Trans-Pacific Partnership

[Xan]

So what does everyone think of this big trade deal, and or the "fast track" authority which may or may not be tied to it?  I can't make heads or tails of it.  It certainly makes for some very strange bedfellows.

“It’s declassified and made public once it’s agreed to,” Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said of Obamatrade in Rules Committee testimony

[sixdollars]

So what does everyone think of this big trade deal, and or the "fast track" authority which may or may not be tied to it?  I can't make heads or tails of it.  It certainly makes for some very strange bedfellows.

I'm certainly skeptical...

[screwtape]

Democrats seem fairly well united against it so normally that would be troubling all by itself. They like to portray themselves as standing up for the downtrodden but when push comes to shove it's about wanting to give special favors to unions and I've heard that this is the primary reason for their opposition.

Republicans seem fairly well united in favor and that would be troubling all by itself. They like to portray themselves as standing up for middle class American workers but when push comes to shove it's about favoring the interest of big businesses who want more H1-B visas to displace American workers.

[Benko]

Nancy saves the day and Cruz and Walker sided with Obama?  Yikes!

Rubio of course lies has ass off and is caught.  He cannot be trusted.

[Pointedstick]

Of what little I've been able to find out about it, it seems like, among many other things, it would reduce a bunch of tariffs and impose US-style patent protection reciprocity on signer nations. I don't particularly care for the latter, but the former seems like it could be beneficial.

[MachineGhost]

So what does everyone think of this big trade deal, and or the "fast track" authority which may or may not be tied to it?  I can't make heads or tails of it.  It certainly makes for some very strange bedfellows.

It's another giveaway to Big Business.  It supersedes local sovereign law (i.e. unions, class actions, environmental protection, etc.) and local judicial systems, i.e. forced to go to private world court/arbitration staffed by unelected and unaccountable corporate cronies.  Who do you think they're going to side with?  Think of the EC in Brussels who care about nothing but their own jobs and power to the detriment of the entire EU.

The FTA is because other nations don't like that Congress can debate and change the terms of trade ageements which then would require revoting in foreign legislatures all over again.  I say, too fucking bad.

I support free trade in principle, but TPP is managed trade and cronyism.

[Reub]

If Obama negotiated it then you know it must be great for our country.

[Tyler]

Like all big government pushes of this type (see Obamacare) my big question has always been "why must it be passed in secret?" 

If openness makes complicated bills and treaties more difficult to pass because the citizens don't like the terms, I see that as a positive development. 

[Reub]

Because people are stupid and must be led around like sheep?

Because we might not like it?

Because it was influenced and/or written by special interest groups?

All of the above?

[sixdollars]

So what does everyone think of this big trade deal, and or the "fast track" authority which may or may not be tied to it?  I can't make heads or tails of it.  It certainly makes for some very strange bedfellows.

It's another giveaway to Big Business.  It supersedes local sovereign law (i.e. unions, class actions, environmental protection, etc.) and local judicial systems, i.e. forced to go to private world court/arbitration staffed by unelected and unaccountable corporate cronies.

This is my impression as well... I believe a few snapshots of the provisions have been leaked by Wikileaks.  From what I can tell, it's misleading to call it a free trade agreement