Real Democrats know Republicans ideas like NAFTA promoted by sell-outs like Bill Clinton have done immeasurable damage to the US manufacturing sector and the Democratic Party's own credibility with working Americans. Now is the time for Real Democrats to stand up against forfeiting more of our national sovereignty to foreign corporations and investors.
Update:
Despite Outcry of Opposition, Obama Pushes “Horrific” Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trade Deal in Asia
Despite consistent and vocal opposition from organized labor, environmentalists, progressive economy experts and others warning against the damaging impacts of a trans-Pacific trade agreement that remains under negotiations by the U.S. and twelve other nations, President Obama on Monday once again voiced his support for what he said would be a “historic” agreement.
Though Obama ran for president in 2008 as a staunch opponent of similarly designed trade deals, including NAFTA, since taking in office, he has forcefully pushed for the TPP and a similar deal with European nations, called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
“This has the potential for being an historic agreement,” Obama said of the TPP to heads-of-state and trade commissioners at the APEC summit’s opening session on Monday.
If approved, the TPP would be the world’s largest economic trade agreement, encompassing more than 40 percent of the world’s GDP. Though China would not be party to the agreement, the TPP would cover the U.S., Canada and Mexico in North America; Chile and Peru in South America; and Japan, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Vietnam in the Pacific-Asia region
According to Public Citizen, the TPP would be a grab-bag of policies designed to empower corporate entities while stripping the people of these twelve nations of self-determination and democratic process. According to the group:
Although it is called a “free trade” agreement, the TPP is not mainly about trade. Of TPP’s 29 draft chapters, only five deal with traditional trade issues. One chapter would provide incentives to offshore jobs to low-wage countries. Many would impose limits on government policies that we rely on in our daily lives for safe food, a clean environment, and more. Our domestic federal, state and local policies would be required to comply with TPP rules.
The TPP would even elevate individual foreign firms to equal status with sovereign nations, empowering them to privately enforce new rights and privileges, provided by the pact, by dragging governments to foreign tribunals to challenge public interest policies that they claim frustrate their expectations.
Real Democrats aren't fooled by Obama's sales pitch.
House Democrats vow to block Obama on Asia trade pact
By David Nakamura
House Democrats from the nation's manufacturing heartland are vowing to fight President Obama's push for a major trade deal in the Asia Pacific, saying the pact will harm U.S. jobs and charging that the administration has not been transparent with Congress in its negotiations.
"The administration refuses to change its approach to secret negotiations and is pushing to send a final package to Congress with almost no ability for us to scrutinize it," Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said Monday on a conference call with reporters. "Enough is enough: no more offshoring, no more NAFTA-style trade deals."
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said that unless the administration made significant changes to the proposed deal, including new protections on currency manipulation, Democrats would "fight the administration tooth and nail on this."
The opposition from Obama's own party, and a significant portion of his liberal base, has presented a conundrum for the White House as it pursues the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is the economic centerpiece of the administration's strategy to re-balance U.S. attention and resources to Asia. Negotiators from the 12 countries are in Washington this week for another round of talks in hopes of making progress toward an agreement in principle this coming spring.
White House advisers said they believe there could be more support for the trade pact in the new Congress because Republicans, who will take control of the Senate, are generally more supportive of free trade agreements. Last week, Obama touted the pact during an appearance with business leaders in Washington, calling on opponents not to "fight the last war" against previous trade pacts such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
So the Obama White House sees the Republican midterm election gains as a good thing when it comes to passing the T.P.P. Good to know that Obama looks to Republicans to help him sell-out Americans on T.P.P.
Critics challenge US plans for the TPP
By Christopher Sheridan
But, as he reassures his base he has their back by increasing access to treatment and medicine for millions of Americans, critics argue he's doing the exact opposite overseas, the consequences of which, according to one analyst, could be "devastating" for
But, as he reassures his base he has their back by increasing access to treatment and medicine for millions of Americans, critics argue he's doing the exact opposite overseas, the consequences of which, according to one analyst, could be "devastating" for the poorest of the poor around the world. It comes in the form of an international trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP.
"I personally, as an American citizen, find it puzzling that the Obama administration is pushing for an economic policy abroad which will increase the cost of health care, reduce access, where at the same time, one of his signature presidential legacies is supposed to be affordable care," Professor Susan Sell at George Washington University told Al Jazeera.
Sell said the most controversial section would protect a practice often referred to as "evergreening", where a company extends a patent on a medicine in order to prevent generic competitors from releasing a copycat drug. A typical US patent on a new drug is 20 years, but Sell argued many companies will seek new patents by re-releasing the drug in a gel cap or liquid format in order to extend it beyond that.
"It's not medically more efficacious," said Sell. "It's just a way of extending that patent monopoly and preventing generic drugs from coming into that market
Obama is wrong on this. Its unfortunate to see what a Wall Street captive Obama has become on so called 'Free Trade'. Let Obama have his precious Republican votes, as long as Real Democrats don't go along with this.