Obama Takes Unexpected Setback On Trade Agenda As Fast Track Passes Senate

[Nuclear Unicorn]

Obama Takes Unexpected Setback On Trade Agenda As Fast Track Passes Senate

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's trade agenda suffered a setback Friday evening during a series of last-minute maneuvers in the Senate. While the upper chamber eventually passed a bill that would help Obama streamline a trade pact with 11 Pacific nations, the final product threw a wrench into the president's plans.

The Senate approved a bill to "fast-track" trade agreements negotiated by the president. The agreement will prevent Congress from amending or filibustering Obama's controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. The TPP deal would have a hard time surviving without fast-track authority.

But a key crackdown on human trafficking survived the legislative jujitsu. The White House considers the provision a deal-breaker, as it would force one of the nations involved in the TPP talks -- Malaysia -- out of the agreement. An immigration-related amendment authored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) never got a vote, making it far more difficult for Obama to win over skeptical tea party Republicans in the House.

The slavery provision's survival means that the House will either need to amend the bill and send it back to the Senate, which would cause a delay and complicate the House debate, or pass a bill and go to conference with the Senate, also causing a delay. It also potentially could be fixed in separate legislation otherwise moving through Congress.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/22/senate-passes-fast-track_n_7425614.html

Emphasis added.

I don't curse a lot in my posts but -- What the fuck?

America's first African-American President -- supposedly a Progressive -- is working to allow slavery to go unchallenged in the name of corporate profits? Human trafficking? Sex slavery, i.e. RAPE-FOR-PROFIT!

Mr. President, you have lost your soul.

[daleanime]

1. But it's more important that the rich become richer.....

[bvar22]

91. Don't worry.

They promised to "Fix it Later!"
.
.
.
..
.

Has THAT "fixed it later" ever really happened?

They promised to fix the Patriot Act "later".
Did that happen?

They promised to "fix" NAFTA later too.
Did that happen?


I don't trust the "Fix it Later" dodge.
That excuse for passing bad policy is All Used Up.
Not. Buying. It.
Fix it NOW, before making it LAW.

[daleanime]

102. Amen.....

[Scuba]

128. This is why US trade representatives don't think murdering labor advocates is a problem.

[woo me with science]

2. The moral sewer of corporate rule. nt

[Enthusiast]

40. +1 an entire shit load.

[GoneFishin]

59. Child labor laws and the minimum wage in the U.S. are costing U.S. companies a shitload of profits

too. If only some Malaysian company could challenge those laws under TPP we could "level the playing field".

[grasswire]

83. Ouch

Damn it all.

[randome]

85. That's not how it works and you should know that by now.

Local laws, regulations, etc. -if applied uniformly to domestic as well as foreign companies- will not be abridged.

It's only when those laws are structured to treat foreign companies differently that a dispute can arise.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

[GoneFishin]

93. Really? So as long as all meat from all countries is labeled with a country of origin then Canada

and Mexico can't force the U.S. to remove those labels, even though that is EXACTLY what they just did?

Wishful thinking.

I'll tell you something else. For every scam that they were unable to pull off under NAFTA, they have had 10 years to contrive new verbiage for TPP that will circumvent the earlier NAFTA hurdles.

It is every scumbag lawyer's wet dream to have 10 years to weave extremely convoluted and meandering jargon into a contract that barely fits into a box truck, then pressure the other side to sign ASAP.

And that is precisely the point of the secrecy, to bury everyone with too much complex language to analyze before it is voted on.

[randome]

94. The only purpose of labeling a country of origin is to discourage its purchase.

That's showing favoritism and that is why the ruling went against us.

So long as our safety standards are applied uniformly, it shouldn't matter where the food comes from. That's what the treaty is designed to do -treat every country's products the same, which means, consequently, that our safety standards apply to all imports.

Will the GOP do what they can, as usual, to weaken those standards? They sure will.

You won't get any arguments about the convoluted language that goes into these things. But the secrecy ends the moment Congress starts considering ratification. That gives the public 90 days to consider its merits or lack thereof.

And the GOP will be unable to attach abortion or 'religious exemption' riders to it, which is a good thing.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]TECT in the name of the Representative approves of this post.[/center][/font][hr]

[GoneFishin]

96. 90 days is nothing. They have had 10 years to plant land mines throughout the document. Even the

simplest verbiage can have unforeseen implications that come to light under challenge. But a behemoth document like TPP, crafted by large teams of lawyers, with no opposing balance is guaranteed to be fraught with deliberately planted secret trap doors that will be sprung when legal challenges are brought against TPP signatories.

They have had years to run through mock challenge scenarios, then craft language to defend against those challenges.

I wouldn't allow bank robbers to write laws governing bank robbery, or let pedophiles write laws governing child molestation. And hundreds of gigantic corporations have no business getting veto power over our labor, food safety, pollution and environmental regulations.

And don't tell that is not what TPP is about, because that is exactly what TPP is about. It is about losing our legislative sovereignty to a bunch of corporations who will gladly pollute the water our kids drink and the air that they breath if they can make another nickel from it.

[Rilgin]

98. Yes That Is The Purpose of a Label

A label gives information to the consumer on where it is from. The consumer can decide what is relevant to them including the sourcing location. It maybe a political choice of not wanting energy use to deliver a product. It might be a discriminating taste bud who can taste differences between food sources.

And yes it probably gives local sourcing a competitive advantage for some consumers but if that matters to the consumer who is to say that is a bad thing. All labels and tradenames give competitive advantage for some consumers. It is only through the capitalist's eye that it is a good thing to mandate that you can not give consumers more information so they can make their own choices regardless of the reason. If local sourcing ends up a competitive advantage, maybe its because it is important to some people. For others it might be irrelevant. If on the whole it is generally a competitive advantage to identify food as coming from one region maybe its because it is human nature for some people to want to support their own locality and smaller individual businesses rather than be forced to just trust major corporations with an international scope.

To touch on this from another direction. Understand, that many food labels do connote locality. Under your theory, for example, it is a bad thing to know where a wine is from when shopping for a wine. All wine labels should just say "Wine". As long as the wine is safe to drink and contains the same alcohol I should not know it.rather than give the vintner because it might give a competitive advantage to a Napa wine rather than a wine from an unknown wine country who has the same percentage of alcohol and makes safe to drink wine. I happen to like pepperidge farm cookies. I know who makes them. I like the taste of vidalia onions. I know where they come from. I like Dutch Gouda cheese more than Gouda I have tasted from Wisconsin. Should I not know where these foods come from as long as I am buying a cookie, an onion or Gouda.

[randome]

101. The wine and cheese analogies (and the others) are good ones.

But I don't think anything in any treaty prevents a company from labeling their own products. The possibility of conflict arises when a country's government takes a stand on encouraging their own products over another country's.

That's like a 'subtle tariff' and that's not allowed when we've signed a treaty that says every country's products are to be treated equally.

At least that's the way I interpret the labeling issue. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]TECT in the name of the Representative approves of this post.[/center][/font][hr]

[Rilgin]

124. No real knowledge but you must be partially right

I can imagine that some origin labeling concepts have some motives of direct or indirect protectionism which is contrary to some aspects of "free trade" as an unlimited concept. However, it only works as protection for industry if somehow that also appeals to the consumer which makes it really just part of the demand.

If the consumer does not care, the motives of the legislator or even the label does not really matter. That was mostly my point, hiding information is actually a distortion of free trade because it fools consumer demand which would be influenced by that knowledge (regardless of whether that demand is political, taste, or is even arbitrary). Ultimately, whatever economic system one believes in, it seems to me that information in societies hand should not hurt it unless the economic system is totally warped and is based on some form of benign paternalism where the rulers and business people lie and hide things from the people "for their own benefit".

[GoneFishin]

130. Your wine analogy is powerfully relevant and humorous. I imagined blank white bottle labels

with nothing but the four large letters WINE in the middle.

Very funny. Very relevant.

[eridani]

109. So what? If I want to support my local economy by buying as close to home as possible--

--then who the bloody hell are you (or any corporation for that matter) to tell me I can't?

[cheapdate]

116. The labeling example unequivocally falsifies your argument.

And now you're attempting to dodge that fact by raising an irrelevant question about what the "purpose" of a law may or may not have been. I'll tell you something else, a lot of people want to know where their food comes from, they worked hard to get labeling requirements, and they don't want an unanswerable, supranational, "trade court" overturning our public laws.

And another thing, "our" safety standards are not the same as Vietnam's.

[cui bono]

122. What a load of bs. You think labeling is to discourage buying from certain sources?

So you don't want to know what you are buying?

Labeling is information. If someone is selling what people don't want to buy then they should fix their product, not change the rules to hurt the consumer. How about fighting people's rights instead of big business'?

When the fuck did so many Dems take on the Cons fight for big business.

[kysrsoze]

127. The fact that we're even negotiating with a society like this sickens me.

As the United F***ing States of Merica, we should be ostracizing countries
like Malaysia, not negotiating free trade agreements with them and ceding our rights to their business "leaders." We no longer hold the moral high ground against ANY country.

And as much as I respected Obama at one time and counted on him to "do the right thing" as President, I can now almost expect him to do the exact opposite, from a business perspective. My left-leaning dad thought a long time ago (and rightly so), that Obama had been compromised. I don't know how much is his acquiescence vs. how much much he (undeservedly so) respected Reagan.

Between all this and such a lack of regard for his constituents' privacy rights, his wholehearted support for droning other countries, etc., he will for my foreseeable future be considered a complete waste of potential and a turncoat against human rights and economic equality. I am continuously disappointed by the pro-business portion of Obama's psyche, and I don't know why he doesn't recognize what his presidency has come to represent.

[Robbins]

3. This is just ridculas

A democratic president cares more about corporate intrests than slavary.

The law requires tea party members in House?

This shows why some who voted for him feel totally betreyed and like fools.

[merrily]

5. A New Democrat President, which is different from a Democratic President.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12778196

So far, we've had two Presidents who have self-described as New Democrats, Presidents Clinton and Obama.

[Robbins]

13. This is why

I say people including myself were fools to support him In 2008.getting out of iraq was major reason he won over Hillary and what
have we gotten in return?

A major reason i am supporting bernie over hillary if i am not going to be fooled again.

when people look back they will see the push of democrats to right happened when Bill Clinton was elected

I am sure i am not only one whose last strew with Obama was TPP.If i wanted a republican i would have voted for romney.

[840high]

112. Go Bernie.

[L0oniX]

11. Oh come on now ...we've been told many times that Obama can do no wrong.

[malthaussen]

4. You just don't understand Mr Obama's multi-level chess.

With trade will come enhanced standards of living, and then education and leisure, and yea, verily, the scales will drop from the eyes of the Malaysian rulers, and they will forbid the abomination of human bondage. With McDonald's comes enlightenment.

-- Mal

[Bluenorthwest]

6. Then there's Brunei:

Democratic and Republican members of Congress are calling on American trade negotiators to kick Brunei out of Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks until its sultan revokes a new Taliban-like penal code that violates human rights.

“Tell Brunei to address its human rights violations as a condition before the U.S. engages in further talks,” a group of 119 House members wrote in a letter to U.S. Sec. of State John Kerry and U.S. Trade Rep. Michael Froman. This campaign was led by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL); Rosa DeLauro (D-CT); Louise Slaughter (D-NY); and Henry Waxman (D-CA), focused on the threat to lesbians, gay men, women and religious minorities in Brunei due to the country’s new Sharia-like law.

Separately, several prominent national lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality organizations sent a letter to President Obama with the same demand, as did a coalition of women’s organizations. Pride at Work, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, and the National Center for Transgender Equality called on the administration to insist that Brunei revokes its new penal code or face being dropped from the TPP altogether.

When the third and final phase of the new law is implemented in Brunei, gay men and lesbians, and people convicted of adultery, would be stoned to death for their supposed “crimes.” Other punishments will include whippings and amputation, Amnesty International said.
http://www.cwa-union.org/news/article/make_the_connection_kick_brunei_out_of_tpp_talks/#.VWHGNEZv6dw

We remember all the smug religious invective toward us from Obama and from his vicious surrogates Rick Warren and Donnie McClurkin, McClurkin having called for the killing of gay people before Obama and Michelle employed him to represent their views. So the fact that he has sought favored status for nations that murder gay people just like his surrogate wants is not surprising.

[Agony]

7. Trafficking in Persons is OK with a Democratic President?

At the very least the TPP should be used to STOP trafficking, not give it a pass for trade… : fucked up:

http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2014/226770.htm

Malaysia (Tier 3*) is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and women and children subjected to sex trafficking. The overwhelming majority of trafficking victims are among the estimated two million documented and two million or more undocumented foreign workers in Malaysia.

In some cases, foreign workers’ vulnerability to exploitation is heightened when employers neglect to obtain proper documentation for workers or employ workers in sectors other than that for which they were granted an employment visa. In addition, a complex system of recruitment and contracting fees, often deducted from workers’ wages, makes workers vulnerable to debt bondage. A Malaysian government policy implemented in January 2013 that places the burden of paying immigration and employment authorization fees on foreign workers, rather than the employers, increased this risk.

A significant number of young foreign women are recruited ostensibly for legal work in Malaysian restaurants, hotels, and beauty salons, but are subsequently coerced into the commercial sex trade. Some Vietnamese women and girls enter into brokered marriages in Malaysia and are subsequently forced into prostitution. NGOs report Ugandan, Somali, and Ethiopian women are fraudulently recruited to Malaysia for ostensibly legitimate work, but subsequently forced into prostitution.

and… on and on. fucking ad nauseam.

[randome]

12. Wow. What incredible one-dimensional thinking.

Human trafficking is still illegal and still prosecuted whenever found. Obama has never shown to be in 'favor' of human trafficking and for you to reflexively adopt that position shows incredible naivety.

The most obvious reason to not include human trafficking in a trade bill is that increased trade will help, not hinder, the abolition of it.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[Agony]

15. You have your priorities and I have mine… I am happy with my priorities.

The most obvious reason to not include human trafficking in a trade bill is money, power and corruption.

So much for the dimensionality of it all…

[randome]

20. You still don't understand.

If including Malaysia in the TPP is a faster way to stop human trafficking there, would you not agree it is still a priority for Obama?

Instead of doing any investigation or simple theorizing, you will take the easy route of assuming that someone who was against human trafficking is suddenly 'okay' (your word) with it.

I find that lazy thinking.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[lark]

32. Rainbows and unicorns

will of course all magically appear because Obama got the trade bill passed? There are no assurances, none at all, that Malayasia would end slavery. Just like there are zero assurances that environmental or labor laws would be protected, quite the opposite. There is no enforcement methods to take multinational corps to court for violations of these, even for murder, but they can take any country to court (with corporate lobbyist as judges) for loss of mythological profits. So Phillip Morris can take Australia to court for lessening their profits by the graphic large pictures on the cigarette boxes but Australians can't sue Phillip Morris for causing lung cancer. That's the facts behind this, at least what's been reported out so far.

[randome]

36. Why would murder 'violations' be part of a trade bill?

It's already subject to prosecution.

As for the rest, I mostly agree there should be more concrete enforcement mechanisms for the environment, etc. No one is going to 'allow' corporations to sue if the country applies the same laws to themselves as to foreign corps.

So yeah, if Australia allows cigarettes to be sold, they can't apply a different set of laws to foreign corporations than they do to their own.

Now if they want to make cigarettes illegal throughout the country, that's a different matter. That's their choice.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[lark]

41. You missed the point

Australia wants the sales of cigarettes to decrease so they make the packaging rather heinous for the effect. Phillip Morris, an American corporation, has sued them under NAFTA laws for unlawfully decreasing their profits. Corporations are being given even more rights under TPP than under NAFTA, which is already really bad.

Why would we reward a country that practices slavery, let's it go on unabated and officially unnoticed, by giving them trade preferences. Shouldn't we use any means possible to try to exert influence for them to stop? TPP could be a vehicle for that.

[randome]

58. I, personally, would have no problem using TPP...

...to advocate for minority rights, greater environmental protections, etc.

But this isn't hockey, it's politics. What I object to is the assumption that Obama is in 'favor' of human slavery based on a trade deal. It's ludicrous.

And I hope that Philip Morris does not prevail regarding the graphic imagery. If that imagery is the same for domestic as well as foreign corporations in Australia, I don't see how they would have a leg to stand on.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[sulphurdunn]

63. The only lazy thinking here

is your assumption that excluding slavery prohibitions against a nation that countenances slavery will aid in the abolition of slavery. And, for someone who accuses others of a failure to present evidence to support their arguments, you conspicuously fail to present any in support of your own.

[randome]

65. It's my theory, nothing more.

The alternative is that Obama likes slavery? Which do you think is more likely?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[sulphurdunn]

119. That is not the only alternative,

and I am sure the president does not like slavery. I am also confident he is all in on TPP regardless of how he feels about slavery.

[Doctor_J]

100. it's just like how mandatory for profit health insurance will lead to no for profit health insurance

The president's so much smarter than everyone else, he can see correlations that don't even exist. And that part about holding his feet to the fire? Human trafficking doesn't count.

[sulphurdunn]

120. Well, if you walk far enough north

you will eventually be walking south. That is all we need to know.

[Enthusiast]

56. You just don't undertand how fucking wonderful this TPP is going to be.

Wonderful wonderful wonderful! There will be winners and losers. Can't avoid that. Casualties of war and stuff. Collateral damage. Besides, you can find another job.................somewhere. [URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[randome]

70. Like Krugman, I don't think it's all that much to get bothered about.

It will no doubt have positive consequences as well as negative ones.

But for the idea being proposed that Obama likes slavery? All that deserves, really, is this:
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[WinkyDink]

27. You go on believing that one.

[randome]

74. I'm not believing in anything, it's just my alternative explanation.

Which is more likely: that Obama thinks including Malaysia in the TPP is important enough to not tie their inclusion to human slavery or that he likes slavery on its own merit?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

[Nuclear Unicorn]

90. If only we had done more business with South Africa we could have ended Apartheid sooner.

[randome]

132. Different countries, different circumstances? I don't know.

See my post #134. Malaysia is working to put an end to human trafficking.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Precision and concision. That's the game.[/center][/font][hr]

[sulphurdunn]

35. How exactly is it obvious

that increased trade helps abolish slavery? Some concrete examples of that from history would be useful.

[randome]

64. I didn't say it was obvious. I said it was the most obvious reason to propose.

I get it. Human trafficking is bad. Do you not also get that Obama is against it?

If it's not in the trade deal, I think some investigation on why not is warranted, not an automatic screed like "Obama likes slavery!"
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[sulphurdunn]

117. Who said Obama likes slavery?

[randome]

131. He's 'okay' with slavery elsewhere in this thread.

Maybe an over-simplification on my part but is the OP far from that with its implications?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Precision and concision. That's the game.[/center][/font][hr]

[sulphurdunn]

138. I think the implication was that

the TPP is designed to trump any and all consideration that might restrict "free trade", including labor and environmental rights, states rights, international human rights law and even national sovereignty. Nothing revealed thus far about this secret agreement would suggest these concerns are exaggerated.

[L0oniX]

66. But Saudi and Kuwait harems are ok cause we get our oil from them.

[randome]

68. Apparently.

I'm more in sync with the idea that we should much more forcefully advocate for women's rights, gay rights, etc. -and consequences be damned- than I am with the comically ludicrous idea proposed by some here that Obama is in favor of slavery.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[former9thward]

104. I guess we should have been against the sanctions applied on South Africa.

Afterall increase trade would "help, not hinder," the abolition of apartheid....

[randome]

107. Fair point but I'm willing to bet there is a larger picture here.

For some to reflexively say that Obama is 'okay' with slavery strains credulity. I'm betting that the thinking is that bringing Malaysia into the TPP will have more of an effect on human trafficking than to keep doing what we're doing.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]TECT in the name of the Representative approves of this post.[/center][/font][hr]

[former9thward]

108. Well I agree that is a snarky smear on Obama.

Whether trade will have much affect on Malaysia I am doubtful. It does not seem to have had much affect with China. And I do agree that if we stay completely out of trade agreements then China will happily step into the vacuum.

[randome]

135. As far as the difference between Malaysia and South Africa...

...see my post #134 below. I don't have that much of a command of history but I believe SA was content with things the way they were whereas Malaysia is actively working to abolish human trafficking.

Once such a process is started, I would think it's easier to encourage it with trade but we probably didn't have that option with SA.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[Cryptoad]

8. Obama has never claimed to be a progressive,,,,,geeez!

And anybody looking at his staff should know that!

[Fred Sanders]

47. Another pant load from Comcast/AOL Huffpost..this thread is filling up both legs.

[L0oniX]

9. Does this mean that our sex workers paychecks will have to compete globally?

I would have thought that repukes would embrace lower pay for sex workers.

[WinkyDink]

28. I get your sarcasm; nonetheless, sex slaves and trafficked humans aren't "sex workers."

[ucrdem]

10. Forget it Jake, it's HuffPo. nt

[Agony]

17. oh and Senators so and so...

http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sens-brown-cardin-schumer-stabenow-casey-franken-markey-baldwin-peters-udall-blumenthal-schatz-merkley-and-warren-call-for-strong-labor-standards-in-trans-pacific-partnership-and-implementation-of-standards-in-tpp-countries

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow

U.S. Senator Bob Casey

U.S. Senator Al Franken

U.S. Senator Ed Markey

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin

U.S. Senator Gary Peters

U.S. Senator Tom Udall

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren

[ucrdem]

19. Interesting. Where's Bernie?

Bernie is okay with human trafficking? And Schumer isn't? Okay.

p.s. yes this is

[Robbins]

26. he doesn't have to sign it

Bernie sanders is leading fight against TPP.

Bernie may be white guy but has far better riecord fighting for human and civil rights than Obama.

He voted against DOMA,and patroit act.He supports clemency for Snowden while obama goes after whistle blowers.He is against NSA's spying which obama contunied on from Bush.

[ucrdem]

52. He doesn't get the points if he's absent.

And it had any meaning beyond yet another Schumer-Warren political stunt I imagine he might have made the effort.

[Fred Sanders]

53. Pining for publicity and that all important name recognition is not just confined to Republicans.

[Buns_of_Fire]

67. And as usual, my two "Democratic" senators (Kaine and Warner) aren't on the list.

At least with some sleazy creep like George "Macaca" Allen, you'd know what you'd be getting -- a sleazy creep. With these two, I'm never really sure. (Insert badly-needed :shaking my head: smiley here.)

[eloydude]

73. Would this do?

[zeemike]

14. No he did not lose his soul, he sold it.

And I bet it fetched a good price.

[WinkyDink]

30. One can tell by what has been off and on "the table."

[lark]

33. Think in our so skewed system,

the % wouldn't have let him become president unless they knew full well that he'd play ball on their most important objective of all - a bill to kill government soverignty and put them in the driver's seat by giving their profits supremacy over governmental laws.

[zeemike]

89. I think you are right.

It sure seems that way.

[840high]

113. It fetched him an easy and prosperous future.

[Thespian2]

16. When Penny Pritzker and her ilk chose him

to be president, Obama checked his moral values at the door. He has proven that he is owned and operated by the 1%...

[Enthusiast]

60. +1

[CharlotteVale]

78. +2

[840high]

114. 1% are his best friends.

[Buzz Clik]

18. And the hysteria goes on unabated.

America's first African-American President -- supposedly a Progressive -- is working to allow slavery to go unchallenged in the name of corporate profits? Human trafficking? Sex slavery, i.e. RAPE-FOR-PROFIT!

Is that what the president is doing? REALLY???? HE IS WORKING TO ALLOW SLAVERY TO GO UNCHALLENGED?

This kind of nonsense really hurts the brain.

[randome]

23. It's lazy thinking.

But when Seymour Hersh puts out a dumb article, every excuse for him that can be concocted will see the light of day.

Too bad just a little bit of that hero worship isn't applied to the leader of our party just to give him his deserved benefit of the doubt.

Incredible.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[Enthusiast]

62. It's lazy thinking.

It's lazy thinking. It's lazy thinking. It's lazy thinking. It's lazy thinking.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL] [URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[Fred Sanders]

42. Incredible, isn't it? Some folks see all the Recs. for anti-Obama screeds and just can not help themselves.

These same folks seem not able to prop up their own favourite candidates without knocking down others...these folks I do not care for.

Is this Fox, or DU, hard to tell when the TPP is being discussed?

[sulphurdunn]

49. Of course not.

What he is doing is making it clear that global trade should not be encumbered by the abolition of something as potentially profitable as slavery. Otherwise, how would palm oil importers be able to sue a country like Malaysia for lost profits if it actually did anything as moral as abolish slavery?

[Buzz Clik]

71. Yes sir! You have nailed it!

The U.S. under Obama's leadership is getting into the slave business!!!!

You should be proud to have seen that so clearly. Are you going to buy shares when the slave trade goes up on Wall Street? Do it! Make a fortune off your keen insights.

[sulphurdunn]

118. Thankyou,

but coming from someone who obviously thinks mockery is a form of rebuttal, and that emoticons and exclamation points are arguments, I'll take your praise as it was intended. Now, if you are able, and actually understand it, how about addressing my criticism of the president's position. It was about the rationale that a failure to address the inconvenient matter of slavery somehow contributes to its abolition. Please defend that position.

[bigwillq]

21. Good. I hope opponents of TPP continue to put pressure

on Obama and his friends on this issue.

[DCBob]

22. What nonsense. No one, even most Republicans, would put corporate profits over human trafficking.

There are other ways to deal with this problem and shouldn't be mixed in with the vote on TPA.

[ucrdem]

24. I'm shocked to find politics going in Washington. nt

[Marr]

29. lol-- OK, Mr. Smith.

People-- and politicians in particular-- have repeatedly shown that they will put profits over just about anything.

[WinkyDink]

31. You forgot to add the *bitter sarcasm* tag to your post. Or else *maximum naivete*.

[lark]

34. Are you kidding me?

The same people that are forcing a 10 year old to give birth from her father raping her have a conscience - I don't think so at all. These are the same people that also put up a law that women can't abort stillborn babies. My mom came within a few min. of dying because she lived way out in the country and didn't see the dr. much and by the time she got to him, the baby was dead and she was almost dead as well. They have no conscience and no morals. They give rapist the right to see the product of their criminality and actually raise the child, putting the victim through hell every single day.

Why wouldn't you use this to stop this heinous trade? No, we should just ignore them, pretend they're great partners and hope they all of a sudden change? Ridiculous.

[rpannier]

48. If wanna be really outraged read up on the conditions on Saipan

garments with Made in the USA on them are made in slave conditions on the island
Courtesy of people like Tom De Lay

[rpannier]

39. Really? Sarcasm right? You can't honestly believe that

Because if you do I direct you to Al Franken's Book The Truth

Chapter 10 The Tom DeLay Saipan Sex Tour and Jack Abramoff Casino Getaway pp 159-81
p.160 While most US laws apply in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, local entrepreneurs won won a few key exceptions in the area of labor standards and immigration law.

snip
p.161 The second battle of Saipan was about to begin. One one side you had ... Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff. And on teh other you had a few principled leaders in Congress and some officials in the Interior Department. At stake: thousands of powerless workers trapped in a system of horrific sweatshops, defacto salvery ...

p.166 Senator Frank Murkowski returned from Saipan 'appalled' at the conditions and succeeded in passing a bill through the senate, it was killed in the House.

Brian Ross of ABC had done a series of stories on what was happening in Saipan on ABC highlighting such things as the sweatshops, slave-like conditions, and forced prostitution, many of whom are underage 163-64). Forced to perform of stage and provide services to US servicemen on leave, Japanese businessmen and government officials (some are as young as 13-4)
In 1997, DeLay and Abramoff invited 80+ members of Congress, their staff and right-wing opinion shakers to the island. They all returned with glowing praise of the island.
The claim is, they were kept from what was really happening. Though they met Mr Tan, who according to Murkowski was fairly open about what was going on there.

[sulphurdunn]

54. Of course they wouldn't.

And wolves wouldn't eat sheep. What are these "other ways" of abolishing slavery? How well are they working?

[Fred Sanders]

57. Kind of like linking "state terrorism" accusations to an international nuclear deal, the intent is to confuse.

You got that right.

[DCBob]

88. The lack of logical thinking of some on this board amazes me.

Or maybe it's intentional as you suggest.

[PowerToThePeople]

25. Smart people

If they can not amend the TPP once fast track is passed, put your amendments to the TPP in the fast track bill.

Smart cookies

[abelenkpe]

37. Wait wait wait....Malaysia?

Whitehouse is upset because these guys might get left out?

Mass Graves Found In Migrant Trafficking Camps In Malaysia
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/24/mass-graves-malaysia-migrants_n_7430682.html


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian authorities said Sunday that they have discovered a series of graves in at least 17 abandoned camps used by human traffickers on the border with Thailand where Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar have been held.

The finding follows a similar discovery earlier this month by police in Thailand who unearthed dozens of bodies from shallow graves in abandoned camps on the Thai side of the border. The grim discoveries are shedding new light on the hidden network of jungle camps run by traffickers, who have for years held countless desperate people captive while extorting ransoms from their families.

Most of those who have fallen victim to the trafficking networks are refugees and impoverished migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, part of a wave of people who have fled their homelands to reach countries like Malaysia, where they hope to find work or live free from persecution.

As Southeast Asian governments have launched crackdowns amid intensified international pressure and media scrutiny, traffickers have abandoned camps on land and even boats at sea to avoid arrest.

(more at link)

[Fred Sanders]

44. In Malaysia they are worried about trading with a country with an insane Congress and gang shootouts.......try again.

[rpannier]

50. Malaysia has been ratede a tier 3 country by the US Government

that puts them on the same level as North Korea when it comes to human trafficking

Those people that were killed were not armed gangs threatening the safety of Malaysia, they were killed by human traffickers

So, I am unclear as to what you're defending

[Fred Sanders]

51. America has a few flaws in it's human rights record.....does it not? And refused to pass a human

trafficking law, remember?

Would migrant Mexican farm workers care to weigh in?

He who casts the first stone, Yankee, is that clear enough now?

How does Malaysia rate America on their tiered scale of human rights?

[rpannier]

55. Most assuradly. Feel free to read my above post titled 'Really? Sarcasm Right...

It's on the garment industry on Saipan Island

Not sure if it's still going on today, but I know it was as late as 2010 and haven't seen anything about it having been stopped

Brian Ross of ABC did an excellent report on it back about 10+ years ago
If you can find it on the net it's a good, well-researched indepth story

Warning:
Don't watch if you live next door to Tom De Lay. The report will probably make you wanna go over and kill him. It made me wanna fly to Texas and hunt him down

[Nevernose]

75. The difference isn't "migrants" or immigration

Those hypothetical Mexican farm workers you mentioned? They're allowed to go home if they want to. That's not so for 90% of migrant workers in Malaysia; that's why they're considered slaves.

America's human rights record is awful, but at least we have laws, and enforcement of laws, against slavery. Unlike Malaysia. We have hundreds and thousands of laws against human trafficking; Malaysia passed laws in 2013 making it easier.

Whether people want to personally blame Obama for Malaysian slavery or not, it's something in the TPP that needs to be addressed before the US signs, don't you think?

[Fred Sanders]

38. Obama did not personally negotiate TPP. He has "not lost his soul", but you got some Recs!

If you say "Obama is a liar, and Satan himself", you might get more...give it a try!

Personalize the issue some more, then attack the person.....it is a time honored method to avoid the fact the person being attacked is twice elected President and the leader of your own party.

So now Obama is a slave master and approves of indentured servitude.....you go with that...I am sure you will have man who will be happy to post their agreement...many new posters!

[jalan48]

43. Obama has shown himself to be a Corporate Democrat.

[Fred Sanders]

45. Obama bashing threads are great! Easy Recs! And Obama is a slave lover, according to some..who knew?!

Am I on Fox or DU?

[jalan48]

61. I think this site is called Democratic Underground.

My experience with 'underground' newspapers in the 60's was that they vehemently opposed Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War. In fact, they were shunned by traditional Democrats. Maybe we need to change the name of this site to something more main stream so as not to offend today's status quo Democrats-underground indeed.

[840high]

115. This is Democratic Underground. Not Obama Underground.

[eloydude]

46. Let's hope that Obama is forced to veto the TPA bill because of that provision

and killing it inadvertently while both House and Senate decides to set it aside for other important business.

No fast track authorization. TPP goes in full evaluation mode, every single word in the agreement analyzed and scrutinized before discarding the TPP as a job killing bill. The only bill I would support if all corporations were to 1) onshore all jobs that could be easily done here. 2) Pay a living wage for ALL employees 3) Accept massive tax hits for evading and underfunding the U.S. Treasury (for overseas corporations)

[L0oniX]

69. Grumble ...mumble ...something about the FBI and hookers.

[randome]

72. Clearly Obama likes hookers as well as slavery.

There may be a theme there, come to think of it.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[aspirant]

76. Simple solution

Ban Malaysia from the TPP until they clean up their act on human trafficking/slavery.

Why is Malaysia vital to the TPP?

Historically, when did trade abolish slavery, when human trafficking is actually trade (the buying and selling of human beings)?

[randome]

77. Maybe it's NOT that simple.

It always seems so from our standpoint. What you say makes perfect sense to me. But politicians -while often completely removed from reality on day-to-day things- see a larger picture than we do.

If Malaysia is left to 'languish' without being a signatory to the TPP, will conditions there worsen instead of improve? I'm sure that's a consideration at higher levels than you and I have access to.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

[aspirant]

79. So why are all the poor African countries excluded,

are they just left to "languish"?

What about Laos, Cambodia and others, are they just "languishing" too?

Ban Malaysia and the problem disappears

[randome]

80. Maybe because they didn't want to be included?

That's just my guess. South Korea was not part of the original negotiations but now wants in.

It's purely voluntary. If any country wants to increase trade with the U.S. and the rest, all they need do is step up to the plate.

Ban Malaysia and nothing further is done about human trafficking other than the already ineffective measures in place. That's why I'm guessing that including them will do more than doing what is already being done.

I'm sure Obama has human slavery as one of his primary concerns.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

[aspirant]

82. It's time

to take the guess out of guessing.

Obama needs to specifically address this Malaysia issue and why Malaysia is mandatory to the TPP.

"languishing" will not cut it.

[randome]

84. I'm curious to know if my theorizing is correct or even close.

For those who aren't willing to give him the benefit of a doubt, maybe you can contact those reps who voted to not include human trafficking as a TPP consideration and let us know the response. I'd recommend that rather than automatically assuming that Obama doesn't give a damn.

I haven't 'looked into his soul' as Bush, Jr. was so fond of doing but I think I know where he stands on an issue like this.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

[aspirant]

86. Obama is the one to sign it into law.

Obama needs to face the American people and tell them why Malaysia and all its baggage is a must for TPP. If Obama gives a damn, he will do this.

[TheNutcracker]

81. Stop with the excuses. It IS what it is. They were going to be a part of it, and SHOULDN'T !

GADS....

[whereisjustice]

87. Because we won't be treated like slaves in this nation, corporations want access to slaves in

other nations.

[liberal_at_heart]

92. but I thought we were just supposed to trust that a Democratic President would make sure

nothing bad made it into the bill. Yeah right! I would say I can't believe it, but I can believe it.

[pampango]

95. Should we also insist on provisions on drug trafficking, freedom of choice, gender equality,

progressive taxation, gay marriage, etc.?

If the TPP were to contain high, enforceable standards on these and many more issues important to progressives, it might be construed as a step towards the One World Government that the right loses so much sleep over. I can hear them fretting about it now. 😊

I suppose it raises the question of whether we can really care about an issue, not put it in the TPP and deal with the international aspects of it in some others way? Or if it's not in TPP we must really not care about it.

[liberal_at_heart]

97. by all means let's just wag our finger at them and tell them not to commit human

rights abuse because that is such a successful strategy. Why is it Democrats are so quick to go to war these days and yet we're not allowed to negotiate for human rights in a trade deal? Democrats just don't make any sense to me anymore. Too many are way too comfortable with the way this country conducts business and war.

[Romulox]

111. What a *shock* to find you here!

[PatrickforO]

99. When the American people know the truth, they almost always

move in the right direction. And, you know what? Any trade agreement that remains silent on human trafficking - slavery - isn't worth the paper its printed on. Back to the drawing board people.

[woo me with science]

103. Kick for the depravity of corporate government.

[woo me with science]

105. Kick. This is important.

This is the moral sewer of our corrupt, corporate government.

[awoke_in_2003]

106. No matter what

Fast track must be killed. One day republicans will retake the White House.

[Faryn Balyncd]

110. You are correct. The House need to kill the bill.

[JDPriestly]

121. K&R.

[Unknown Beatle]

123. I just don't understand people

that support Obama no matter what he does. I feel like I've been sucker punched by the "corporatist" POTUS because of his recent diatribe against progressives that oppose the TPP, particularly Elizabeth Warren.

What the hell happened? How did we end up in this position? Why is Obama trying to convince us it's raining while pissing on our head? What the fuck can we do to stop this? How can we stop this? Obama isn't listening to anybody except the corporations and people that wrote this monstrosity.

Obama is trying very hard to make this country into a banana republic.

Again, how the hell did we end up in this mess that Obama is creating?

My mind is reeling with confusion. Tuesday, November 4, 2008 I was wildly ecstatic, whooping it up and excitingly hugging my wife. Tuesday, November 6, 2012 was a huge relief that Obama won but not as exciting as 2008.

And now? WTF?!

[Fearless]

125. Would you expect any less from Hillary?

This is why we need Bernie.

[Hoyt]

126. The hope is the trade agreement will spur Malaysia to change. If they won't agree, write them off

Last edited Mon May 25, 2015, 10:14 AM - Edit history (1)

and move on. Obama is not for that crud, anyone spewing that needs to reexamine where they are coming from.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

136. I'm not accusing Obama of supporting slavery and sex trafficking, I'm accusing him of

feigning naïveté in order to turn a blind eye.

The rationale that greater economic ties will lead to more human rights was the same excuse the elder Bush used in asking for Most Favored Nation trade status for China. One might as well argue the boycott of South Africa prolonged apartheid.

[randome]

137. See my post #134 below. Malaysia is actively working to stop human trafficking.

That's different from South Africa, which had to be forced into ending apartheid. Different countries, different contexts, different sets of encouragements.

Why 'punish' Malaysia for stepping up to the plate for ending human trafficking? If nothing else, I would think you could see both sides of the issue instead of making the assumption that Obama doesn't give a damn.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"If you're bored then you're boring." -Harvey Danger[/center][/font][hr]

[bowens43]

129. Obama is a complete disaster. Let's not make this kind of mistake again.

We have another just like him waiting in the wings believing that she is the anointed one.....

[GoneFishin]

133. I wouldn't allow bank robbers to write laws governing bank robbery,

or let pedophiles write laws governing child molestation. And hundreds of gigantic corporations have no business getting veto power over our labor, food safety, pollution and environmental regulations.

Yes. You are correct the President has lost his soul.

[randome]

134. Malaysia has already taken significant steps. Why 'poison the well' now?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_Malaysia

The Government of Malaysia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Because the assessment that the government had made significant efforts is based in part on its commitments to undertake actions over the coming year – notably greater implementation of Malaysia’s anti-trafficking law against labour trafficking – Malaysia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List. The Malaysian government has shown a greater commitment to address human trafficking that is expected to lead to: increased investigations and prosecutions of labour trafficking offences and identification of labour trafficking victims; increasing efforts to prosecute trafficking-related corruption by government officials; and greater collaboration with NGOs and international organisations to improve victim services in government shelters. During the reporting period, senior government officials, including the Prime Minister, publicly acknowledged Malaysia’s human trafficking problem, the government increased its investigations of trafficking cases and filed an increased number of criminal charges against traffickers, significantly expanded training of officials on the 2007 anti-trafficking law, conducted a public awareness campaign on human trafficking, opened three more shelters for trafficking victims, and launched a five-year national action plan on trafficking. Nevertheless, these early efforts will require continued attention, as there are many serious concerns remaining regarding trafficking in Malaysia, including the detention of trafficking victims in government facilities.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Precision and concision. That's the game.[/center][/font][hr]