Rangel..."bam, seal it and catch hell" ...about the trade deal

[madfloridian]

More proof that the labor provisions in the trade deal are unenforceable.

RANGEL BRAGS THAT DEALMAKERS PRIORITIZED GOP AND K STREET CONCERNS OVER DEM CAUCUS: CongressDaily reports that Rangel bragged to reporters that the reason dealmakers kept negotiations secret - and perhaps the reason why the legislative language remains secret - is because they feared rank-and-file Democrats would oppose the concessions that were needed to appease the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, GOP Sen. Charles Grassley (IA), GOP Rep. Jim McCrery (LA) and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), who last year traveled to India to trumpet job outsourcing. "Every time we had them all together, someone jumped off," Rangel told reporters after the meeting, referring to that group. "So we said, we can't wait for the Caucus. When we got everybody holding hands, bam! Seal it and catch hell. We did both." The fact that Rangel now admits the Chamber of Commerce was so intimately involved in the negotiations may explain why the Chamber continues to say it has received "assurances" that the much-touted labor provisions in the deal will be rendered unenforceable.

More on the Secret Trade Deal

I have seen other assessments that agree that the labor provisions are unenforceable.

Even the Chamber of Commerce says so.

Labor provisions unenforceable.

The US Chamber of Commerce welcomed the bipartisan deal, saying it would secure support for Congressional approval of the four pending bilateral trade agreements... Said Tom Donohue, president and chief executive of the world's largest business federation. "we are encouraged by assurances that the labor provisions cannot be read to require compliance with ILO Conventions."

I noticed the thread I started several days ago about Rahm not permitting discussion is still going on with people still arguing. The labor provisions are unenforceable. Bottom line.

[acmavm]

1. Charlie can sure be a self-serving bastard, can't he?

[depakid]

2. Pandering to the chamber of commerce

a group opposes Democrats and progressives at every step is just more evidence that a substantial portion of the Democratic party not only DOESN'T GET IT OR CARE ONE IOTA about its base- but is downright mendacious and self-destructive.

Let's see, it's taken the "leadership" less than 6 months to deflate the hopes of its staunchest supporters, while at the same time further legitimizing irrational far right policies.

I have a feeling that if things continue on this path, a LOT of people will be staying home in 2008.

[Greyhound]

10. ...or worse, voting again for what they perceive as their only viable alternative. n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. I thought Rangel was on our side?

[loudsue]

19. Rangel is NOT on our side, and he needs to hear from us.

We need to attach this quote to every correspondence with him, and make sure he understands that we're ready to rumble.

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. Is he a New York Congressman?

There is something about New York. You got to feed the pyramid. They must KNOW that we all need to keep feeding the NY Pyramid, or New Yorkers can't be kept in the luxury they're use to. I mean, how else do you make a 60 million dollar house an investment if you can't keep jacking up the prices?

[rubberducky]

3. I t seems that "We the People" need to put on congresspeople on much shorter leashes.

Term limits might help bring these self assured polititions realize that elections really do have consequences. Maybe it is time to really clean house. Out with the good old boy way of thinking and in with some new blood.

[msongs]

4. chamber of commerce is a sub-committee of the republican party...but dems love the

payoffs, cash, "women", etc that the CofC seems to have in truckloads.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. CoC and its lesser brother, the Rotary Club.

[madfloridian]

5. Quite frankly....

I posted this because of this thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

In this thread some of the comments were pretty rough. Soneone was beating up on someone who they said sounded like a newbie. Now, if anyone in that thread...like the ones whose "political existence did not begin with Howard Dean"....want to prove this post wrong I wish they would.

I want to be wrong because I don't really want to believe that our party cares so little what we think. I don't like that idea.

Please prove me wrong. Show me the labor provisions are enforceable, and I will say I am sorry.

[Zhade]

6. Motherfuckers.

NT!

[madfloridian]

7. Rangel... "unhappiness is concentrated, but fortunately it's a small group"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

"The more people find out what's in it, I'm confident that ... it's going to work out," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat, told reporters after a meeting with other House Democrats.

"The unhappiness is concentrated, but fortunately it's a small group," Rangel said."

...."Rangel acknowledged many Democrats who campaigned against trade in last year's election were "hurt" when the deal was struck without consulting their views.

He defended the secretive negotiating process as necessary to reaching a final agreement, but also said the deal only establishes policy for future trade agreements. It doesn't bind any Democrat to voting for a specific agreement, or require party members to support renewal of the White House's trade promotion authority, Rangel said.

"I don't know (how many Democrats will support trade deals with the policy changes) ... I know it will be a hell of a lot more than we had in the past," Rangel said.

I don't know the current status of the bill. I don't trust things done in secret even from the Democratic caucus.

[madfloridian]

8. Wow, it just gets worse.

In the interview, Rangel offered no apology for the deal that was struck and said the only thing he would do differently was to reach it "much faster. ]I'd ignore a lot of people that really was just wasting my time, and didn't intend to support it all."

http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=...

More:

I think there's a lot of misunderstanding with the agreement," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat, told PBS' Nightly Business Report. "I cannot see how anybody would be upset in the Democratic Party, except for one thing: they were not included when we had the press conference."

Rangel was the lead Democratic negotiator in talks with the Bush administration and Republican lawmakers aimed at clearing the way for approval of free trade pacts with Peru and Panama and easing the path for pacts with Colombia and South Korea.

After months of closed-door negotiations, the deal reached last week in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office includes a long-time Democratic party demand for labor and environmental provisions enforced through trade sanctions, the same as for commercial provisions of the pact.

However, a number of Democratic lawmakers -- such as Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Rep. Brad Sherman of California and Rep. Michael Michaud of Maine -- have complained that Rangel ignored the broader trade concerns of House Democrats.

Many of them truly do not care what any of us think. They do not care what many in the caucus think.

We can change it or we can leave.

[Morgana LaFey]

18. He sounds like he doesn't even remember we're here

Boy, I can't tell you how far he's fallen with me. HE needs a good primary challenger too.

[senseandsensibility]

9. kand r

Please keep kicked. I enocurage any constituents of Rangel's to complain LOUDLY.

[madfloridian]

11. I hope he does get calls.

My thoughts are that this is just how they all felt about the Iraq funding bill.

Announce it, spin it, and just let us give em hell and it won't matter at all to them that we do.

[unlawflcombatnt]

12. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Happy

"they feared rank-and-file Democrats would oppose the concessions that were needed to appease the U.S. Chamber of Commerce...."

And we'd just hate for the Chamber of Commerce to be un-happy, wouldn't we.

[AzDar]

13. Goddamn.

[madfloridian]

14. I posted it because of all the attacks on Sirota.

He has good sources, has done loads of research, wrote a great book, and is more right than the ones who sold us out.

I posted because there is a group here trying to discredit him. No one is right all the time.

Rangel is acting like horse's a**, and too many have attacked Sirota.

[DemDem07]

15. Charlie and the Chamber Maids

[madfloridian]

21. Oh, Charlie, these words are the opposite of "seal it" "catch hell"

"May 22 (Bloomberg) -- House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel said he mishandled communication with fellow Democrats about a new framework on trade negotiations after meeting with angry colleagues in a private session.

``Our inability to get back to the members to tell them what was agreed to has caused a lot of problems,'' Rangel, a New York Democrat, told reporters after a meeting of Democratic House members today to discuss the trade deal worked out with the Bush administration. ``Fortunately, the unhappiness is concentrated.''

It was not an inability to get back to them, but a decision not to do so. Your words don't match, Charlie.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=a30...

[FreeStateDemocrat]

22. Fuck Charlie Rangel and the rest of the ruling class. This MF'er should remember where he came from.

I'm really starting to think third party after being a yellow dog democrat since I first voted for JFK. I've had it with the corporate controlled whores on both sides of the aisle.

[madfloridian]

23. First face I saw when I turned on the TV....Rangel debating Iraq.

Is he our official spokesperson now? He was in charge of ramming the trade deal through secretly, and now he is the war spokesman as well?

I did not listen very long, but I did notice one thing. Blitzer was calling the other guy to account...Hunter, I think.

I don't know how Rangel did on the show, don't care. He's on my bad list for dissing unions and not respecting the labor provisions. Unions and labor made our country great, and he does not respect them.

He thought it was funny.

I am very angry today.

[madfloridian]

24. Rangel should get some calls tomorrow.

I don't think they should try to ram stuff through they know they can not even present to their own caucus for fear it will fail.

[rucky]

25. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, eh? n/t

[Elidor]

26. I'm sure the DLC Defenders will be right along to defend this bullshit

Rangel is a con man and Emanuel is the enemy of progressives everywhere. And this our House "leadership!" I'd sooner see republicans in their seats: on their worst day, they'd do less harm to the party than these two bought-and-paid-for bozos.

FUCK the DLC.
And all their supporters. Sellouts. Whores.

I forgot: Cowards.

[madfloridian]

27. Anyone call Rangel?

on his bs?