Obama and the TPP: Poll #1

[cali]

37. not even close. Here:

I've been looking to see if he invested as much and worked as hard on healthcare reform as I've heard folks claim. indeed people have claimed he worked harder on healthcare reform than the tpp. I can find no indication that those claims are true. It appears that the tpa (which will last for years after he leaves the WH) and the tpp are more important agenda items than ANYTHING else has been during his presidency. Why do I think that is? My best guess is that he's become so invested in the tpp, he can't see the forest for the trees- and part of that has to do with his caring about his legacy. Unlike a lot of folks, I don't think he's doing this for some future pay day. That pay day is coming regardless, as it does for all ex-presidents. I think what he's doing takes an enormous amount of hubris and believing that only he and the people in the amen chorus know what's best, but hubris is hardly an unusual personality trait in a President.

As far as I can see, the President didn't put anywhere near the effort into healthcare reform that he's put into this. I can find no evidence that he set up a war room prior to the vote- though he did set up one after it to deal with Healthcare.gov. That "war room" was in Maryland.

http://www.benefitspro.com/2013/11/01/healthcaregov-war-room-exposed-problems
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/75077/how-they-did-it

The WH war room for the blessed TPP that us ignorant people are just too stupid to fall in line and praise our President for, is in the Eisenhower Building- right next door to the WH- and yeah, location indicates quite a bit.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/05/11/business/economy-business/dinner-data-part-obamas-courting-democrats-trade-authority-tpp/#.VVB67fBChOx

The President is cajoling and promising and threatening- in other words using both his bully pulpit and the power inherent in being President to get members of his own party (particularly in the House) on board. He is making far more effort in this area than he did with republicans.

The President is using his megaphone to excoriate opponents and, well, not being truthful. In one breath, it's that his opponents are politicians with hidden agendas, in another it's that they're ignorant. He says that lawmakers have access to the tpp drafts but then says they don't know the first thing about it.

He's been nasty, petty and demonstrated his contempt for liberals and progressives in a way he NEVER has regarding republicans. Not in the healthcare reform fight or anything else throughout the six years of his Presidency.

I've seen far too many folks saying I trust the President 100%. He knows what's best. To me, that's simply abandoning your obligation to do your due diligence. It's the politics of adoration, of personality, rather than the politics of policy. And it can be dangerous. history is replete with examples.

He'll win this battle. He'll get his legacy on this. winners write history, and NAFTA hasn't really damaged Bill Clinton.

We will pay for it. We will pay for it with ballooning trade deficits, an unknown number of job losses, big corporate gains, further weakening of unions, less access to generic drugs, unknown damage to food safety, unknown damage to the environment, particularly to the ocean, and increased corporate power and reach. Apologies to those supporting this agreement but yeah, the strong probability is that all these will happen. You may want to deny that the past is an accurate indicator of the future in matters like this, but that's just untrue, and we know some specifics such as extending patents for drugs through the odious practice of greening which makes it impossible for generics of those drugs to be produced.