President Obama says he “loves” Elizabeth Warren, but that her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is “wrong,” and we should all trust that he wouldn’t sign a deal that progressives wouldn’t like.
Senator Warren responded in a blog posting:
“The government doesn’t want you to read this massive new trade agreement. It’s top secret. Why? Here’s the real answer people have given me: “We can’t make this deal public because if the American people saw what was in it, they would be opposed to it.” If the American people would be opposed to a trade agreement if they saw it, then that agreement should not become the law of the United States.”
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who is vehemently opposed to trade deals in general, weighed in with, “You couldn’t find a person … who feels more negatively about it (the TPP) than I do. So the answer is not only no, but hell no.”
The retiring Senator from Nevada continued:
“I have never, ever in my 33 years in Congress ever supported, ever supported a trade agreement. And I’m not going to start now. They’re not good for the American people. They’re not good for working men and women. It puts us at a disadvantage.”
So let’s see it, Mr. President. You ask your supporters to “trust you,” but we trusted Clinton when he touted the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has been a disaster.
Congress and administration must allow full debate in Congress – no “Fast Track” – so the American people can sniff this deal and decide if it is a gem or a big, giant turd like NAFTA.
