Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Friday, May 29, 2015

Elizabeth Warren Wants Hillary Clinton To 'Weigh In On Trade'

WASHINGTON -- As the fight over a massive international trade agreement heats up on Capitol Hill, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on Tuesday that she wants to see Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton "weigh in on trade."

In an interview with The Huffington Post, Warren declined to say whether she would endorse Clinton. "Right now I think it's important for her to have a chance to lay out her views on a whole host of issues, including trade," she said.

Warren has emerged as a champion for Americans who oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that the Obama administration is seeking to negotiate with 11 other nations. The Senate is preparing to vote on legislation that would grant President Barack Obama the authority to "fast-track" TPP and other trade deals with no amendments and limited debate.

When asked who she thought was the best 2016 presidential contender on the issue, Warren said that "we need to hear from all of our presidential contenders about trade."

She added, "I will say that Hillary Clinton said in her book that she was opposed to these arbitration panels that could override domestic regulations," referring to a controversial TPP provision that would allow corporations to sue governments over regulations that inhibit their investment profits.

In her book Hard Choices, Clinton discussed the panels, writing that in trade agreements, "we should avoid some of the provisions sought by business interests, including our own, like giving them or their investors the power to sue foreign governments to weaken their environmental and public health rules."

Earlier on Tuesday, Warren spoke with Bloomberg about Clinton's opposition to the panels, adding, "I'd like to see her be clearer on that." When asked by HuffPost to elaborate, Warren said, "Look, she's already said what she said in her book about the arbitration panels and I'd like her to weigh in on trade, I think it's important."

According to CNN, Clinton came closer to taking a position on trade at a round-table event in Iowa on Tuesday, noting some concerns about the deal but ultimately hedging once again. "I want to judge the final agreement. I have been for trade agreements; I have been against trade agreements," she said.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com/
Author: Dana Liebelson

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