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David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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May 19, 2007 1:36 PM
SECRET TRADE DEAL - DAY 9: Moyers Special Airs As Rangel Attacks Dem Colleagues
This is another in a series of ongoing posts following the announcement of a secret free trade deal on May 10, 2007 between a handful of senior Democrats and the Bush administration.On the same day PBS aired Bill Moyers hard-hitting piece on the secret free trade deal, the network also aired an interview with a frustrated Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY), who lashed out at the growing opposition to the deal from rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers and millions of workers, farmers and small businesses. Meanwhile, an industry newsletter breaks the news that at least one senior Democrat involved in the secret deal admits that Democrats have delegated responsibility for drafting the final legislative language of the deal entirely to the Bush White House. Here's today's update.
"AN ATTEMPT BY DEM LEADERSHIP TO RAISE WALL STREET MONEY": PBS's Bill Moyers nationally televised special on the secret deal aired last night, and was a scathing critique of the secrecy of the deal, the details we know about it, and the media's complicity in pushing it without ever seeing the legislative language. As Moyers said to begin the piece, reporters and pundits are cheering on the deal yet "all they know is what they've been told [because] the negotiation of this deal was secret [and] its official language has still not been made public." John MacArthur, author of The Selling of Free Trade, told Moyers in an interview that the motivation for the handful of Democratic leaders who cut the deal with the White House was cash. "This is like the NAFTA campaign of the '90s," MacArthur said. "[It is] an attempt by the Democratic leadership - in those days it was the Clintons - to raise money from Wall Street." Watch Moyers' full PBS report here, or read the transcript here.
RANGEL SAYS FAIR TRADE DEMS IN CONGRESS "ARE JUST WASTING MY TIME" AND SHOULD BE "IGNORED": Reuters reports that in an interview with PBS's Nightly Business Report, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) defended the secret deal he cut with the White House, and lashed out at those raising questions about its secrecy and its potentially unenforceable nature. Reuters notes that the deal was the result of "months of closed-door negotiations" and that "Rangel offered no apology" for such secrecy. Addressing the Democratic congressional critics of the deal, the majority of Americans polls show are opposed to lobbyist-written trade pacts, and labor, environmental, health, human rights, religious, consumer protection and agricultural groups rising questions about the deal, Rangel said the only thing he would do differently would be to "ignore a lot of people that really were just wasting my time."
BUSH WHITE HOUSE "IS DRAFTING THE LEGAL LANGUAGE": Inside U.S. Trade reports that facing growing criticism about the secrecy of the deal from rank-and-file Democrats in Congress about the deal, Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI) "said that little additional information could be provided until the exact legal language of the deal has been worked out" and that the Bush White House "is now drafting that legal language." In other words, Democrats in on the deal delegated the responsibility of drafting the final language to the Bush White House all while rank-and-file Democrats have not been given any potential drafts of the legislative language to review. Meanwhile, the Bush-connected head of the Chamber of Commerce has said he has received "assurances that the labor provisions cannot be read to require compliance."
SIERRA CLUB'S POPE SLAMS THE DEAL: Sierra Club President Carl Pope penned a thoughtful piece about the deal, saying the entire debate shows "just how far trade agreements had migrated from any reasonable balance." He says: "These deals have not been about free trade for some time, but about trade managed for the benefit of multinationals. As a result, trade has, its strongest advocates now concede, been bad for the American economy since 1995...What do I mean by saying these agreements are unbalanced? Well, if a signatory to a typical trade agreement violates the patent protection rights of a US drug manufacturer to provide cheaper life saving medicines for its population, the drug company can bring a legal action against it. But if the same country brings down drug prices for import into the US by using forced labor, a union can't do anything about it. If Peru revokes a logging concession granted to US timber companies, regardless of the fairness of the original agreement, the timber company can sue for damages. But if the same US timber company illegally logs Peruvian mahogany and imports it into the US, a sustainable US hardwood competitor can't file for damages -- even under the proposed, "environmentally more friendly" terms being talked about...Neither unions nor environmental groups have the rights given to businesses to make sure that worker’s rights and the environment are protected; for this they would have to depend on the US government which, under its present leadership, is hardly a reliable cop on the beat." While he concedes the deal includes minor progress on a few issues, he says "we are starting from such a bad baseline -- trade deals which are neither free nor fair -- that we have a long way to go, much further than Washington has agreed to this week."
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
You can subscribe to Sirota's e-mail newsletter by going to davidsirota.com and signing up in the lefthand corner. To find out more about Sirota, download his official biography or see his recent media appearances. You can e-mail him at sirota@credoaction.com.
The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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Discussion
The Democrats are repulsive. Friday, I got a call from Obama's campaign asking for a "grassroots donation" of $150. Yeah, $150 was all they were asking from those of us in the little people category. I understand that money is necessary to win elections, but this party doesn't get it. Too bad Rangel "wastes" my time with his worthless interview comments.
Simply amazing to see Rangel give the public a giant Cheney. Such utter corruption on public display is rare. Even the GOP mavens of corruption aren't as brazen.
At least the Democrats are better in something than the GOP.
Still WTF is Pelosi and her corruptocrats thinking? This deal along with the Senate Amnesty bill is going to kill the Democrats at the polls in '08. They'll drive off not only independents but Democrats as well.
If the GOP was a stock, now is the time to buy. Because the Democrats are going to self-destruct in the comming weeks and months.
Forgot to add a bit.
Since Rangel and the Pelosi corruptocrats have shown everyone they are for sale to the highest bidder now. I think its time to ask them how much does it cost to buy their vote.
Perhaps if we all chip in $20.00 or so to get their vote we have can have these whores working for us.
How about it?
walt, I don't know what planet you're living on, but here on planet earth, most of us recognize that the Democrats may have some corrupt individuals on certain issues, but they could never come close to the breadth and depth of the institutional corruption that plagues the Republican party. If you think that going back to the current Republican party in protest of Rangel's idiocy would be good for this country you belong in the same asylum as Bush and the rest of his crime family.
Maybe the Democrats might do well to stop and learn from Sally Kohn. NAFTA's further consequences against rural Mexico is further exposed.
Migration and Corn
by Sally Kohn
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/19/1314/
Rangel's arrogance is honest arrogance. Only idealist airheads think honest politicians can win elections in America circa 2008 without money. Yeah some won in 2006. This is the progressives against the money party with Rangel taking the heat. Get real. Only economic collapse will empower progressives unless corporate money is taken out of the equation. All energy should be put to stopping this corporatism = fascism. If the presidency plus congress falls into democrat hands in 08, there will be a chance to change this corrupt system. Then it will be fighting words time. The rest is just hot air. There needs to be some such understanding among democrats or there will be a disastrous schism. Sooner or later all these free trade deals will fall because they are based on foul trade. Global corporate foul trade. See Parity Democracy by Ed Wode on Amazon.com or BN.com for one possible solution.
And by the way, like Rangel, Murtha flip-flops and votes to keep funding the Iraq war and yes to war with Iran.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/19/1315/
CTPatriot
Great, call people insane when you don't disagree with them, you must be a real winner at parties and with the ladies with that poisonous attitude.
That said, those Democratic fuckers are on the verge of ramming on through another a WhiteHouse written trade agreement on the American people and pushing a corporate written immigration legislation in the senate. Politically it spells a disaster for the Democrats if either passes.
And this isn't a handful of corrupt Dumbshit Democrats its at least half of the party is been bought out right. Otherwise there would be a revolt in the party ranks and there isn't. Just a handful of meek opponents without any real power.
Given this corporate sell-out, the American people could have achieved the same thing with a republican majority in congress.
GOP or Democratic party, there isn't a difference worth mentioning right now.
So we should just make nice till we can win the White House? I don't think so. As I recall, we were told to wait till we took back Congress but when we did, we were told that wasn't enough. I've watched the progressive democrats give up too much ground already. Furthermore, the argument you're using is uncomfortably close to "if I just wait till after we get married, he'll change". It always fails.
I consider myself a democrat, but for the most part I've been quite disappointed. The statement in Sirota's article that "at least one senior Democrat involved in the secret deal admits that Democrats have delegated responsibility for drafting the final legislative language of the deal entirely to the Bush White House" is very troubling and very upsetting. If true, why have the democrats delegated responsibility for drafting the final legislative language of the deal entirely up to the White House? Whose side are these people on anyway? I seem to remember another deal where Congress voted on something they hadn't seen prior to the vote. It was called the Patriot Act.
Perhaps its time for Rangel to move on to the next step of his political career; lobbyist. Certainly, he doesn't appear to be representing the voters any more.
I remember growing up in the 50's when a neighbor kid was into "pro" wrestling. There were two brother teams, one called the von Erich's and the other I forget. Real grudge matches. Then after one event, my friend saw them get together in the same huge black limo, decked out in tuxedos and smoking cigars. I assume this was my friend's first experience as a member of the bewildered herd. See any parallels here?
Rangel's district has a Shirley Chisholm who could take him out, I am sure, or at least put some fear in him. We don't need a Ned Lamont, we need a Shirley is what I mean.
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