Obama’s Covert Trade Deal

Oblamer is about as transparent as a four foot thick sheet of lead, and about as bright. Obfuscation and lies - the Oblamer way....

"THE Obama administration has often stated its commitment to open government. So why is it keeping such tight wraps on the contents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the most significant international commercial agreement since the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1995?
The agreement, under negotiation since 2008, would set new rules for everything from food safety and financial markets to medicine prices and Internet freedom. It would include at least 12 of the countries bordering the Pacific and be open for more to join. President Obama has said he wants to sign it by October.

Although Congress has exclusive constitutional authority to set the terms of trade, so far the executive branch has managed to resist repeated requests by members of Congress to see the text of the draft agreement and has denied requests from members to attend negotiations as observers — reversing past practice.

....There is one exception to this wall of secrecy: a group of some 600 trade “advisers,” dominated by representatives of big businesses, who enjoy privileged access to draft texts and negotiators."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/opinion/obamas-covert-trade-deal.html?ref=politics&_r=0

nochain wrote:Oblamer is about as transparent as a four foot thick sheet of lead, and about as bright. Obfuscation and lies - the Oblamer way....

"THE Obama administration has often stated its commitment to open government. So why is it keeping such tight wraps on the contents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the most significant international commercial agreement since the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1995?
The agreement, under negotiation since 2008, would set new rules for everything from food safety and financial markets to medicine prices and Internet freedom. It would include at least 12 of the countries bordering the Pacific and be open for more to join. President Obama has said he wants to sign it by October.

Although Congress has exclusive constitutional authority to set the terms of trade, so far the executive branch has managed to resist repeated requests by members of Congress to see the text of the draft agreement and has denied requests from members to attend negotiations as observers — reversing past practice.

....There is one exception to this wall of secrecy: a group of some 600 trade “advisers,” dominated by representatives of big businesses, who enjoy privileged access to draft texts and negotiators."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/opinion/obamas-covert-trade-deal.html?ref=politics&_r=0

Transparancy....business conducted in the sunlight in front of the American people...No more business as usual in Washington DC...No more influence from lobbyists...No more blue states or red states...and there were a lot of folks that bought into the hope and change rhetoric...TWICE!...

Since when are trade treaties negotiated in the sunshine?

2seaoat wrote:Since when are trade treaties negotiated in the sunshine?

................................

They're not.

And if it was really covert, neither of the pinheaded bobbsie twins would even know about it.

2seaoat wrote:Since when are trade treaties negotiated in the sunshine?

"In the sunshine"? What do you think this is, some little Florida piece of legislation renaming a highway? While participants may not be able to talk about specifics the important consideration is why Congress has been cut out of the loop while corporations are heavily involved in designing an agreement that will benefit them. Get it now or did you even bother reading the whole article?

nochain wrote:

2seaoat wrote:Since when are trade treaties negotiated in the sunshine?

"In the sunshine"? What do you think this is, some little Florida piece of legislation renaming a highway? While participants may not be able to talk about specifics the important consideration is why Congress has been cut out of the loop while corporations are heavily involved in designing an agreement that will benefit them. Get it now or did you even bother reading the whole article?

That's what was meant in my post....to keep Congress out of loop is not a good idea when their support may be needed....Same thing with the US signing that UN weapons legislation that lawmakers do not support but reports are that Kerry will sign....

Get it now or did you even bother reading the whole article?


I wrote my thesis on Latin American trade associations and trade negotiations back in 1975. I studied GATT, and I can tell you that trade negotiations, right or wrong cannot be done by committee. Once the structure is in place, there will be line by line special interest negotiations in Congress and ratification......but negotiating a treaty in the news media in the sunshine with Obama being accused of some wrong doing because of the historical procedures in these negotiations.....simply missing concepts here......there are professionals with economic credentials which may not have the subjectivity of the congressman whose wicket factory needs more protection to survive.......the goal is to maximize, Congress has an entirely different goal based on constituency, and faces real economic dislocation in a district because of these decisions....the process works, and the President did not invent the process.

2seaoat wrote:Get it now or did you even bother reading the whole article?


I studied GATT, and I can tell you that trade negotiations, right or wrong cannot be done by committee. .

If you don't consider the self-interest participation of over 600 corporate entities, participant government representatives, and at least one trade union a committee I don't know what would be. This appears to be another step toward an agenda of postnationalism by some in this country.

This is a MAJOR trade agreement (ultimately affecting China which in turn impacts us) with little oversight for our citizens protection. This little piece illustrates the issue quite well:

"The subject matter being negotiated extends far beyond traditional trade matters. TPP’s 29 chapters would set binding rules on everything from service-sector regulation, investment, patents and copyrights, government procurement, financial regulation, and labor and environmental standards, as well as trade in industrial goods and agriculture."

The article talked about SOPA back doors, and that is a legitimate concern, but again, this idea that the President is doing something different than trade negotiations over the last 40 years is simply wrong. The article boasts about certain treaties being made available in draft and the timing of the same, but all treaties will be made available for ratification, and the political ratification is deeply ingrained in our constitution and it never is smooth. Right and left....up and down will attack trade negotiations, but it would be naive to think that certain assumptions in maximizing Americans self interest are not slanted....it always is.....the political process will be engaged and the treaty goes nowhere without the same.

There is something wrong w/ someone who is constantly trying to find fault and making up scenarios that are deceptive. Nochain/Newswatcher is the same person w/ thinks people don't catch onto his socks. Heck, there's something wrong w/ somebody who has to make up a sock to agree w/ himself. Check out his posts. You will never find one w/o the other posting and agreeing. Sometimes he posts the same thing under both socks.Sick.

Dreamsglore wrote:There is something wrong w/ someone who is constantly trying to find fault and making up scenarios that are deceptive. Nochain/Newswatcher is the same person w/ thinks people don't catch onto his socks. Heck, there's something wrong w/ somebody who has to make up a sock to agree w/ himself. Check out his posts. You will never find one w/o the other posting and agreeing. Sometimes he posts the same thing under both socks.Sick.

Sorry to once again disappoint but nochain and I are not the same person...but continue to chase those voices in your empty head attempting to think what you may...Going by your lack of thinking anyone that answers a post with anyone is the same person?...That would certainly indicate that 'nightmare' and 'flawedtexan' are the same?...Just because you've posted some of the most ignorant posts on this forum try and stay focused instead of following those conspiracy theories that float around in that empty space between your ears....

newswatcher wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:There is something wrong w/ someone who is constantly trying to find fault and making up scenarios that are deceptive. Nochain/Newswatcher is the same person w/ thinks people don't catch onto his socks. Heck, there's something wrong w/ somebody who has to make up a sock to agree w/ himself. Check out his posts. You will never find one w/o the other posting and agreeing. Sometimes he posts the same thing under both socks.Sick.

Sorry to once again disappoint but nochain and I are not the same person...but continue to chase those voices in your empty head attempting to think what you may...Going by your lack of thinking anyone that answers a post with anyone is the same person?...That would certainly indicate that 'nightmare' and 'flawedtexan' are the same?...Just because you've posted some of the most ignorant posts on this forum try and stay focused instead of following those conspiracy theories that float around in that empty space between your ears....

LMAO! Nightmares is an ignorant, tortured lost soul. The flaming idiot has even been told by Boards that we are two different people but her drum is small and out of tune and she continues to bang on it like a mentally deranged street bum. Her psychotic rants are amusing in a sad way - the scary part is knowing that brain dead cretin is out there with the possibility of having a drivers license. It's scary to think of someone that clueless cruising down the same roads as other people.

nochain wrote:

newswatcher wrote:

Dreamsglore wrote:There is something wrong w/ someone who is constantly trying to find fault and making up scenarios that are deceptive. Nochain/Newswatcher is the same person w/ thinks people don't catch onto his socks. Heck, there's something wrong w/ somebody who has to make up a sock to agree w/ himself. Check out his posts. You will never find one w/o the other posting and agreeing. Sometimes he posts the same thing under both socks.Sick.

Sorry to once again disappoint but nochain and I are not the same person...but continue to chase those voices in your empty head attempting to think what you may...Going by your lack of thinking anyone that answers a post with anyone is the same person?...That would certainly indicate that 'nightmare' and 'flawedtexan' are the same?...Just because you've posted some of the most ignorant posts on this forum try and stay focused instead of following those conspiracy theories that float around in that empty space between your ears....

LMAO! Nightmares is an ignorant, tortured lost soul. The flaming idiot has even been told by Boards that we are two different people but her drum is small and out of tune and she continues to bang on it like a mentally deranged street bum. Her psychotic rants are amusing in a sad way - the scary part is knowing that brain dead cretin is out there with the possibility of having a drivers license. It's scary to think of someone that clueless cruising down the same roads as other people.

QUIT FOLLOWING ME!!!!!!!!! Or am I really follwoing me and this is just a strategy?...