2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Did Obama's strong support of the TPP up until the election harm Hillary? [View all]Akamai
(1,779 posts)unable to view the treaty until shortly before it was to be voted on? They were not even allowed to take notes of the treaty so they could ask experts what the treaty stated.
Take a look at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/09/24/do-trade-negotiations-have-to-be-done-in-secret-heres-what-experts-think/?utm_term=.ccd99aab00f9
These negotiations were conducted in secret until the very end, and in the above 9-24-15 article, this was stated:
"In August, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) announced that he is blocking a trade nominee to protest the Obama administration’s secrecy in the negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Even the draft document is classified, which critics find objectionable."
I go with Senator Sherrod Brown on this issue!
This kind of secrecy about this issue almost certainly ramped up mistrust of the current administration.
Since Nixon first came up with the idea of "fast tracking" trade agreements with an up or down vote (and no ability to modify portions of the trade agreements with legislation), our trade agreements have been proposed in secret, have passed with almost entirely Republican votes, and have led to job-loss.
I would imagine these issues would have really motivated people to vote for Trump.
As Thom Hartmann has long been saying, "If a candidate opposed international trade treaties like the TPP, then that candidate may well win the general election."
From the AFL-CIO comes this comment:
"Labor's So-Called "Seat at the Table" at TPP Negotiations
"For the average citizen, the negotiating process for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is anything but transparent. The negotiators for the United States and the other 11 TPP countries (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam) meet in private. The negotiating texts are not public. Even Members of Congress do not have unlimited access and cannot seek advice from outside experts.
"The TPP, like many of the failed trade agreements that came before it, will cover issues including health, food safety, conservation and environmental protections, Wall Street regulations, labor rights, and a whole host of other issues that, under our system of government, would have to be debated publicly in Congress before becoming law. But because the U.S. government treats trade deals differently than all other policies—it is allowed to negotiate rules that affect our lives in these areas behind closed doors. This is undemocratic.
"I’ve heard “labor” has a seat at the table and gets to see the TPP texts. Is this true?
No. Under U.S. law, there are several trade advisers—private citizens appointed by the President—who advise on trade policies. Of these advisers, the vast majority
(85% according to the Washington Post) represent businesses. About 5% of the advisers represent labor. The other 10% represent local and state government officials, academics, think tanks and non-governmental organizations. Labor advisers are allowed to review and advise on draft U.S. proposals—advice that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) can freely ignore. But we are locked out of the negotiating room and cannot see the actual negotiating texts, which combine the proposals from all 12 countries and evolve over time as negotiations progress. Nor can we share what we learn with members without violating national security laws."
http://www.aflcio.org/Issues/Trade/Fast-Track-Legislation/Labor-s-So-Called-Seat-at-the-Table-at-TPP-Negotiations
With the above concerns, it is not too difficult to think of reasons why union members voted for Trump.
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