The Senate Democrats voted almost unanimously against giving President Obama “Fast Track” authority for trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) today.
Journalist David Dayen of Salon joined me on today’s BradCast to discuss what today’s procedural vote portends; what both TPP and “Fast Track” actually are (and aren’t); whether Dems will continue to block the controversial trade agreement in the Senate; and whether Republicans will be able to do the same in the U.S. House.
Also today: The first lawsuit of the 2016 election season is filed in (where else?) Ohio; Defending Jeb Bush on Iraq (yes, you read that right!); Another 2-year old shoots his mom (thank, NRA!); Crazy former Rep. Allen West says he’s a victim of “Sharia Law”…at the Walmart!; And Desi Doyen joins us for the latest Green News Report…
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Nice, hope they don’t cave…
The sub-headline that appeared in the business section of today’s Los Angeles Times illustrates what Noam Chomsky refers to the “elite consensus” in which, when the interests of the top one percent are at stake, as occurs with so-called “free trade,” there is near unanimous support within the corporate owned mainstream media. It also reflects Chomsky’s “democracy deficit” — the significant gap between the policy positions of the electorate and their “representatives” that is occasioned by the manner in which “elections are skillfully managed to avoid issues and marginalize the underlying population, freeing the elected leadership to serve the substantial people.”
“Measure backed by Obama is filibustered,” an aghast L.A. Times complains, “despite public support for global commerce.”
In the body of the ensuing article, the Times “reporters” never mention the fact that, among other things, this so-called “trade” agreement would so expand the existing privatized investor-state settlement system (ISDS) that it would eliminate the ability of our local, state and federal governments to pass laws designed to protect public health, safety and the environment by forcing governments to compensate multi-national and even foreign corporations for lost anticipated profits.
As Bernie Sanders revealed in an April 22, 2015 letter to the US Trade Rep., suits brought under the ISDS system, “a French firm is suing Egypt…for raising its minimum wage. Uruguay and Australia are both being sued for imposing requirements on how tobacco products are packaged. Eli Lilly is suing Canada for $500 million [because] its courts to invalidate patents for two of its drug…Quebec is being sued…for banning fracking.”
Bad ideas are like vampires – they die in the light of day.
They couldn’t pass this TPP if they allowed people to know what was in it.
This entire charade is anti-democratic and offensive.
Hope and change – what tripe.
Don’t bet your stripes or dots they won’t try again some other way. This is the BIG COUP. Who knows how long these weaklings will hold out. Form a local commitee to watch their progress specifically, cuz they are out to fuck democracy. It’s the only collective defense left. Collect together NOW. Right and left are being fucked by corporate creeps both.