Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Officials, experts expect dramatic shift in trade strategy under Obama, new Congress

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Latest Breaking News Donate to DU
 
Judi Lynn Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 08:50 PM
Original message
Officials, experts expect dramatic shift in trade strategy under Obama, new Congress
Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Posted on Sunday, 12.07.08
Officials, experts expect dramatic shift in trade strategy under Obama, new Congress
By JACK CHANG
McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON -- U.S. trade strategy probably will change dramatically when the Obama administration and new Congress take power in January, with U.S. negotiators forgoing the kinds of bilateral free-trade agreements popular with the Bush administration, according to Democratic officials and experts.

Such a switch could put at risk agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea that already have been signed and are awaiting Congress' approval.

The Colombia agreement, in particular, has received intense public scrutiny as Democratic leaders cite a rash of killings of Colombian union activists as reasons for holding off on approving it.

The political differences, however, reach more deeply than just the three pending agreements. Many congressional leaders haven't been happy with the Bush strategy of negotiating individual treaties with small countries, saying that it's sapped momentum for regional trade pacts such as the long-delayed Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/802959.html
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
Zhade Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 08:53 PM
Response to Original message
1. Good. Fuck NAFTAesque "free" trade deals and the idiots who support them.
This is a step in the right direction!

Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
OhioChick Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 09:47 PM
Response to Reply #1
5. Agreed. n/t
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Jackpine Radical Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 09:04 PM
Response to Original message
2. The poor Colombian Government...
Edited on Sun Dec-07-08 09:04 PM by Jackpine Radical
There they were, killing off union activists in order to prove their bona fides to the Bushies, and now the Obamites don't like it. How were they supposed to know that the US would turn so fickle on the topic of unions? It just ain't easy being a dictator, some days.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Peace Patriot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 09:38 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. And him falling, falling, falling in what were dubious polls anyway, cuz of a little
pyramid scheme in the family, dwarfed by our Grandest Larceny of All Time pyramid scheme, but still, Colombia can keep up in some ways, other ways not.

It worries me, though, cuz there aren't a lot of alternatives in Colombia. A lot of potential leaders are just plain dead, whacked by rightwing death squads. There's Santos (Minister of Killing Peasants and Small Cocaine Dealers), and his potential military dictatorship. That might have proceeded, if McQuack had become president, and, who knows?, might still occur, in combination with a private war scheme for grabbing Venezuela's oil (likely orchestrated by Donald Rumsfeld, could be unleashed on Obama). But I suspect what Obama wants is someone like Ingrid Betancourt as president, to cleanse appearances for the Colombia "free trade" deal. Remember, Obama picked Hillary Clinton as SoS. She had Mark Penn as her chief political adviser. He is a paid agent of the Colombian government (for guess what purpose?). Further, Obama picked Eric Holder, Chiquita International's death squad attorney)(4,000 union leaders murdered, paid for by Chiquita execs; Holder got them off with a handslap), for A.G. So it's looking like Obama wants (or has agreed to) the trade deal, but only if it looks better.

What I'm saying is that the CIA or related private parties might be behind Uribe's demise. He was trying to cajole the national legislature to let him run (among the rich and middle class voters who are not afraid of the death squads, if they vote right) for a third term. That idea may be hitting the dust, in the pyramid scheme scandal. I'm trying to remember when the so-called election is supposed to be. Next year, I think. Betancourt got groomed, by that highly theatrical and phony 'rescue,' stage-managed from the "war room" in the U.S. embassy in Bogota. She recently re-visited Colombia, after saying she wasn't gonna, and didn't want to be president any more. (She is a former candidate for prez of Colombia, with dual French/Colombian citizenship.) She seems to be a pretty good leader--left-leaning--but I think she did make a deal with the Bushwhacks, and may have been their fallback position (to get the trade deal rammed thru Congress, where labor Dems have been holding it up), and may now be what Obama needs, too--to keep his promises (not to us).

It's getting late. And the later it gets, the more the cynic in me comes out. So I'll leave it at that. I voted for Obama. I like him. I think he has a good heart, and is very intelligent. I'm just a realist about how you get to be emperor of the world.

:patriot:
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
MadHound Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 09:45 PM
Response to Original message
4. While I'm in favor of calling off this particular trade agreement,
My question is when are we going to call off the War on Drugs that has led to these atrocities in Columbia? Or are we simply going to continue the madness.

Everything is interrelated.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
FreakinDJ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 10:24 PM
Response to Original message
6. Free Trade / Trickle Down Econ - Whats the difference
They are both out to screw the working class

The NAFTA agreement was written by Lobbyist for ADM, 10s or 1000s of farming families south of the boarder lost their only means of support. Wages in Mexico fell an average of 25% as a result and 100s of 1000s of American manufacturing jobs were lost

But Boy! did ADM come out way ahead
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
depakid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 10:42 PM
Response to Original message
7. Fair trade here we come!
:-)
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
lostnotforgotten Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 11:38 PM
Response to Original message
8. Sounds To Me Like More NAFTA Bullshit is On The Way - No Change Here
eom
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Thu May 16th 2024, 03:18 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Latest Breaking News Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC