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WillyT

(72,631 posts)
Mon May 11, 2015, 07:57 PM May 2015

In Case You Missed This... Like I Did... Wow... Just Wow... Sherrod Brown Ain't Lying...

Why Obama is happy to fight Elizabeth Warren on the trade deal
Matt Bai - YahooNews
May 9, 2015

<snip>

...
...
...

Three days after that broadside, when we sat down at Nike’s headquarters outside Portland, Ore., Obama still seemed unusually irritated.

“Think about the logic of that, right?” he went on. “The notion that I had this massive fight with Wall Street to make sure that we don’t repeat what happened in 2007, 2008. And then I sign a provision that would unravel it?

“I’d have to be pretty stupid,” Obama said, laughing. “This is pure speculation. She and I both taught law school, and you know, one of the things you do as a law professor is you spin out hypotheticals. And this is all hypothetical, speculative.”

Obama wasn’t through. He wanted me to know, in pointed terms, that for all the talk about her populist convictions, Warren had a personal brand she was trying to promote, too.

“The truth of the matter is that Elizabeth is, you know, a politician like everybody else,” he said. “And you know, she’s got a voice that she wants to get out there. And I understand that. And on most issues, she and I deeply agree. On this one, though, her arguments don’t stand the test of fact and scrutiny.”


This is remarkable stuff for Obama...

...
...
...

<snip>

More: https://www.yahoo.com/politics/why-obama-is-happy-to-fight-elizabeth-warren-on-118537612596.html




39 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
In Case You Missed This... Like I Did... Wow... Just Wow... Sherrod Brown Ain't Lying... (Original Post) WillyT May 2015 OP
For Those Wondering How Sherrod Brown Comes Into This... Go Here (Very Last Paragraph): WillyT May 2015 #1
That IS just sad laundry_queen May 2015 #4
Well, of course.... daleanime May 2015 #24
A house divided against itself cannot stand. We are really getting transparency, and it is mother earth May 2015 #2
Yep... And I Doubt Most Actual Politicians Know How The Web Actually Works... WillyT May 2015 #3
But the people they hire may be quite good. Depends on how well they can use them. n/t jtuck004 May 2015 #17
It's not the first time we are seeing this attitude towards Democratis sabrina 1 May 2015 #32
"Stupid" isn't the word I'd use, but... JHB May 2015 #5
Except she is NOT "just a politician like everybody else." CharlotteVale May 2015 #6
well said! n/t wildbilln864 May 2015 #13
He implied that she was not sincere, which is reprehensible of him. That she sabrina 1 May 2015 #33
Today's Democratic letter to the White House... countryjake May 2015 #7
Thank You For That !!! WillyT May 2015 #8
Barak Obama had a "massive fight with Wall Street?" When was that? I must have missed it. enough May 2015 #9
He Swatted Them On The Nose And Told Them "No"... WillyT May 2015 #10
? Actually Timmy the Killer wrote a plan to make Bank$ter/donors richer, and they told jtuck004 May 2015 #21
Thank YOU! haikugal May 2015 #27
+ 1,000,000,000 What You Said !!! WillyT May 2015 #36
Jeez, man--the way he sicced Holder on all those criminals like Jamie Dimon, Jackpine Radical May 2015 #23
No shit. That made me do a double take. Marr May 2015 #28
''My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.'' Octafish May 2015 #35
I recall when the President was being promoted for re-election FlatBaroque May 2015 #11
Knr alfredo May 2015 #12
Does he even care about our own infrastructure anymore? L0oniX May 2015 #14
K & R !!! Thespian2 May 2015 #15
It was a cheap shot. AtomicKitten May 2015 #16
Cheap, exactly. SusanCalvin May 2015 #18
2016 can't come soon enough. bigwillq May 2015 #19
Shocking and sort of desperate sounding. nt GoneFishin May 2015 #20
Obama going to Nike shows total disdain and contempt for the working class. Geronimoe May 2015 #22
All I can say Old Codger May 2015 #25
OBAMA is REAGAN nikto May 2015 #26
G'Night... WillyT May 2015 #29
Does he really expect us to believe the total BS that he had a "massive fight with Wall Street"? Scuba May 2015 #30
If the POTUS is so sure of his deal, he should post it online so we can all read it. Vinca May 2015 #31
What's interesting is that Bush, at the same point in his presidency, also tried sabrina 1 May 2015 #34
Kick !!! WillyT May 2015 #37
A Last Kick From Me... WillyT May 2015 #38
The moral sewer of corporate politicians. woo me with science May 2015 #39
 

WillyT

(72,631 posts)
1. For Those Wondering How Sherrod Brown Comes Into This... Go Here (Very Last Paragraph):
Mon May 11, 2015, 08:13 PM
May 2015
See... Here's The Thing... On Democratic "Unity"...

And on Friday, Obama made a surprise appearance on a conference call with reporters and Labor Secretary Tom Perez. Obama took what seemed to be a shot at liberal lawmakers like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and progressive groups for “send[ing] e-mails out to their fundraising base that they’re working to stop a secret deal.” There’s “nothing secret” about the treaty, he said.

“It was like a lashing out … It’s what you call in tennis an unforced error,” Scott Paul, the president of American Alliance of Manufacturing told msnbc

Charles Chamberlain, the executive director of the Howard Dean-founded Democracy for America, criticized Obama’s remarks. “It’s shameful to see President Obama compare Democrats who oppose fast tracking the TPP through Congress to Sarah Palin and the delusional ‘death panels’ rhetoric. Frankly, it’s beneath this president to resort to such name-calling,” Chamberlain said.

Becky Bond, Political Director at CREDO Action, also said the comments were “beneath” the presidency. “It’s ironic that he claims critics of the TPP ‘don’t know what they’re talking about’ when it’s his administration that is refusing to release the text of his secret trade agreement to the public or even to members of Congress,” she said.


Progressives viewed the the criticism as a sign of desperation from the administration, which has struggled to wrangle support from Democratic members of Congress.


And...

“Belittling progressives who represent the overwhelming majority of Americans in opposition to a trade deal written by corporations in secret is a return to the worst days of this White House,” said Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green. “They are back to caving to corporate interests, forfeiting opportunities for greatness, and, in this case, costing millions of peoples their jobs and economic well being if successful.”

The most frustrating thing, as some liberals see it, is that the White House is spending huge political capital to pass a trade deal the base does not support, while not doing enough in their mind to support liberal priorities.

Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown called president’s priorities “maddening.” “I think if you could get my colleagues to be honest, on the Democratic side, with you – and I think you can mostly – they will say they’ve been talked to, approached, lobbied and maybe cajoled by more cabinet members on this issue than any issue since Barack Obama’s been president,” Brown told reporters Thursday. “That’s just sad.”


Link: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/liberals-furious-obamas-trade-comments

They're all Democrats... where do we place our alliances?



DULink: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026622441

mother earth

(6,002 posts)
2. A house divided against itself cannot stand. We are really getting transparency, and it is
Mon May 11, 2015, 08:18 PM
May 2015

quite eye opening to say the least.

 

WillyT

(72,631 posts)
3. Yep... And I Doubt Most Actual Politicians Know How The Web Actually Works...
Mon May 11, 2015, 08:26 PM
May 2015

They are being politically dissected on the Internet,while playing that Angry Birds thing they just found.


 

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)
17. But the people they hire may be quite good. Depends on how well they can use them. n/t
Mon May 11, 2015, 09:53 PM
May 2015

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
32. It's not the first time we are seeing this attitude towards Democratis
Tue May 12, 2015, 07:58 AM
May 2015

by this president. I remember that the Dem leadership under Pelosi had to go to the WH during campaign season to ask the President to 'stop lumping Democrats with Republicans' when he was speaking about Congress not doing what they ought to be doing'.

It had been noticed by many people that whenever he DID mildly criticize Republicans, he made sure to point out that it 'both sides' who needed to step up and do their jobs.

With elections coming up this was unprecedented, and he was asked to stop playing that moral equivalency game as it could hurt Dems in the upcoming elections.

I would love to see him attack Republicans with the same fervor he is now attacking some our best Democrats.

JHB

(38,213 posts)
5. "Stupid" isn't the word I'd use, but...
Mon May 11, 2015, 08:30 PM
May 2015

...this is a man who needed how long for it to sink in that the days of "Tip & Ronny" were over, and the Republican's main goal regarding a Democratic president has become "find a way to bring him down"?

Like I said, "stupid" isn't a word I'd use about the president*. "Blind spots", however...


*This president, at least. Does not apply to his predecessor. The whole thesaurus entry applies to that one.

CharlotteVale

(2,717 posts)
6. Except she is NOT "just a politician like everybody else."
Mon May 11, 2015, 08:34 PM
May 2015

She's honest. And she actually does stand up to Wall Street.

President Obama's contemptuous words say way more about himself than they do about her.

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
33. He implied that she was not sincere, which is reprehensible of him. That she
Tue May 12, 2015, 08:04 AM
May 2015

has political aspirations so she is just playing political games when she stands up for the people against Wall St.

That was just unbelievable, petty, and completely uncalled for.

Especially to say 'she doesn't know what she is talking about' when IF that is true, it is HIS fault for conducting this 'deal' in secret for so many years and refusing to allow Congress to participate or even see drafts of what they were up to, until the public outrage became so intense the WH was forced to finally 'allow' some viewing of the draft.

After which members stated that 'if the public knew what was in it they would oppose it.

Thanks to Wikileaks the public did get a glimpse of some of what is in it and Dems were right, they do oppose it.

countryjake

(8,554 posts)
7. Today's Democratic letter to the White House...
Mon May 11, 2015, 08:34 PM
May 2015
Dems turn up Heat on Eve of Trade Vote By Vicki Needham - 05/11/15

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/241625-dems-turn-up-heat-on-eve-of-trade-vote


https://twitter.com/sensherrodbrown

Fourteen Senate Democrats on Monday urged President Obama to require that stronger labor standards be implemented before a sweeping Asia-Pacific deal takes effect, firing a shot across the bow on the eve of a crucial test vote in the Senate.

The group of lawmakers, nearly all of whom oppose fast-tracking trade agreements, warned U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Labor Secretary Tom Perez that waiting to improve standards until after the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is enacted could diminish enforcement of labor protections in those countries.

“TPP has been presented as a unique opportunity to measurably improve the lives of workers in all TPP countries, but only holds such promise if countries are required to meet and uphold the agreement’s labor standards before the agreement is implemented,” the senators wrote.

The Democrats signing the letter were Sens. Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Ben Cardin (Md.), Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Bob Casey Jr. (Pa.), Al Franken (Minn.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Tom Udall (N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.).



enough

(13,760 posts)
9. Barak Obama had a "massive fight with Wall Street?" When was that? I must have missed it.
Mon May 11, 2015, 08:50 PM
May 2015

He must believe his own rhetoric, I suppose.

 

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)
21. ? Actually Timmy the Killer wrote a plan to make Bank$ter/donors richer, and they told
Mon May 11, 2015, 10:17 PM
May 2015

Bank$ter/donors they better take it, or else. Then they let 4 more million FAMILIES fall into foreclosure and about 8 million more people into poverty, about 30 million more into near poverty, cut money to states for various programs, cut money to higher ed and ran the student loans bills up, nearly stopped hiring at a Federal level (which is about the only place a black person can count on being looked at for more than their color, eh?, so it really screwed them).

(It's all detailed in Timmy's missive "Stress Test", at your favorite book depository. And laughed at by voters during Killer's interview on Jon Stewart's show. )

Then, because we were no longer paying those bills and investing in ourselves, they paraded the decrease in our deficit around as if it is a good thing. Notice how many new people are hurting just to keep the wealthy healthy. The people might as well be in bondage, because the opportunities to leave that have been stripped away for other people's profit.

This is nothing more than a plantation for tens of millions of Americans and newly arrived people, and it is going to be for at least the next three generations. And that's a shitty thing to do to your neighbors, even if you do get some insurance for ten million of them - a hundred million are permanently injured.

So the question above - who do give your allegiance to? - is the same as it has always been. Your neighbor. You want to work with each other to make sure you both do well. Because an injury to one is an injury to all. Our choice is not which party, but between servitude and freedom.

The arguments about power notwithstanding, the day one gives their allegiance to a party instead of their neighbor is the day they choose servitude over freedom.



Jackpine Radical

(45,274 posts)
23. Jeez, man--the way he sicced Holder on all those criminals like Jamie Dimon,
Mon May 11, 2015, 10:44 PM
May 2015

the way he busted up the big banks, wasn't that enough?


Oh, wait--Shit. I popped back into THIS lousy universe again.

 

Marr

(20,317 posts)
28. No shit. That made me do a double take.
Mon May 11, 2015, 11:23 PM
May 2015

If that was a 'massive fight', what's a 'heated disagreement'? Maybe a bj?

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
35. ''My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.''
Tue May 12, 2015, 08:30 AM
May 2015
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2009/04/obama-to-banker/

Wouldn't put it on the level of pretzeldent Bush letting the bin Ladens fly out of the USA the day after 9-11, but wouldn't President Obama want to arrest the lawbreaking banksters instead of helping them fashion a defense?

FlatBaroque

(3,160 posts)
11. I recall when the President was being promoted for re-election
Mon May 11, 2015, 09:22 PM
May 2015

One of the main arguments from his promoters was "wait till he doesn't have to worry about a re-election, he will have no fear of working on a progressive agenda." That was half-true, I guess. There seems to be no fear.

Quick, someone show me a picture of Bo.

Thespian2

(2,741 posts)
15. K & R !!!
Mon May 11, 2015, 09:45 PM
May 2015

Sad, indeed, to have such a president who will watch Americans lose their incomes once again...

and scary as hell!

 

AtomicKitten

(46,585 posts)
16. It was a cheap shot.
Mon May 11, 2015, 09:52 PM
May 2015

Disrespectful and rude, and the piece de resistance is that the president is not telling the truth about the TPP. I stand with Elizabeth on this.

 

Geronimoe

(1,539 posts)
22. Obama going to Nike shows total disdain and contempt for the working class.
Mon May 11, 2015, 10:42 PM
May 2015

Nike makes no products in the US and it cut it's less than 1% of US work force by a third in the past couple of years. Over one million foreign factory workers to a little over 8,000 US workers. Also Nike is among the most aggressive corporations that use tax haven in Bermuda and Holland to avoid US taxes.

This "in your face stupid people", isn't new. Obama appointed GE CEO as job creation Czar. Of course GE has not paid any taxes for many years while it makes tens of billions in profits each year. It also has shipped most jobs offshore and even gets subsidises from the Federal Government.

Perhaps the only thing that could be more outrageous is if he promoted TPP in DuBai at Halliburton.

The person who is nothing more than a lying politician with no convictions at all, is President Obama. Unlike him, Elizabeth Warren remains true to her word and fights everyday for America.

 

Old Codger

(4,205 posts)
25. All I can say
Mon May 11, 2015, 10:56 PM
May 2015

First off if this deal is so damn good and great for all concerned then there is no reason at all why it cannot be made available to anyone who wishes to read it !!

Also why the hell didn't eh fight this hard for a public option? Or in fact anything else he has tried to do at all, never seen him so hot after something....

Except on the campaign trail...after elections it all went into hiding...

 

Scuba

(53,475 posts)
30. Does he really expect us to believe the total BS that he had a "massive fight with Wall Street"?
Tue May 12, 2015, 07:14 AM
May 2015

Vinca

(53,994 posts)
31. If the POTUS is so sure of his deal, he should post it online so we can all read it.
Tue May 12, 2015, 07:32 AM
May 2015

Of the snippets I've gleaned, I'm not impressed a bit. I don't see how he can say we won't lose jobs, although it is surprising to find there are some jobs left to outsource. Just read the post about pharmaceuticals and that is just what we don't need. I've always loved this POTUS, but I fear he's now preparing for life after the presidency and trying to "make friends" for the speaking circuit.

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
34. What's interesting is that Bush, at the same point in his presidency, also tried
Tue May 12, 2015, 08:22 AM
May 2015

to fast track a trade bill. In 2007. When he was safe from having to face the public in an election afterwards. It failed. Dems made some great arguments at the time about why they would not support it. And everyone cheered them on for their refusal to do so.

Now we have another president, at the same point in his presidency, trying to do it again. And seemingly getting so desperate he is willing to abandon all decorum to get it done.

Is it possible that this was part of a deal made in order to get those huge donations needed to even run for the WH at the time?

And what would be the consequences for failing to do so? Did the Corps think that after Bush failed, thanks mostly to Democrats, they needed a Democrat to get it done because, they may have assumed as Obama appears to be doing, that the Dems who opposed it under Bush were just doing so for political reasons?

If so, looks like they were wrong. Looks like the Dems were doing it because it really is bad for the American people.

Money doesn't buy everything after all.

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