#WhosAgainstTPP? Today, Matthias Fekl, the French Secretary of State for Foreign Trade tweeted, “France demands the cessation of negotiations for TAFTA and TTIP.”
The TPP or Trans-Pacific Partnership and the TTIP or Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are the two largest trade deals in history. TPP covers 12 nations in Asia and North America, while TTIP covers 28 nations including those in the European Union and the United States.
Some reasons for opposition to these two massive trade deals include intellectual property law, expanded investor state dispute provisions (ISDS), risks to national security, and the general secrecy surrounding negotiations.
Sunday, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel declared, “In my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it.”
A few days earlier, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised, “The current agreement, the Trans-Pacific (Partnership) agreement, which has some serious flaws, will not be acted upon this year.”
Other Republican Senators, particularly the “vulnerable” ones facing elections, are coming out against TPP too.
Democratic Senators have been more inclined than Republicans to vote against TPP, and opposition is mounting. Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey reversed course recently to speak against the trade deal. (Article continues below)
The American people do not support the TPP, but polls show indecision. The European people are split on the TTIP, but the German people are overwhelmingly opposed to it.
Donald Trump is popular largely because he is against TPP. According to a recent poll, “Trump’s supporters expressed the most negative opinions about free trade deals.”
Hillary Clinton is now against the TPP, sort of. But, “Hillary Clinton Picks TPP and Fracking Advocate To Set Up Her White House.” Trust is low as a network of various progressive groups issue a public letter: “We urge you to immediately make a clear and strong public statement against holding a vote on the TPP during the ‘lame duck’ session.”
Bernie Sanders was always against the TPP.
That leaves Barrack Obama just about alone now — except with Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.
Last year, Web Line News took a look at #WhosAgainstTPP on Twitter — the answer then: conservatives, The Sierra Club, talk show hosts, feminists, House Democrats, EFF, Sarah Palin, Breitbart, Daily Kos, Occupy Wall Street, tech companies, California Democrats, etc., and the list is much longer now.
Despite all this, many still worry that TPP may pass in the lame-duck session of Congress after the 2016 presidential election. Those opposing the TPP are speaking out loudly to prevent that.
The “mainstream” press is full of headlines promoting a recent poll showing a tiny uptick in TPP support by the American people. The data in the poll more accurately reflects confusion and lack of information about the TPP than any significant trend toward support. The press will work to bandwagon the public. This deal will be pushed to the end.