NOW that it's nearly a foregone conclusion, the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement is about to be ratified.
NOW that only the Republicans and Corporate America and President Obama are in uncharacteristic agreement for making the TPP -- International Corporate Law.
NOW that America Labor Unions and Environment Group have taken strong and vocal stands against it.
NOW after all that -- Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton has 'contemplated' herself into "being against it too."
The CNN Democratic debate transcript, annotated
by Washington Post -- Oct 13, 2015
COOPER: [...] You supported his trade deal dozen of times. You even called it the "gold standard". Now, suddenly, last week, you're against it.
Will you say anything to get elected?
CLINTON: Well, actually, I have been very consistent. Over the course of my entire life, I have always fought for the same values and principles, but, like most human beings -- including those of us who run for office -- I do absorb new information. I do look at what's happening in the world.
You know, take the trade deal. I did say, when I was secretary of state, three years ago, that I hoped it would be the gold standard. It was just finally negotiated last week, and in looking at it, it didn't meet my standards. My standards for more new, good jobs for Americans, for raising wages for Americans.
And I want to make sure that I can look into the eyes of any middle-class American and say, "this will help raise your wages." And I concluded I could not.
Where were those same "middle-class conclusions" and heartfelt concern -- when she was actively out
promoting the TPP, for all the Jobs it would create --
both here and abroad?
They must have taken a back-seat to 'sealing the deal' ...
CNN -- June 15, 2015
[ Hillary Clinton advocating for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement: ]
November 17, 2012
"Better jobs with higher wages and safer working conditions, including for women, migrant workers and others too often in the past excluded from the formal economy will help build Asia's middle class and rebalance the global economy. Canada and Mexico have already joined the original TPP partners."
July 8, 2012
"We also discussed the opportunity to strengthen our economic relationship, and the United States welcomes Japan's interest in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which we think will connect economies throughout the region, making trade and investment easier, spurring exports, creating jobs."
April 10, 2012
"This agreement is not just about eliminating barriers to trade, although that is crucial for boosting U.S. exports and creating jobs here at home."
November 16, 2011
"Together we hope to deliver an array of benefits to the people, including more foreign investment to create new jobs, a more streamlined court system that can deliver justice and protect local businesses, better services, and more resources to fight poverty. Over time, these steps will better position the Philippines to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which we hope will dramatically increase trade and investment among the peoples of the Pacific."
Where were those same
"middle-class conclusions" about hurting American Wages --
when it actually might have mattered?
It's not like we didn't have the decimating history of the NAFTA agreement to draw on. You know, the thing that created cemented the "Rust Belt" in the American Midwest -- decimating the American "middle-class" back a few decades ago ... Those average Americans know first-hand, "what Free Trade does to American Jobs."
It makes them disappear. It makes them take a "fast-track" to an unrestrained world-wide "race to the bottom" ...
Well, there IS another Candidate -- another Democratic choice -- who has been fighting for the American Workers and Wages -- all along.
He didn't have to suddenly 'change his mind' -- to do so, to support American Workers, because he needed their Votes.
He's been there all along, 'having Worker's backs' -- simply because it was the "Right Thing to Do" ...
Senate Session, Part 1 -- May 12, 2015
The Senate considered H.R. 1314, the legislative vehicle for Trade Promotion Authority reauthorization. It would give the president broad Fast-Track authority when negotiating trade agreements and require Congress to consider treaties without an amendment process.
Mr. Sanders:
[...]
Sadly, Mr. President, the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement follows in the footsteps of these other disastrous free trade agreements that have forced American workers to compete against desperate and low-wage workers around the world. Mr. President, over and over again -- and I have heard this so many times -- I heard it just on the floor this morning -- supporters of fast track have told us that unfettered free trade will increase American jobs and wages and will be just a wonderful thing for the American economy. Sadly, however, these folks have been proven wrong and wrong and wrong time after time after time. I hear the same language and every time what they say just proves not to be true.
Let me just mention to you some quotes from the supporters of NAFTA. This is what people were telling us about how great the free trade agreement or the NAFTA free trade agreement would be. On September 19, 1993, president Bill Clinton said the following -- he was, of course, president pushing NAFTA in the same way that president Obama is today pushing the T.P.P. This is what Clinton said -- and i quote -- "I believe that NAFTA will create 200,000 American jobs in the first two years of its effect. I believe that NAFTA will create a million jobs in the first five years of its impact" -- end of quote. In 1993, it's not just liberals like bill Clinton, here's the very conservative Heritage foundation in 1993. This is what they said -- and I quote -- "virtually all economists agree that NAFTA will produce a net increase of U.S. Jobs over the next decade" -- end of quote. 1993 the distinguished senator from Kentucky, our majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said -- and I quote -- "American firms will not move to Mexico just for lower wages" -- end of quote by Mitch McConnell.
Is what President Clinton, is what the Heritage Foundation said, is that what Mitch McConnell said turn out to be correct? Of course, it did not. What happened was exactly the opposite of what they said. According to the economists at the Economic Policy Institute, NAFTA has led to the loss of more than 680,000 jobs. In 1993 the year before NAFTA was implemented, the United States had a trade surplus with Mexico of more than $1.6 billion. Last year the trade deficit with Mexico was $53 billion. So all of the verbiage that we heard about NAFTA being so good for American workers turned out to be dead wrong.
[...]
Meanwhile every trade union in America, the vast majority of Environmental groups in this country, they are saying be careful about T.P.P. vote "No" on fast track.
Mr. President, here is the reality of the American economy. Since 2001, we have lost 60,000 factories in this country and we've lost over 4.7 million manufacturing jobs. In 1970, 25% of all of the jobs of this country were in manufacturing. Today that figure is down to 9%. And the point here is that by and large, especially if there were unions, those manufacturing jobs paid working people a living wage, not a Wal-mart wage, not a McDonald's wage.
Our demand must be to corporate America, who tell us every night on TV to buy this product, to buy this pair of sneakers, to buy this television, to buy whatever it is, that maybe, just maybe they might want to start manufacturing those products here in the united states of America, pay our workers a decent wage rather than look all over the world for the lowest possible wages at which they can exploit workers who are desperate.
Mr. President, I was very disappointed that president Obama chose the headquarters of NIKE to tout the so-called benefits of the T.P.P. NIKE epitomizes why disastrous unfettered free trade policies during the past four decades have failed American workers. NIKE does not employ a single manufacturing worker who makes shoes in the United States of America. Not one worker. 100% of the shoes that are sold by NIKE are -- that are sold by NIKE are made overseas in low-wage countries.
When NIKE was founded and this is the transformation of the American country, when NIKE was founded in 1964, just 4% of U.S. Foot wear was imported. In other words, we manufactured the vast majority of the shoes and the sneakers that we wore. Today nearly all of the shoes that are bought in the united states are manufactured overseas. Today over 330,000 workers manufacture NIKE's products in Vietnam, where the minimum wage is 56 cents an hour. And I hear president Obama and other proponents of T.P.P. talking about a level playing field. We have to compete on a level playing field. Does anybody think competing against people, desperate people who make 56 cents an hour is a level playing field, is fair to American workers? Of course we want the poor people all over the world to see an increase in their Standard of Living, and we've got to play an important role in that. But you don't have to destroy the American middle class to help low-income workers around the world.
[...]
Mr. President, it is not just NIKE and it is not just Vietnam. Another country that is part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership is Malaysia. Today there are nearly 200,000 electronics factories in Malaysia where high-tech products from Apple, Dell, Intel, Motorola instruments are manufactured and brought back to the United States. If the T.P.P. is approved, that number will go up substantially. Well, what's wrong with that? It turns out that many of the workers at the electronics plants in Malaysia are being forced to work there under horrible working conditions.
According to Verité which conducted a two-year investigation into labor abuses in Malaysia, an investigation which was commissioned by the U.S. Department of labor, 32% of the industry's nearly 200,000 migrant workers in Malaysia were employed in forced situations because their passports had been taken away because they were straining to pay back illegally high recruitment fees. In other words, American workers are going to be forced to compete against people in Malaysia, immigrant workers there whose passports have been taken away, who can't leave the country, who are working under forced labor situations.
So, Mr. President, let me conclude by saying this. All of us understand that trade is good. It is a good thing. But I think most of us now have caught on to the fact that the trade agreements pushed by corporate America, pushed by Wall Street, pushed by the Pharmaceutical industry are very, very good if you are the C.E.O. of a major corporation, but they are a disaster if you are an American worker. So it is my view that we have got to rebuild manufacturing in America. It is my view that we have got to create millions of decent-paying jobs in America. It is my view that we need to fundamentally rewrite our trade agreements so that our largest export does not become decent-paying American jobs. So i would urge my colleagues to vote "No" on the Fast-Track agreement. Let us sit down and work on trade agreements that work for the American middle class, that work for our working people and not just for the C.E.O.'s of the largest corporations in this country. And with that, Mr. President, I would yield the floor, and I believe note the absence of a quorum.
--
Our Fight is ultimately about J.O.B.S.
by jamess -- Jul 05, 2015
Candidate Clinton told the CNN Moderator that she does change her mind on positions, and specifically on the TPP -- because "I do absorb new information."
Was it the details of Senator Sanders Speech against the TPP in the Senate, that she suddenly "absorbed"?
Or the sudden realization that backing the TPP, might effect more "Jobs" -- than just Middle-Class Americans -- competing against 56 cent an hour? ("Wage Standards" that she simply overlooked just a few years ago.)
Realizations ... that supporting the TPP, just might also effect the Job, of who those Workers ultimately pick to lead them, about the time the TPP is wreaking its "Job Creating benefits" on the American International Economy ... both here and abroad?
Around about Election Time ... and for the subsequent outsourcing decades to follow.
In any event, "Me too" ... has got to count for something. Especially if it lets you comfortably "talk to" those soon-to-be displaced American workers, once the TPP goes into its foregone effect.