Sanders Statement on Trans-Pacific Partnership

[Donkees]

Monday, January 23, 2017

BURLINGTON, Vt., Jan. 23 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Monday after the White House said President Donald Trump would withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership:

“I am glad the Trans-Pacific Partnership is dead and gone. For the last 30 years, we have had a series of trade deals – including the North American Free Trade Agreement, permanent normal trade relations with China and others – which have cost us millions of decent-paying jobs and caused a ‘race to the bottom’ which has lowered wages for American workers. Now is the time to develop a new trade policy that helps working families, not just multi-national corporations. If President Trump is serious about a new policy to help American workers then I would be delighted to work with him.”

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trans-pacific-partnership

[klook]

1. A big IF

... Some Sanders haters on this board love to point to this quote and say "Bernie says he'd be delighted to work with Trump!11!1! Traitor!!!"

They conveniently ignore the HUGE "If" in his statement. Bernie knows Trump isn't serious about helping American workers, so this statement is somewhat like saying, "If President Trump wants to reject calls to privatize Social Security, I'm all for it." Or "If President Trump intends to hold bankers and Wall Street investment firms responsible for the damage they've done to the American economy, I'd be delighted to work with him on that." Or "If President Trump is serious about protecting the rights of all immigrants who've completed this country's existing arduous vetting process, I'd be delighted to help him achieve that aim."

Also see http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/23/politics/sanders-says-he-would-work-with-trump-for-new-trade-policy-cnntv/index.html:

"It's one thing to kill the TPP ... it's another thing to develop a trade policy that finally works for American workers and not the CEOs of large multinational corporations," said Sanders, an independent who represents Vermont, speaking on "AC360." "[font size="18"]If[/font] Mr. Trump is serious about moving in that direction I'd be delighted to work with him."

The "delighted to work with Trump" quote, taken out of context, has become a cudgel for lazy Bernie bashers who can't bring themselves to quit fighting the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries. I find that sickening but all too predictable.

[riderinthestorm]

2. Agreed 100%. Bernie is on fire about Trump, past, present, future nt