Sirotablog
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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October 10, 2007 11:10 AM
The Offshoring of Hope: Obama Now Misleads Voters About NAFTA Expansion
Following his announcement yesterday that he will be supporting Wall Street's push to expand NAFTA into Peru, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has embarked on a campaign of misdirection - ironically (or perhaps, predictably) similar to the original campaign of deception that marked the original debate over NAFTA.
Here is just one example of the deception. It would be a conspiracy if the facts debunking his rhetoric wasn't so out in the open and public for all to see.
CLAIM:
"The Peruvian agreement contains the very labor agreements that labor and our allies have been asking for." - Barack Obama, 10/10/07
FACT:
Not a single American labor union has endorsed the Peru trade pact, which extends NAFTA into Peru. While the AFL-CIO has said that some language in the deal is better than old trade pacts, the AFL-CIO is nonetheless against the deal because it extends the overall NAFTA model. The Hill Newspaper just a few weeks ago once again confirmed that "The AFL-CIO is not supporting [the Peru] deal." In fact, almost every single labor, human rights, religious, environmental, anti-poverty and consumer advocacy organization has come out against the Peru pact - and that includes those organizations both in the United States and in Peru. For more on that opposition and on how this Peru deal is a 99% mirror of NAFTA, see here, here, here and here. Additionally, please recall that the Chamber of Commerce has already confirmed it has been given confirmation by the Bush administration that the watered down labor language in this NAFTA expansion is unenforceable.
P.S. To the Obama partisans who refuse to acknowledge these basic facts out of a blind sense of Partisan War Syndrome, go ahead - fill up the comments with your excuses, your misdirections, your justifications and your absurdly dishonest claims that I am working for another candidate, or that I am a "supporter" of another candidate (the horror! the horror!). I'm not picking on Obama - rest assured I'll have more to say on all candidates as we learn more about where they stand on the NAFTA expansion. Go ahead - waste the bandwith to make yourselves feel better, call me a liar even with all the facts, hyperlinks and data lined up against you. But huff and puff all you want - these are the facts, and these are the reasons why the rank-and-file Democrats in Congress like Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Phil Hare (from Obama's own state) are working hard to defeat this NAFTA expansion.
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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.
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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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At this rate, it probably won't be long before Obama finally pulls a "John Kerry" stunt on Iraq saying "I was against this war before I voted for more of it !" There must have been a lot of stealth elitism in Obama that the business scoundrels knew about before giving him an easy pass in 2004. If this keeps up, Obama will be in total free-fall mode by 2010 and will suffer the same fate Gray Davis in CA did in 2003 but I guess Obama could care less about paying attention to history since he'll be just another millionaire Senator by then.
So, Obama is showing his true colors, he is as Republi-lite a Hillary.
We don't need either one of them.
So all we have left is Dennis?
"So all we have left is Dennis?" - JumperPin
That or Ron Paul after having watched the presidential debates. Seriously though, if you were to see last night's GOP debate and the part where they were confronted with the trade issue, I would have almost thought I was watching a Democratic presidential debate.
P.S.: Tancredo finally stood up to "free" trade in yesterday's GOP debate and finally tied it to illegal immigration as he should have done all along. I finally decided to see just what these pres debates are going to be like now that more viewers are sick and tired of these two parties being crapshooters.
At the rate Obama is pushing his luck over the cliff, if the race were between Obama and Tancredo, Tancredo would easily wipe out Obama in a landslide on trade alone.
Well, there's more to Ron Paul than opposition to Iraq war:
Voted in '06 against renewal of Voting Rights Act.
Believes abortion issue is "best handled at the state level".
Abolish IRS; replace as needed w/ nat'l sales tax.
Abolish FEMA.
Make Social Security "voluntary".
Withdraw from UN.
Abolish Fed Reserve; return to gold/silver stds.
Most of the above aren't found on his main site. To be sure, his down-the-line libertarianism includes attractive positions on civil liberties, foreign intervention, torture, etc.
His nostalgic economic views would remove what still exists of safety nets and return us to the not so "good ol' days" of unregulated robber barons; and with aristocrats employing private security firms to police their grim sweatshops and fields of inhuman toil.
Git 'em David. Hit 'em with the facts again and again. Obamaites are pathologically allergic to what you are puttin' down.
The gotdamn truth.
I think they got it from the LieberDems. Frankly, I've taken the gloves off and to those who would use invective, profanity and ad hominem attacks in service of 'Empty Suit' Obama I say this:
Bring it On!
Here is the word from the Obama Campaign on the Peru Free Trade Agreement. It includes statements from 11 Democratic Congress members supporting the bill. I think you have mischaracterized it, and Senator Obama. I have no idea why you would do this... the gentle reader will have to decide.
* Specifically on Labor Protections: The Peru agreement – unlike NAFTA and CAFTA -- includes the five basic internationally recognized labor standards set forth in the International Labor Organization's 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. That is something we have been fighting for in the progressive movement since before NAFTA was signed. These rights – along with each country's obligation to enforce its labor laws – are to be fully enforceable under the dispute settlement provisions of agreements, just as all other provisions.
* Thea Lee, the AFL-CIO economist testifying before Congress said that while the agreement does not address all its worker rights' concerns, it was "an enormous improvement" over past Bush administration agreements with Chile, Singapore, Morocco and others. She said that AFL-CIO unions were on both sides on the Peru agreement, and it was putting its priorities into opposing two other pending free trade agreements, with Colombia and South Korea.
* As Chairman Rangel has said, "For the past seven years, trade policy was held hostage by partisan gridlock," continued Chairman Rangel. "Republicans prevented Democrats from having any input – not only on trade agreements, but in the formation of trade policy. This was unfortunate, but the Peru FTA presents an opportunity to move forward toward re-establishing a bipartisan consensus on trade."
* It is because of the strong protections in the Peru FTA and our strong working relationship with Peru that the Senate Finance Committee recently approved the agreement by a bipartisan 18-3 vote.
* The Peru FTA does not have the violence problems associated with the Colombia agreement or the concern of a concerted government effort to discriminate against one of our producers like the South Korea FTA.
* The Peru FTA constitutes progress in trade policy with a country vital to our interests in Latin America and we should support it and build on it as we move forward.
Comments from Democrats Supporting the Peru FTA
Trade Subcommittee Chairman Sander Levin (D-MI): "The Peru FTA signals a dramatic step in a new trade policy – one that takes on the essential need to expand the sharing of the benefits of expanded trade and addressing its downsides – by including for the first time enforceable worker rights and environmental standards." We have broken once and for all the failed NAFTA and CAFTA model and are charting a very different course for U.S. trade policy."
Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA): "Trade is about people more than it is about goods and services produced; trade is about the policies and commitment of our great nation to make the world a better place. With this agreement today we are leading the world by raising the bar to a new level to protect workers and the environment. This is a defining moment and one we can be proud of."
Representative John Tanner (D-TN): "I want to thank Chairman Rangel and Ranking Member McCrery for working together on a bipartisan agreement that will help farmers and exporters in Tennessee and elsewhere. Bipartisan support for the Peru Free Trade Agreement is critical to moving the trade agenda forward, which is a key component in securing long-term economic growth in America."
Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL): "Economic security isn`t just about balancing the family budget - it`s about ensuring both American business and American employees have a place in the global economy. Chairmen Rangel and Levin`s trade bill reflects our interests and values and offers American companies the tools they need to compete and succeed."
Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR): "I joined the Ways and Means Committee dedicated to advancing a new direction in honest trade. Trade policy can be used to advance our most deeply held values, such as the commitment to workers' rights and protection of the environment. Passage of this agreement, and the groundbreaking labor and environmental standards contained within it, has already and will continue to yield real, on-the-ground benefits for these two important concerns."
Representative Ron Kind (D-WI): "The Peru FTA represents a new day in US trade. With the leadership of Chairman Rangel and Chairman Levin, and unprecedented bipartisan cooperation, including from the Senate and the White House, this trad e agreement includes everything we as democrats have been fighting years for – greater environmental standards, labor protections, and more. This remarkable agreement sets a precedent for future agreements, and will be a great benefit to the American economy and the American worker."
Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ): "The Peru FTA is a meaningful step forward towards a trade policy that will benefit the working people and economies of both countries. For the first time in any trade agreement, we have established fully enforceable obligations that require FTA parties to effectively enforce core labor rights. America's trade policy is not perfect, and I rarely find myself supporting trade agreements, but I believe this FTA marks significant progress towards a more responsible trade philosophy."
Representative Joseph Crowley (D-NY): "Chairman Rangel and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Levin worked tirelessly to establish a bipartisan framework for crafting trade agreements . Today, the fruits of their labor took an important step forward when the House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved the US-Peru free trade agreement. This agreement does not reflect the failed NAFTA-CAFTA model. Instead, it respects workers and the environment by including t he International Labor Organization's (ILO) five core labor standards and ensuring the enforcement of multilateral environmental agreements. I applaud Chairmen Rangel and Levin for their efforts and for starting a new chapter in our nation's trade policies."
Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD): "Today's approval of draft legislation to implement the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement is an important step toward opening Peruvian markets for U.S. businesses," said Congressman Van Hollen. "It protects and enforces basic international labor standards, promotes access to medicines, and enforces common multilateral environmental obligations."
Representative Kendrick Meek (D-FL): "I applaud Chairman Rangel and Chairman Levin's strong leadership in crafting the innovative U.S. Peru Free Trade Agreement which creates new market opportunities for Florida businesses but stays true to our Democratic values. Miami is America's gateway to Latin America and this will greatly benefit both small and large Florida businesses, while at the same time strengthening the U.S. economy."
Representative Allyson Schwartz (D-PA): "The Peru Free Trade Agreement represents a new model for trade that will improve working conditions and strengthen environmental protections. Today's vote is a major victory for those of us that have demanded the Administration include these standards as part of our trade agenda. "
I wouldn't mind abolishing the fed reserve. The others about Ron Paul I won't say.
BillinMidMO, "free" trade is still "free" trade. There is nothing that will be permanently attached to these "free" trade deals. If you even read the deal, you would have found out that it is nothing but another open door to yet more SLAVE labor. Obama is a disgrace to both the honest working class and the black community for supporting this motherfucking SHAM !
Under these NAFTA-style deals, private corporations have rights to bring a case if they think a pro-labor or pro-environment regulation will interfere with trade.
But trade unions do not have the right to bring a case to actually enforce whatever labor rights are in the treaty language ... for that, they have to rely on the government to bring the case.
As long as the treaty tilts the playing field in favor of private corporations and against labor unions, they are anti-worker.
The talking points from the Obama campaign are just that ... talking points intended to give Senator Obama cover and confuse the issue while he casts an anti-worker vote.
Update: Obama campaigns in Prince George County, MD and courts the "affluent" African American community. And to make matters worse, nothing about Obama's support of expanding NAFTA is brought up.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/10/AR2007101002691.html
The funny thing about those voters is a lot of them are still attached to Hillary because of her GOP husband Bill ! Much as I feel sorry for these dumbass voters, it pisses me off to no end that they show blind loyalty and are no different from the rightwing fundie voters out here in VA Beach, VA !
Update: Obama campaigns in Prince George County, MD and courts the "affluent" African American community. And to make matters worse, nothing about Obama's support of expanding NAFTA is brought up.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/10/AR2007101002691.html
The funny thing about those voters is a lot of them are still attached to Hillary because of her GOP husband Bill ! Of course, it doesn't matter whether they choose Obama or Hillary because both candidates have shown how equally pathetic they have become. Much as I feel sorry for these dumbass voters, it pisses me off to no end that they show blind loyalty and are no different from the rightwing fundie voters out here in VA Beach, VA !
Ron Paul's a jerk like other libertarians. They want to shrink government and turn it into what it already is. A sop for corporations. And you haven't met a libertarian until you meet a "Christian libertarian" as I have. Government needs to be just the right size to control corporations and other power, neither arbitrarily bigger or smaller than is needed. Right now it is way to weak for the job it has of enforcing colander like laws so full of loopholes you could cook spaghetti with them. This is not an accident. You will not have democracy until campaigns are publicly financed and spc. int's are out of the mix. If you did this you probably could reduce the size of government a good deal. You notice no mention of Obama's bloopers or distortions or whatever are in the mainstream media I read. Just like Hillarys "I love lobbyists". Am I reading the wrong things or are they getting a free pass that keeps them the front runners? And they'll probably be a team in 08. Hello out there. Parity Democracy on line for real democracy.
One more idea for an enterprising entrepreneur. How about a bumper sticker campaign. "I love lobbyists", Hillary Clinton or "I love NAFTA", Barrick Obama. Sell them on right wing sites like the Drudge Report and you will make a fortune. The ideas are free if you donate 1% of the profits to Working for Change.
ewode, I once tried to join the Libertarian Party out of madness but once I brought up the issues of civil liberties and economic dogma, I got KICKED out. The Libertarians for all I can see are happy as hell that freedoms and civil liberties are eroding because Big Business has the most to profit from it and as long as they got their money, they don't give a rat's ass about civil libertarians. I can't imagine Ron Paul ever being a civil libertarian if he were to make it to the White House.
I will trust Sen. Sherrod Brown on this issue (see below). These are all basically Multinational Corporation Trade Agreements, and they are devastating to the American middle class, and great for Corporate bottom lines. I am sad to see Sen. Obama supporting them, it is a disappointment.
11-Sep-2007
“The Peru FTA continues our nation’s failed trade policy,” Senator Brown said. “Job killing trade agreements, weak safety standards, exploitation of developing nations and their workers – it is time for a new direction.
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