TPP as a defining issue

[unionthug]

I'm a lurker who has read DU religiously for years, but rarely posts.

But today's news of a deal being reached on TPP has be thinking of the impact on the election, especially the primary.

(here is one of many news links)
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/business/trans-pacific-partnership-trade-deal-is-reached.html?_r=0

It is very clear that Bernie is profoundly opposed to this kind of deal, and will continue to make that clear. It is somewhat clear that Hillary is likely to not be opposed, and may even be a proponent.
As news of the details of the agreement come out and debate takes off about the merits, it has incredible potential to create a defining issue in the primary, and perhaps the whole campaign.

I think this is just the kind of issue that most Americans will end up forming a strong opinion about..... and it will shape the election.

[daleanime]

1. Oh, she supports the 'trade' deal called to TPP, but you'll never hear her say so....

Last edited Mon Oct 5, 2015, 11:12 AM - Edit history (1)

she knows how unpopular it is. In fact, once it's a done deal she'll sound like she opposed it from the beginning.

[kelliekat44]

2. Access to guns and women's health care are the defining issues for me. nt

[mhatrw]

3. Yeah. Forget about social justice, economic justice and our broken political system.

Those issue are do 50 years ago.

[Armstead]

8. Outsourcing jobs to bankupt workers in US and exploiting workers overseas is a justice issue

But I guess the working and middle classes and the poor can fight among themselves on the way to the shared poorhouse.

[TBF]

4. She loves free trade -

you can pull up her comments about HB1 VISAS on the internet. Expect repugs to downplay it as they are always for sending our jobs away as well. They just get the democrats to do their dirty work for them (like when they pressured Clinton on NAFTA and he ended up being the one who signed it).

Bernie is the only one who consistently says "WTF - we need jobs here" and that is why he is getting my vote.

[Ichigo Kurosaki]

5. Didn't we control Congress and vote for NAFTA for Bill to sign?

We could have stopped NAFTA at any time, our hands are not clean.

[TBF]

12. WTF? Yes I voted for Clinton because he was

supposedly a democrat. But I don't make the same mistake twice. This corporate crap "re our hands are not clean" - of course they are "not clean" if you are conned into voting for repugs on either side of the fence. Don't you dare blame the people of this country for that BS. Maybe your rich friends like this system, but most average people have had it.

[Ichigo Kurosaki]

20. That wasn't

what I was responding to.
You said that the repukes pressured the Dem controlled Congress, and I was saying that we could have stopped it dead, I doubt any real Repuke pressure was involved even though NAFTA wasn't started by us.
We vote for what we think are decent people but when they get to DC most get corrupted real quick.

[TBF]

21. Bernie Sanders was not corrupted --

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/103-1993/h575: Vermont No I Sanders, Bernie VT

And here's the video:

[leftofcool]

6. Guns and women's issues are what is important to me.

[zalinda]

9. So you'll send the rest

of us into economic hell? People are losing their homes, NOW. People are having trouble coping with food, NOW. People are homeless and/or living in poverty, NOW. And, btw, that includes women and children.

If TPP gets passed, expect more of the same. And those of you who think you are above it all and don't have to worry, think again. Many thought that they were living the life until they lost their job, or a corporation raided their pension, or their stocks became worthless, or they could no longer pay their mortgage.

Women tend to hold the lowest paying jobs, and as the work force is squeezed, you don't think that men will take over those jobs? Men have the advantage of being able to lift more weight and they usually don't have children waiting for them at home, or wherever they've ended up living. Expect more women to stay in situations where they are abused, as to have a roof over their head.

We, and I mean the world, are in a downward spiral, and the further down it goes, the more chance of violence and a destruction of this planet. It has to be stopped, NOW. None of these rich bastards know what it's like to be at the mercy of a corporation, but if they never experience it, their children will. Social justice will go out the window, when it's every man/woman for itself.

Z

[Oilwellian]

17. Then you're in the right camp

Clinton Foundation donations and subsequent arms deals were quite popular during Clinton's time at State. Hillary loves guns and cluster bombs.

[askew]

7. Hillary is going to flip-flop and come out against TPP.

She'll lie just like she did with Keystone and her supporters and media will eat it up and pretend she's leading. She is just desperate to get elected and will say anything to make that happen.

[Broward]

10. The people need to wake the hell up.

The corporate Dems are working against us too.

[YabaDabaNoDinoNo]

11. The people really don't give a shit they say they do but don't

Americans love to talk big about exporting US jobs yet have no problem supporting companies who do it to their citizens

Toyota and Honda both were import vehicles built in Japan by Japanese union labor.
Toyota and Honda both decided instead of increasing production in Japan they would Export the jobs to the USA

So what do we as Americans do? We buy toyotas and Hondas yes sir we hate it when US jobs are exported but have no problem buying products from companies who exported their nations jobs to another country

The correct response to Toyota and Honda by Americans should have been f you! We are not buying your products because you screwed over your workers! Sadly America rewarded them for what they did now we have the audacity to complain when it happens here.

Something as simple as the car one drives tells folks a whole lot about what you stand for and support

[Fawke Em]

13. I do!

I won't own a "foreign" car.

My car, a Mustang, is one of the most-American-built cars on the market (at least it was when I bought it - not sure now).

[YabaDabaNoDinoNo]

14. Union built foreign cars are cool I have no beef with them. Union labor is Union labor in my book.

Unfortunately the list of cars imported to the USA built by foreign Union labor is getting shorter every year

[d_legendary1]

15. The TPP will close more factories and raise the price of goods!

It's a big effing issue since it makes the race to the bottom much easier to achieve. That and make things more expensive by suing governments for their "intrusive" regulations that prevent them from gouging the public.

[ancianita]

16. If we'd fought Citizens United and to take money out of politics back in 2008, this wouldn't be

happening.

[mmonk]

18. For me, definitely one.

[Persondem]

19. TPP gets big endorsement from World Wildlife Fund

From this NYT article.

"Environmentalists praised wildlife protections included in the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal announced Monday, calling them groundbreaking.

They said the pact would strengthen international environmental enforcement agreements and could go a long way to diminish the illegal trade in certain plants and animals."

Perhaps it's not all evil. It always amazed me how many people group-thought their way to a conclusion without knowing the text of the document. Skepticism is fine, but the out and out venom heaped on anything associated with TPP was/is entirely unreasonable.

[taught_me_patience]

22. Most Americans support free trade and most support the TPP

http://www.gallup.com/poll/181886/majority-opportunity-foreign-trade.aspx
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/poll-more-americans-see-trade-pacts-beneficial-u-s-economy-n354111

TPP:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/06/23/americans-favor-tpp-but-less-than-other-countries-do/



Therefore, Bernie's opposition to it will hurt him if he wins the primary. Lastly, free-trade will not move the needle at all during a national election.

[Enthusiast]

24. That is only because of the news blackout on the TPP.

If the American people knew what the TPP is about they would be overwhelmingly opposed.

[FlatBaroque]

23. Great post, because

I was thinking the same thing

Bernie can make this the defining issue. Especially if he is sen fighting like heck in the senate against it.