Democrats set high bar for supporting Obama on trade

Sander Levin, say they will only support the TPP if it tackles currency manipulation and enforceable labor rights. here we go again on th currency manipulation thing, Just because the Fed has stopped its own QE doesnt mean its now innocent of deflating there own currency. If the US Fed is allowed to print $trillions then dont complain when, Japan, EU UK etc etc do it also.

Obama can't provide evidence that free trade raises our incomes...because it doesn't. The NAFTA correlation shows the opposite to be true.

Just because the Fed has stopped its own QE doesnt mean its now innocent of deflating there own currency.

wtfjapan -- huh? Have you checked the value of the dollar latelsy, say even in the last six months? It is at near recent highs against many of the major currencies, including the yen.

If the US Fed is allowed to print $trillions then dont complain when, Japan, EU UK etc etc do it also.

Further, if you really understood this subject, you would know that the U.S. is priniting money primarily to stimulate the domestic economy, especially areas like housing, by keeping interest rates at near-record lows. Abe, and Japan, did it primarily to stimulate export-oriented firms, many of which have a huge presence in the U.S. (Or did you miss the Japanese auto firms all reporting huge profits due to the weaker yen?) Because with a cheaper yen, those companies can be more price competitive there. Japan has been a known currency-manipulator for decades, and these Comgressmen have every right to be skeptical of any deal involving them.

I was a Republican all my life until 2013.I live in Texas and if you Republicans don't stop trying to make the Democrats look bad at the Country's expense you going to have a Republican state in Texas.We are not all stupid and greedy.

Obama doesn't need all this aggravation.

All if these agreements lack two things. Free movement of people to work anywhere. Labor is somehow never on the table. They will move the goods around But not the people. If this could happen, it would force each country to make itself appealing to people which in turn would raise wages or lower taxes.

The second is Unless you are a decent sized small company or larger or a government, you can't participate in trade. Your own government will get in the way with thousands of dollars in fees and licenses to ensure an individual or Very small company is unable to import or export.

These trade agreements are Ok Though if they Do eliminate all tariffs. The reason is most tariffs are just a means for the freeloading politicians to scam money. They Also artificially raise prices reducing income purchasing and allowing some industries to get a free ride instead of innovate.

In my honest opinion, Obama is pushing "fast track" because that is what his Wall Street and other wealthy friends want, not most citizens of the United States of America.

The "Fact Checker" column in the Washington Post (normally considered a "liberal" newspaper) just gave Secretary of State Kerry and the Obama Administration 4 out of 4 "Pinocchios" for outrageously stretching the truth regarding the benefits of the TPP with this quote:

Estimates are that the TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership] could provide $77 billion a year in real income and support 650,000 new jobs in the U.S. alone.”

(Secretary of State Kerry in an opinion piece he wrote. http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/american-alliances-international-cooperation-by-john-f--kerry-2015-01#4bxmfbYemSPg1fzI.99)

The Fact Checker concentrated on the "650,000 new jobs" assertion and found it to be completely without factual support:

Clearly, with the Peterson Institute refusing to play the game this time and cough up a jobs number, the administration decided to concoct its own. But, as we have shown, one cannot at the same time claim both a gain of $77 billion in income and a gain of 650,000 jobs; the same effects simply cannot happen at once.

Moreover, these are big numbers with virtually no context. It is pretty lame to use such huge numbers to tout what, in the context of the U.S. economy, amounts to minuscule changes in income —10 years from now.

Our advice remains: be wary whenever a politician claims a policy will yield bountiful jobs. In this case, the correct number is zero (in the long run), not 650,000, according to the very study used to calculate this number. Administration officials earn Four Pinocchios for their fishy math.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/01/30/the-obama-administrations-illusionary-job-gains-from-the-trans-pacific-partnership/

Obama can't provide evidence that free trade raises our incomes...because it doesn't. The NAFTA correlation shows the opposite to be true.

Correlation does not prove causation (see skyrocketing CO2 levels and flat global temperatures).

But don't worry, Obama doesn't really believe in free trade even with currency manipulation regulations and union protections.

Israel, who headed House Democratic campaign efforts during November elections that ceded Senate control and more House seats to Republicans, now has a senior role shaping the Democratic Party’s message.

Put in charge of Democratic messaging a person who helped them lose control of Congress. What a great idea!