Guess what President Obama doing in Mexico? Pushing the TPP.

[cali]

go ahead, try to impeach this source: Yes, it's from the White House.


<snip>

And NALS, the North American leadership summit -- North American Leaders Summit has a been a forum where we can address things like how we are reducing barriers to trade, improving the commercial environment and dealing with whatever trade concerns or irritants may emerge as well. And so, we have an agenda that focuses, again, on lifting up North American competitiveness, reducing barriers to effective and efficient trade that supports jobs in all three countries.

Clearly, one of the focal points has been the negotiations around the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Both Canada and Mexico have joined those negotiations in the last two years. And we are obviously at a critical point in working towards finalizing an ambitious trade agreement -- high-standards trade agreement that would encompass roughly 40 percent of the global economy in the TPP countries.

We see, frankly, TPP as an opportunity to build on the work that was done in NAFTA by introducing additional standards, for instance, on issues like labor and the environment so that it is truly a 21st century high-standards trade agreement that, again, is both in the interest of our prosperity here at home and also will strengthen the position of North America as it relates to some of the fastest-growing emerging markets in the Pacific.

<snip>

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I’m just going to add a couple of points on this. As my colleague mentioned, there’s a very good reason why we’re going to be focusing on streamlining trade among our countries, given the importance to the prosperity of all three countries. But it’s more than about our commercial relationships, it’s about working together effectively in the world as partners and emphasizing our shared values and strategic interests.

<snip>

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/02/14/background-briefing-senior-administration-officials-preview-presidents-u

[pipoman]

1. The labor party is dead

Democrats should be concerned about maintaining the base. .except the Democratic base is ignored, at least the labor base. If any candidate emerges from any party who is pro labor, the Democratic candidate will lose either by the vote shifting to rethugs or more likely that the labor vote of both parties will put that candidate into office.

[ProSense]

2. I posted this.

"go ahead, try to impeach this source: Yes, it's from the White House. "

...this yesterday.

North America Trade Partners Turn Their Attention Toward Asia
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024517698

Interesting stuff from the WH link:

Clearly, one of the focal points has been the negotiations around the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Both Canada and Mexico have joined those negotiations in the last two years. And we are obviously at a critical point in working towards finalizing an ambitious trade agreement -- high-standards trade agreement that would encompass roughly 40 percent of the global economy in the TPP countries.

We see, frankly, TPP as an opportunity to build on the work that was done in NAFTA by introducing additional standards, for instance, on issues like labor and the environment so that it is truly a 21st century high-standards trade agreement that, again, is both in the interest of our prosperity here at home and also will strengthen the position of North America as it relates to some of the fastest-growing emerging markets in the Pacific.

Beyond the trade and economic competitiveness issues, we’ll also be discussing issues related to security. And that includes the security of our respective borders, our ongoing support for Mexico as it deals with significant challenges from narco-trafficking. We’ll also be addressing Central America and the Caribbean. And our three countries have close relationships with the countries of Central America and the Caribbean. We work together to strengthen their economic competitiveness in connection to our markets, but also their security as they deal with similar challenges related to criminal activity and drug trafficking.

Beyond that, I would also highlight that energy cooperation and our efforts to combat climate change are a continued area of focus between our countries. I’d also just note that in our bilateral meeting with Mexico, in addition to discussing these issues, we regularly discuss our ongoing efforts to promote comprehensive immigration reform here in the United States, again, which clearly deals with a significant population of Mexican American immigrants who have done very much to strengthen and enrich our own country.

With that, I’ll turn it over to my colleague and then we’ll take some of your questions.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I’m just going to add a couple of points on this. As my colleague mentioned, there’s a very good reason why we’re going to be focusing on streamlining trade among our countries, given the importance to the prosperity of all three countries. But it’s more than about our commercial relationships, it’s about working together effectively in the world as partners and emphasizing our shared values and strategic interests.

It’s our home. North America is our home. It’s where we see the chance to secure the prosperity of the American people and keeping ourselves safe and prosperous for the next several decades. This implies working with some of the challenges we face immediately related to transportation, border-area infrastructure and the like, regulatory cooperation and so forth, but also setting a course for future decades and building on what we’ve accomplished over the last few decades and turning it into something even greater as we look at an expansion of our relationships, our integration, our shared production platforms and the fact that we have one of the largest and most highly skilled workforces in the world and the region.

So specifically, the kinds of things that we’re going to be working on as part of this summit are going to be initiatives aimed at improving our inclusive and shared prosperity -- for example, by facilitating Trusted Traveler Programs among our three countries, working to harmonize trade information for importers and exporters, working where we can to collaborate more effectively on our transportation planning, reinvigorating our work on regulatory cooperation. So those are some of the areas where we’re going to be focusing.

We’re also going to be looking at education cooperation. As I said, we have highly-skilled workforces that we need to be working together -- since we build things together, we need to be looking at how we educate our populations as well. We’ll be focusing as well on matters related to energy and climate change. We’re energy powerhouses, all three countries. But we also have a shared interest in improving our work on protecting the environment.

<...>

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, Peter, and again, point taken on your process point. We’ll consider that and let people know.

Look, on trade, we continue to be very focused on negotiating and completing the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And the President has made this a priority. As we’ve looked at our trade agenda in 2009, 2010, we understood that after the completion of the implementation of the South Korean, Panamanian and Colombian FTAs, we wanted to broaden our trade agenda. We recognize also though that the Doha round was not progressing.

And so, what we determined to do is to pursue ambitious, multilateral trade agreements that could open up the most important markets in the world to high standards trade, so that U.S. businesses had access to those markets, but that we were dealing with issues like labor and environmental standards and intellectual property as we negotiated those agreements. We decided to prioritize the Asia Pacific region because of its role as really a driver in the global economy.

And I can tell you that TPP has been our priority for several years now. We felt very strongly that in order to truly bring together the potential of the Asia Pacific region, this was not just an agreement we wanted to reach with Asian countries, but we wanted to bring along North America and some of the Pacific nations in the Americas. And that’s what we’ve done with not just Chile and Peru, but with countries like Canada and Mexico coming into the negotiations in 2012.

It is still very much our goal to complete a TPP agreement this year. And the President has put a lot of time and energy into the negotiation of TPP. Similarly, Mike Froman has really made this a priority as the U.S. Trade Representative. I can tell you that in the TPP negotiations, we have now progressed to the point that we are really dealing with some final sets of sensitive issues in each of the nations, which is normal as you get towards the end of a trade agreement you have some of the most difficult issues to nail down.

But we believe very strongly that TPP is profoundly in the interest of the American people, because ultimately it will allow us to help establish rules of the road for trade in one of the most critically important regions in the global economy, that it will take into account our interest in addressing issues like intellectual property, state-owned enterprises, as well as the labor and environmental standard standards that have increasingly been a part of the trade negotiations that we’re pursuing around the world.

So I would not in any way suggest that we’re walking back from our commitment to TPP. We very much want to get that done. We’ve communicated that to Congress. The President referenced both TPA and the desire to complete an Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement in the State of the Union. So we are viewing this as a key priority not just for our foreign policy nation security agenda, but for our economic agenda as we seek to increase our exports.

And I’d just say one other thing, Peter. There’s been some criticism in the past around some of the issues that were not addressed in NAFTA. Frankly, that’s all the more reason to do TPP, because what TPP does is it allows us to address some of the issues that were not a part of the NAFTA agreement on labor, on the environment so that we’re essentially bringing this agreement into the 21st century and broadening the group of countries that are in the trading block with North America. So we would make the case, again, to people who maybe in the past have been critical of NAFTA that TPP provides us with the opportunity to modernize our trading relationships in North America while bringing in these other emerging markets.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/02/14/background-briefing-senior-administration-officials-preview-presidents-u

[cali]

5. and? so what? what is your point? in your own words. do try.

[ProSense]

8. Holy superiority complex, Batman

"and? so what? what is your point? in your own words. do try."

Instead of trying to pretend you're some brilliant wordsmith, try comprehension.

Your "own words" from the OP: "go ahead, try to impeach this source: Yes, it's from the White House. "

My "own words" in response:

"I posted this yesterday.

North America Trade Partners Turn Their Attention Toward Asia
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024517698

Interesting stuff from the WH link..."

By my count, my response includes more fucking words than the leading and snide comment in the OP.

Now, say something else snide and superior.

[Progressive dog]

3. President Obama is being President of the USA

It is his job.

[cali]

6. President Obama is being a good corporate pal.

he sure the hell is not representing the working people of this country when it comes to the TPP.

not even a little.

[Progressive dog]

9. President Obama represents me

and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

[cali]

10. you'll just defend whatever he does. period.

and actually you remind me of those voters who stick up for the richest and corporations.

[Progressive dog]

11. I will base my opinions on President Obama's actions,

not my speculation about what he really wants to do.

[cali]

12. exactly what I do- and you do not do.

I base my opinions on what he actually does- not his rhetoric.

And on fracking his record is clear- and bad.

[Progressive dog]

14. When did Congress get TPP?

Just asking.

[Armstead]

21. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil?

Yeah nice and comfy. No thinking involved.

[Progressive dog]

25. See no evil that doesn't exist,

I like Shakespeare better than the monkeys. " Cowards die many times before their deaths."

[Kablooie]

26. I've got new socks!

Just thought I'd jump in here.
Whoopee!

[joshcryer]

4. TPP is how the US plans to dump its coal on the developing world.

[upaloopa]

7. He lost me with TPP

[Puzzledtraveller]

13. This must explain the increase in PS's activity.

[ProSense]

15. Who is PS? n/t

[bullwinkle428]

16. While celebrating the 20th anniversary of the signing of NAFTA.

It all comes full-circle.

[AzDar]

17. Ugh.

[L0oniX]

18. Oh yea ...they will love that ...NOT!

After NAFTA a lot of good jobs went down there and then ....they left there and went to China and others. I'm sure the actual people their would not agree to anymore trade deals. Their PTB will make the decisions irregardless of the will of the people ...as usual.

Here's one example from Sony:

Sony to close last U.S. TV factory - http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9123160/Sony_to_close_last_U.S._TV_factory

Sony Plans to Close LCD Factory in Mexico - http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=334784&CategoryId=12396

Sony Moves Production to China - http://www.psxextreme.com/ps2-news-print/1766.html

[jwirr]

19. He needs to be told that he was elected president of the USA not representative to the corporate

world.

[jsr]

20. "Let's be clear: It was her husband who got NAFTA passed." - Sen. Barack Obama, Feb. 24, 2008

[cali]

22. oh c'mon, you're not actually going to blame him for lying about

fixing NAFTA? Hey, all's fair in love and politics.

[jsr]

23. "I would immediately call the president of Mexico, the president of Canada, to try to amend NAFTA

because I think that we can get labor agreements in that agreement right now. And it should reflect the basic principle that our trade agreements should not just be good for Wall Street; it should also be good for Main Street." - Barack Obama, Associated Press, 8/8/07

[pampango]

24. "... introducing additional standards, for instance, on issues like labor and the environment so

that it is truly a 21st century high-standards agreement."

If TPP actually did that it would be a good agreement. Labor rights and environmental standards sound liberal.

Unfortunately, from what we have seen, that is not what TPP will actually do.

[Armstead]

27. This is strange...I'm almost agreeing with you

not quite, but somewhat

[pampango]

28. Careful now.

Your post made me go back and double-check mine, but I didn't misstate what I meant to say. Maybe a little common ground is a good thing.

[Armstead]

29. Common ground? On DU? .....Perish the thought.

Just kidding. Actually, if we were all (of all shades of opinion) could spend less time bashing and more time hashing things out civilly and looking for things in common, something might actually get accomplished....Wotta concept.