The TPP agreement has never been about helping average Americans obtain jobs. Its overarching purpose has been to ensure US corporations gain enough power to dominate international trade markets. More specifically, it was designed to deter China’s expansionist ambitions.
As CNN noted in April:
Really, this is about China.
Kickback: The payment of something of value to a recipient as compensation or reward for providing favorable treatment to another party.
A kickback in the form of money, gifts, credit, or anything of value may be viewed as a corrupt practice that interferes with an employee or official’s ability to make unbiased decisions. - Investopedia
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It was all a lie – one of the biggest and most elaborate falsehoods ever sold to the American people. .
We thought we were just letting a friend crash at the house for a few days; we ended up with a family of hillbillies who moved in forever, sleeping nine to a bed and building a meth lab on the front lawn - Matt Taibi
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Cross-posted from GoS.
Mainstream thinking, not just Republican thinking, is consistently wrong. Justification and support for the Iraq War? WRONG. Catastrophically wrong. Multi-generational even. Centennial even. An amazingly catastrophic mass lapse of establishment "reason" indeed.
When Markos Moulitsas informed members of the Daily Kos that Hillary Clinton’s candidacy was “inevitable” the response from Democratic supporters was predictable. Traditional progressives -- understanding that anointed candidates are the antithesis of Democracy -- slammed their collective feet on the brakes. The last thing they wanted was another untrustworthy neo-liberal politician leading the Democratic Party.
As one Democratic Underground member noted:
Why do Democratic politicians have to lie to stay in office?
Case in point. In an article published today at the Huffington Post, Sam Levine covers the president’s recent attack on Elizabeth Warren for criticizing the TPP. As Levine points out:
While Obama criticized Warren for being wrong on the facts of the deal, it's difficult to know exactly what the deal contains because his administration has deemed the negotiations to be classified.
For six years, members of the OFA, and members of the Daily Kos have attacked progressives for opposing Obama’s pro-corporate agenda. The anger expressed on both sides has reached a boiling point; but now that authority for Fast Track is being “fast tracked” through Congress, a line in the sand has been crossed.
Is it possible to create an effective political movement using a shared leadership platform?
The answer is an unequivocal, yes.
In fact, many business models and government programs are now embedding a shared leadership paradigm into future plans because it increases accountability and promotes employ ownership. Cooperative environments simply tend to facilitate productivity better than business models plagued by incessant discord.
Cross-posted from GOS.
Widely distributed income and wealth and the power and influence they confer within the public sphere are VITAL to democracy and justice. Real democracy and justice will not, cannot exist when income, wealth and power are highly concentrated.
NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles that will lay out an action plan for uniting the populist movement.
The Political Landscape
To accurately gauge the efficacy of the Democratic Party base as a political entity, you need to understand how deeply compromised its members are by “magical” thinking.
