Why Won't Hillary Explain Her Job-Killing Support for Free Trade?

[amborin]

She was #1 cheerleader for NAFTA.

She supported Obama's TPP.

And:

In an interview from Davos with Bloomberg TV on January 20, Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue - a top lobbyist for the pro-corporate-power Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement - assured viewers that if Hillary Clinton wins the presidential election, Clinton will support the TPP, even though she opposes it now.

Reporting on the interview, Inside U.S. Trade noted:

The Chamber president said he expected Hillary Clinton would ultimately support the TPP if she becomes the Democratic nominee for president and is elected. He argued that she has publicly opposed the deal chiefly because her main challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has also done so. "If she were to get nominated, if she were to be elected, I have a hunch that what runs in the family is you get a little practical if you ever get the job," he said.

Donohue also said TPP will not be voted on prior to the election because Senate Republicans do not want to do anything that could jeopardize Republican Senators in close races. But he said he believed there was a 75 percent chance that TPP would get done in the lame-duck session after the election.

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/34629-chamber-of-commerce-lobbyist-tom-donohue-clinton-will-support-tpp-after-election

[hifiguy]

1. Why? She serves her owners and

masters well, that's why. And we ain't in that club.

[Celebrandil]

2. Why world free trade be killing jobs?

I've never really understood why American progressives seem to believe that free trade is killing jobs. The first reason why I would object to such a notion is that it's so America-centric, as if American jobs are more important than jobs elsewhere. It also assumes a zero-sum game that doesn't exist. The second reason is because it signals a lack in confidence in its own work force, that Americans would not be able to compete on the world market if the competition were all free. Of course, American workers would be able to compete on a world market.

[JRLeft]

3. You sound like an CNBC analyst. Think about that for a while.

[Dragonfli]

4. You really believe you can compete in a job market where your competition makes

A dollar a day?
You must be independently wealthy one must assume.

[Celebrandil]

11. Yes, you can.

Of course, you can. You make better products. Salaries are that low because the country is less developed and can only compete through low prices. As soon as the country develops prices will go up and so will the salaries. That is exactly what happened when the eastern European countries joined EU. Less qualified jobs went to eastern Europe, the countries developed with increasing living standard for the people there. Some jobs went even further to the east, while others came back to the west. The reason why the salary is only a dollar a day is because you measure the salary in dollars, not in the local currency. It's just a function of the exchange rate, which depends on the competitiveness of the country. If the competitiveness increases, so will the salaries measure in dollars. Western Europe has gained from a richer eastern Europe, not lost.

[Dragonfli]

14. Well, good luck living on your dollar a day. I think it will be harder than you think.

So far, the dream scenario you supply has not worked out in practice. instead Jobs are still shipped to mexico (NAFTA was a long time ago) because the bosses get the same work done for 1/7th of what the workers here made.

I am afraid you are basing your argument on the fallacy that this so called "free trade" is about a race to the top, when in fact it is about a race to the bottom so that the corporations can earn more profit by hiring people for slave wages.

I don't doubt your sincerity however, it is just that your sincerity unfortunately is equal to your ignorance on the subject.

[hifiguy]

19. I get it. The starvation and beatings

will continue until morale improves and you magically acquire a Ph.D.

Well that's cleared up.

[valerief]

27. So no one needs to eat or pay rent or pay for heat until those countries become

developed. We all go into cryostates. Got it.

[grntuscarora]

6. omg

American jobs are more important to the Americans holding them. Why the hell wouldn't they be?

And as to your second point, Americans can compete with anyone, anywhere, in terms of quality of work performed. They just don't feel they should be expected to compete with people that will work for pennies a day in sweatshop conditions.

Which brings me to MY point that NO ONE ANYWHERE should have to slave for crap wages in crap conditions!

and I like to think Bernie would agree with me.

Jeebuz. Start the revolution.

[Maedhros]

7. Thank you for the Republican rebuttal. [n/t]

[Vincardog]

8. How can you compete with slave labor? Why should you have to?

[Celebrandil]

12. Use free trade agreements to abolish slave labor.

Of course, you shouldn't. There needs to be rules. In fact, free trade agreements can be used as a means to push for better working conditions for those workers currently working under poor conditions.

[Vincardog]

13. Why not protect US workers until we fix the whole world?

[Celebrandil]

16. Free trade is not the primary problem

The problem is not free trade. The problem is the lack of security and free access to education that you have in America, making job markets more rigid than necessary. Workers can be retrained and do wonders, if you just give them the tools. A more developed Mexico would be beneficial not just to the Mexicans, but also to American workers.

[Vincardog]

18. Horser shit. Train the workers for WHAT JOBS? Your argument is what Bill Clinton said when he passd

NAFTA. It was and is a crock. It is a blame the victim excuse to sell out to corporate interests.

[grntuscarora]

17. +1

Why don't we get our own house in order before we start preaching the glories of western capitalism to the world.


edit: change "preaching" to " foisting"

[hifiguy]

20. What is the incentive for the

billionaire class to do that? Slave labor is their fondest wish.

[amborin]

9. seriously? over one million US jobs lost & increased income inequality:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lori-wallach/nafta-at-20-one-million-u_b_4550207.html

[TheFarS1de]

10. How is it not killing jobs ?

That is the more pertinent question . Spin away .......

[MisterP]

5. they passed all that in the early 90s thinking the economy

could run off bubbles forever--the dotcoms and corporate raiders blew 1999-2001, and then housing 2007-8, and every time *real* work always seemed to take the hit

now the Clintons want to reenter politics after the egg timer has rung on their 90s policies: back in 1992 Tsongas could say that if you "grew the pie" you didn't have to ever annoy the donors by talking about how it was sliced

most pols pass these laws knowing they'll be out of office once Americans open the box and discover the used flypaper inside; now the medicine show's decided to hit the same town twice

[senz]

15. Because she's running in the Democratic Primary, that's why.

[Control-Z]

21. She came out against the tpp.

Has there been news I've missed?

I think you're confusing her with her husband. The way I hear it she had questions about NAFTA at the time.

[TTUBatfan2008]

22. Meanwhile...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/chamber-of-commerce-lobby_b_9104096.html

Is he lying or did she tell him something different behind closed doors than what she is telling the public in her campaign?

[amborin]

28. Hillary's State Dept gave early praise & the green light to the TPP; once Bernie opposed it, Hillary

changed her stance; she is totally untrustworthy. She lies. She flip flops. There is NO WAY anyone can take her word for ANYTHING.

[hifiguy]

23. She will ultimately dance with the

billionaires who brung her and own her. Make book on it.

[tokenlib]

24. That's moving left for the primaries..there is a credibility gap n/t

[d_legendary1]

25. Why do you hate America you leftist teahadist?

You're supposed to ask her why Sanders is a mean old man who keeps attacking her donors! Asking real questions is the same as attacking Obama you racists! Maybe hanging out with those frisky young girls you keep meeting at his events is clouding your judgement.


(I'll add this just in case)

[elleng]

26. Because it kills jobs???

[Persondem]

29. So exactly what sections of the TPP contribute to killing jobs? The full text has been available

for months so you should have no trouble pulling exact quotes and section references from the document.

Also, what crystal ball the guy is looking into to know what Clinton will do in the future.

Sounds more like a 100% speculative hit piece.