Sen. Warren: If Obama is confident about trade deal, he should make details public

[IDemo]

On this evening's PBS News Hour:

So, now that they have cleared these procedural hurdles today, is it your concern that the proponents of this trade legislation are now going to be able to move ahead and pass it all?

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, (D) Massachusetts: Well, of course. I am concerned about that, because I am very concerned that we are going to pass a trade promotion authority that greases the skid for a deal that is really good for some of the biggest multinational corporations in the world, but not so good for the American worker.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, let me just quote — there are many I could quote, but we just heard Senator Hatch say in a couple of answers that he believes strongly what this is going to do is, it’s going to — yes, corporations are going to make money, but they’re also going to be creating jobs, and this — the idea that the trade agreements of the past took jobs away is just not true.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN: Well, there’s a lot of data about what’s happened in the trade agreements of the past, and the American worker has not done well.

The rest, and video (couldn't embed it here) -> http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/sen-warren-obama-confident-trade-deal-make-details-public/

[JaneyVee]

1. Wait, the details aren't going to be made public?

I thought it would be public for 90 days?

[DCBob]

2. yes.. once there is an actual agreement.

[msongs]

3. are the details public today? oh, only when barack finds it convenient for his corporate buddies nt

[JaneyVee]

4. Isn't still being negotiated?

[cui bono]

5. We knew details about the ACA when that was still being negotiated.

[think]

6. Did you read this part where Warren explains that even Bush was more transparent on trade?

I want to make clear, President Bush, when he negotiated a trade agreement, he posted it months in advance of asking Congress to give him even partial trade promotion authority to move this thing through quickly.

And the part where this authority lasts 6 years for future trade deals to be rammed through:

But I want to make one other point, because I think it’s really important. And that is, this trade promotion authority is about a whole lot more than just the first deal that’s lined up, the one for the Pacific side. It is a six-year greasing of the skids. In other words, the next president and potentially the one after that will have the same ability to ram through trade deals.

And so, when President Obama says, for example, that he refuses to work on a trade deal that would weaken financial regulations, he can’t bind the next president. And, right now, there’s a lot of pressure on the next deal that’s coming up with the Europeans. We have heard European officials, we have heard the Republicans, we have heard big financial institutions on both sides of the Atlantic, who have all pushed to try to weaken financial regulations.

[neverforget]

7. Sen McConnell: Trade deal about next president, not this one

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026666105

[think]

8. exactly

[nenagh]

11. And Senator Warren cannot give any details about what she has read in the agreement that worries her so much..

I have read about 'evergreening' of drug patent protection...that, to my understanding, allows the powerful drug companies to make minor changes to a patented Rx drug so that as it's patent is expiring...a new 'formulation' is created..that doesn't have to be more efficacious.. but will extend the patent protection for longer.

Thats >>>>$$$$$$++++ to Big Pharma... guaranteed...

I was glad to see Bernie Sanders bring up Rx costs in a video recently...

Don't know whether the evergreening concept was from leaked TPP info... cali has referred to it in her excellent comments and OP's on the TPP.

I'm Canadian, our drug patent system angered big Pharma sufficiently to cause Eli Lilly to sue the Canadian govt. but that is changing now because of trade negotiations with Europe...and, of course, the TPP is on the horizon.

[sabrina 1]

16. AFTER Congress cannot do anything to change it. Iow, 'here's a contract for you to sign, trust me

it's going to be good for you, just sign it, and you can look at it next week! But not unless you sign it now!'

Would any sane person do that?

I am convinced we are living in an insane asylum ... and those of us who KNOW this are being told that it is WE who are irrational. Nope, I won't allow anyone to tell me that this whole thing is anything but a giant scam on the working class.

[FlatBaroque]

9. I am trying really, really hard not to become

emotionally invested in this politician. I find myself failing. GO GO Elizabeth!

[raindaddy]

10. Seriously, give him hell Sen. Warren

When it passes at least we won't have to hear him whine about the progressives in his party not knowing what they're talking about.
Pretty unbelievable the American people are left in the dark.

[Phlem]

12. Seems reminiscent of the Ross Perot warning.

That giant sucking sound happened.

[L0oniX]

13. Aside from all this TPP shit ...why aren't they focused on us ...the common US citizen?

Why is this TPP shit so important to them? It's amazing that anyone trusts this shit after what NAFTA did to us. I remember when the shit hit the fan and companies like Sony, Panasonic and others packed up and moved to Mexico. Later they moved to Asia. I don't trust that TPTB have my better interests in mind.

Saw Warren on PBS ...the point made was that Fast Track will be a power that every POTUS will have ...including a disgusting repuke . Call me a nationalist but I believe we should not give away one bit of sovereignty to global corporations who move offshore to evade taxes and race to bottom of the labor pool so they can deliver benefits to stock holders and attain CEO golden parachutes. Fuck Wall Street and fuck mega banks. They must be broken up and controlled. We must be protected against those soul sucking predators.

[nikto]

14. The average American is about to get screwed again

[BeanMusical]

15. Kick and R.