Sirota: Congress’s Upcoming "Free" Trade Fight: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

[babylonsister]

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/48884/#more

Congress’s Upcoming "Free" Trade Fight: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Posted by David Sirota at 10:54 AM on March 6, 2007.

snip//

THE GOOD - FAIR TRADE CAMPAIGN RAMPS UP

Last week, Democrats and Republicans joined forces in the Montana State Senate to demand that Montana Sen. Max Baucus (D), chair of the Finance Committee, reject President Bush's request for "fast track" trade authority - the authority that lets the president strip labor, human rights and environmental provisions out of trade deals. The move was amplified through major coverage by CNN, Bloomberg News and the Hill Newspaper, and followed the release of a letter by seven courageous senators saying they will "aggressively" work to defeat fast track, and following a major op-ed by myself and Wall Street luminary Leo Hindery demanding Democrats reject "fast track." In the face of this pressure, Baucus - the ardent "free" trader who last year went to India to trumpet job outsourcing - has been changing changed his language for the better on trade, offering up harsher and harsher criticism for the Bush administration. Though he has not said he opposes fast track, his new posture is encouraging.

Following on this success, major labor and farm groups have announced national campaigns to defeat "fast track" and force Congress to reform America's trade policy to address labor, human rights and environmental concerns. This happened at the same time The Hill reports that freshman Democrats - many of whom won by campaigning against "free" trade - demanded a meeting to discuss trade with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY).

THE BAD - DEMOCRATS FLIRTING WITH K STREET

The likely reason these freshman have demanded the meeting with Rangel is because, as National Journal has reported, fair trade advocates are "growing increasingly uncomfortable with the tone taken by Rangel in his dealings with the White House on trade." The New York Democrat hasn't said he supports "fast track," but he has dangled the possibility that he will consider supporting it in front of K Street lobbyists - all while holding major corporate fundraisers.

Meanwhile, as the Buffalo News's Doug Turner reports, at the very end of last week the Senate Democratic leadership convened a Capitol Hill forum on trade exclusively with the coalition of lobbyists and huge multinational corporations pushing fast track. This is the same coalition President Clinton and his chief NAFTA strategist Rahm Emanuel (now a U.S. House member) worked with to ram NAFTA through Congress. Representatives from labor, human rights, agriculture and environmental groups were not invited to the Democratic forum.

THE UGLY - IGNORING THE MANDATE FROM ELECTION 2006?

That gets us to today's story in the New York Times which leads off reporting that "When the Democrats swept to victory last fall, after a campaign fueled partly by attacks on President Bush’s trade policies, trade deals promoted by the administration seemed doomed in the new Congress. But that was then." Translation: Election 2006's mandate may, in fact, be out the window.

While the article highlights important rhetorical changes among Republicans in the form of a new willingness to at least consider basic labor standards in trade deals, it nonetheless suggests a mushiness on the part of Democrats in really demanding a major change in trade policy.

more...

[redqueen]

1. If anyone is surprised by this they really have not been paying attention.

Corporatism in the Dem party is alive and well.

[BayCityProgressive]

2. it will

easily pass. As I have said before and been burned for it. Don't expect any fundemental changes with Dems in office. They are slaves to the same masters. heres a clue-the masters aren't us.

[groovedaddy]

3. Make 'em pay in the primary!

This basic bread & butter issues should hold the potential to align rank & file democrats to oust those who do not represent our interests. I believe the electorate will still be in the mood for change come the 2008 general election. Being held hostage to the "lesser of two evils" just doesn't cut it any more. We don't have to put up with this crap!

[Vincardog]

4. You got that right groovedaddy. We have to kick the Corporatist Parasites out of our government

The next election must be fair open and give us the chance to vote in POPULIST candidates. No More letting the radical Reich choose our candidates.

[bread_and_roses]

5. This is an excellent article. Take a look at Senate "economic" sort over at

National Journal on Senators: http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib.htm

Clinton, for example, is rated 63, as opposed, say, to Kerry's and Kennedy's 87. Always follow the money. I wish someone would cross-post this over in GD - surely it has enough of a "political" import?