket line if needed. Where was he when he was needed in Wisconsin?

Where have you been?

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” Theodore Roosevelt

I don't know about selfish, but Obama is a greedy Democratic politician out to line his own pockets. Sorry you disagree with the truth. There's ample examples of the truth at various liberal and progressive sites. Just Google.

[pampango]

19. Yeah and FDR was "out to line his pockets" for his UN, IMF, World Bank and ITO (GATT) ideas.

Last edited Thu Feb 4, 2016, 08:31 PM - Edit history (1)

Many on us have questioned some of FDR's policies (Japanese internment being a prime example) without questioning his motives or adopting a republican line that he was just after power, reelection and more money. The man made some mistakes and decisions I don't agree with but that does not mean he was just pursuing power and money and did not care about doing what was right in a broader sense.

... just because I'm on a Democratic site I'm always supposed to support the president? I can disagree with him but that's it? I can't call him out on his lies?

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

We all criticize Obama (and FDR) when we don't agree with his policies. We should criticize any president or other politician when we disagree with his policies or statements. I am not saying otherwise.

Theodore Roosevelt's statement encouraged criticism of a president. I agree with him and you. TR's statement did not include a belief that any disagreement with regard to policy is proof that a president is selfish and greedy and not acting in what he or she perceives to be the country's best interest. IOW, disagreement is encouraged, even patriotic. That's it.

Obama is a greedy Democratic politician out to line his own pockets.

As was FDR I suppose. And all other politicians? Perhaps the tea party is right and government (and all its politicians) is bad and should be shrunk to the point it can be drowned in a bathtub.

[Unknown Beatle]

20. Wow!

None so deaf as those that will not hear. None so blind as those that will not see.
Matthew Henry

[DhhD]

16. Agreed. ACA has become more expensive and limited HMO Health Care-Clintoncare. No legacy there.

[arcane1]

2. Thanks, Obama. For fucking us over.

But apparently I'm not a good progressive unless I swallow this shit and ask for more

[Mojorabbit]

17. Yes. He started out promising to review NAFTA

and devolved into this. He is smart. He knows what this will do. I cannot believe he is advocating for this.

[trillion]

4. Quick video to understand what TPP means for us

http://www.democracynow.org/2016/1/7/transcanada_sues_the_us_for_15b

Start at 17:00 and watch for 5 mins. Listen to Lori Wallach from Tradewatch.org discuss this.

[stuffmatters]

5. Yep, they're waiting to pass it after the election

To avoid electoral damage to all Repubs and the corporate Dems who will repeat their "fast Track" approval vote.

Hopefully Bernie makes this a major,major point of discussion debates. The American people are generally uniformed about how antidemocratic anti American this hideous agreement is. Hillary's conveniently too late(after fast track was pushed voted through with Dem enablers) "disapproval" of TPP should not allow Wall Street to have their coup d'etat taken off the table.

Sanders hopefully will hammer this agreement at one debate. He's good at "reframing" idiotic, trivial MSM questions into substantial moments for educating people on the most important, MSM willfully ignored subjects. In every future debate, I hope Sanders explains simply the outrage of ISDS and NAFTA on steroids and denounces TPP repeatedly & resoundingly.

I saw a recent interview with the Pres of the US Chamber of Commerce at Davos. Thinking he was talking "entre nous" (to Bloomberg News),he admitted the Wall Street/ALEC strategy for sneak through TPP now that they got fast track through. With the same votes, just wait to do it in the post election quiet of Dec.

[FailureToCommunicate]

6. Where does Clinton stand on this, at this point? I know today's signing was only a step along

the way towards ratification, but I haven't kept up with Hilary's position. (Seriously, I haven't)

[Bernin]

7. Depends

who is in the crowd she is talking down to at the moment.

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. Belated welcome to DU.

I can't quite tell who is pictured in your avatar.

[Bernin]

9. Smedley Butler

Thanks for the welcome.

[FailureToCommunicate]

10. Can't believe I'd not hear of him, other than the quote. Thanks!

[FairWinds]

12. Bernie should hammer this . .

It is important political terrain where left and right agree.

I hope the Tea Party and Progressive candidates are all over
this during the primaries and the entire election cycle.

If TPP goes down, Bernie goes up.

[spike91nz]

13. In a casino

Signed it in a casino, Sky City. A project whose private profitability, for decades to come, is guaranteed by the public. Signed it after denying that they planned to do so before the government representatives returns from holiday. Signed it with massive protests around the country and bridges being shut down. A travesty of neoliberal Prime Minister Key shoving it through with no transparency and no referendum. Majority of New Zealanders oppose the TPPA but that appears to make little difference, as the corporate interests seek to circumvent local governance and public opinion to raid the common resources. The shocking thing is that now New Zealand must rely upon the better senses of the US or Canada to stop this global corporatists' grasp for power over democratic process.

[Octafish]

14. Democracy.

For those who can afford it.

[Odin2005]

21. I am disgusted for ever supporting Obama.

And this is why.