Soon to be Citizens of the Chamber of Commerce, I know you are all bored with the non stop coverage being given this important event by the MSM but here it goes:

Thursday, 04 February 2016
White House: GOP Congress Must Approve TPP “Obamatrade” Soon
Written by Alex Newman

Following a signing ceremony on February 4 in New Zealand, the Obama administration is calling on the GOP-controlled Congress to hurry up and approve the massive “free-trade” regime known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Despite fierce opposition and the ongoing presidential primaries, Obama's Trade Representative, Michael Froman, said he was confident that Republican lawmakers would comply with the White House's demand in the months ahead, warning of “economic consequences” if Congress did not make haste. At this point, though, approval appears to be far from certain.

Dubbed “Obamatrade” by critics, the deeply controversial treaty has opponents up in arms all across the political spectrum, despite support from the establishment wing of both parties. Conservatives have blasted, among other elements, the agreement's full-blown assaults on national sovereignty and self-government. Liberals, meanwhile, are decrying what they view as a lack of serious protections for labor, the environment, and more. On both sides of the political spectrum, opponents also worry that the scheme could facilitate a stepped-up exodus of U.S. jobs, businesses, and manufacturing.

Similar concerns are being expressed by critics in other countries set to be ensnared under the TPP regime. At the signing ceremony in Auckland, New Zealand, which brought together “trade ministers” from the 12 governments and dictatorships participating in the TPP, hundreds of furious protesters gathered in opposition. Later that day, over 10,000 opponents of the machinations marched through the city to denounce the agreement and to pressure lawmakers not to pass the legislation required to impose TPP on the nation.
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http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/ma...obamatrade-soon


Thursday, 04 February 2016
With TPP Signed, Opposition Explodes Across Political Spectrum
Written by Alex Newman

With TPP Signed, Opposition Explodes Across Political Spectrum

With the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) signed today in New Zealand by officials from the 12 governments and dictatorships ensnared in the sovereignty-smashing “free trade” regime, opposition to the plot — dubbed “Obamatrade” by critics — is surging across the political spectrum and around the nation. In the presidential primaries, virtually nobody, not even known establishment candidates, dares to express support for the scheme. In Congress, members of both parties are up in arms, calling on their colleagues to crush the TPP before it crushes America. And among the grassroots, Americans of all political persuasions are outraged, ranging from labor unions and environmental groups to conservative, libertarian, and constitutionalist forces. All 12 of the governments involved are facing their own homegrown opposition, too.

As usual, the Obama administration is calling on U.S. lawmakers to rubber-stamp the agreement as quickly as possible. Indeed, Obama administration Trade Representative Michael Froman, a member of the extremist global government-promoting Council on Foreign Relations, even threatened that America would face “costs” if Congress did not promptly submit to Obama's demands. Considering the reactions of lawmakers so far though — even among Republicans who stabbed voters in the back by campaigning on a platform of stopping Obama, then empowering him with “Fast Track” authority to ram TPP through Congress — the White House is likely to face major hurdles in getting TPP ratified before the November election, if ever. Even the most “progressive” members of Obama's party are fervently denouncing what Obama called the “most progressive trade agreement in history.”

On Obama's side of the aisle, for example, more than a few left-wing Democrats are urging their colleagues to stop Obamatrade. “Congress will have to vote straight up or down on TPP. We won’t have a chance to strip out any of the worst provisions, like [supranational kangaroo courts allowing mega-corporations to sue taxpayers for their decisions on how to govern themselves],” said far-left Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), one of the most “progressive” lawmakers in Washington, in a speech on the Senate floor ahead of the February 4 TPP singing ceremony in New Zealand. “That’s why I oppose the TPP and hope Congress will use its constitutional authority to stop this deal before it makes things even worse — and more dangerous — for America’s hard-working families.”

On the Republican side, even the establishment “RINOs” (Republicans In Name Only) in charge of Congress at least pretended to have concerns, despite having already betrayed their base to support the Obamatrade agenda. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, for example, said he had “some problems” with TPP, and that there were a “number of flaws” in it. He also suggested there may not be a vote until after the election, despite Obama's pleas. House Speaker Paul Ryan, meanwhile, said “a number of concerns” on TPP were raised by lawmakers that “must still be addressed.”

Thanks to the GOP unconstitutionally surrendering congressional power to Obama over trade policy, Congress can only vote up or down on the scheme at this point. That means there will be no “addressing” any alleged concerns Ryan claims to have. However, the White House said it would use crony capitalist outfits such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to pressure Republicans into submission.
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http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/ma...itical-spectrum


If you wonder who are those 12 countries;
What Is the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP)?
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The twelve nations currently negotiating the TPP are the U.S., Japan, Australia, Peru, Malaysia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Canada, Mexico, and Brunei Darussalam.
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https://www.eff.org/issues/tpp

Quote: ThirstyMan wrote in post #2

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Up or down, those are the choices?

Reminds me of the salesman who starts pressuring me with the line, "I need to know right now or the offer is withdrawn."

I typically respond with, "Fine, right now the answer is NO!"

If the choice is up or down, guess what I vote?

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Another take on TPP:

Obama Administration Quietly Signs Trans-Pacific Trade Deal…
Posted on February 5, 2016 by sundance

TPP trade 2(Via Washington Examiner) Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., charged the Obama administration with quietly signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement in New Zealand, and said the White House tried to minimize it because it knows the public isn’t pleased with the deal.

“A trade deal is a contract, and it must be one that puts American workers’ interests first, not the interests of global elites,” Sessions said in a statement. “It is little surprise the administration is not showcasing today’s signing given its unpopularity with the American people.”

Sessions went on to bash his fellow senators for allowing the president to fast-track the deal last June, and voting for it despite not knowing what the massive agreement would include. (read more)

http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2016...fic-trade-deal/