I have to say, pretty much every insider book about the Obama administration paints Obama as intellectually incurious and it sure seems that way. For this man to say this about the TPP is just plain stupid and crazy. Does he really just let the corporations tell him what to do?
Critics of the highly-secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations responded with outrage after U.S. President Barack Obama charged they have a “lack of knowledge of what is going on in the negotiations” and dismissed their concerns as “conspiracy theories.”
The president made the comments this week during a press conference in Malaysia—one of the stops on his Asia-Pacific tour, aimed at advancing the TPP and the U.S. military “pivot” to the region. His tour has been met with region-wide protests against the economic and military agenda of the U.S.
[…] Bernadette Ellorin, Chairperson of BAYAN-USA—an alliance of Filipino organizations in the U.S., told Common Dreams, “President Obama lacks knowledge of how so-called ‘free trade agreements’ impact people on the ground. The push-back he has gotten over the TPP comes from people who have long-suffered from these impacts.”
“He should go back and talk with the parent-less children in the region, whose parents had no choice but to look for work overseas because they couldn’t find work in their own country due to these so-called ‘free trade’ agreements,” she added. “He should go back and talk to the indigenous children whose parents were killed by paramilitary groups because greater foreign investment stipulations in these agreements have led to forced evacuations and militarization of their land for the purpose of large scale foreign mining.”
Obama knows exactly what’s going on. What he said about the TPP and “conspiracy theories” is pretty much what Bill Clinton said regarding those who were against NAFTA. Including Ross Perot. Who as it turns out was absolutely right about that “giant sucking sound.” Obama is not a stupid man. He simply doesn’t care about how the “big things” will impact the little people. What he cares about is what the 1% (oligarchy) thinks of this or that policy. Obama’s poll numbers are in the toilet. About 40% of those polled support him. Few if any Republicans support him. The Left doesn’t support him. Whites and Hispanics whether male or female give him ever diminishing support. His own parties politicians don’t want him around as they run for reelection. So where is the bulk of that 40% of support coming from? One group.
” intellectually incurious”? Then he is in the right job. As we know, the president is just a facade to give us the illusion of “democracy” and it is the “Deep State” which actually makes policy.
IM – Way to drag Bill Clinton into the conversation – yet again.
And please – do let us know which “one group” you are talking about?
[i]IM –
… And please – do let us know which “one group” you are talking about?[/i]
I was about to ask that myself.
Whatever it is, it has to be a group that amounts to 21% or more of the citizenry, or at least the electorate.
I can’t think of any bloc that meets that description, other than white or christian or both.
“lack of knowledge of what is going on in the negotiations” ?
Well, duh. Big0 is the one keeping it secret!
Izquierdo, it’s a puzzlement. Which group in current polls gives Obama well over 75% of their support? White women? Nope, not them. White men? Nope, not them. Hispanics as a group? Nope, not them. Asians as a group? Nope, not them. Who then?
nicely-nicely, it’s comforting to see that you’re still fighting the good fight for Slick Willie. Many Blue Dogs are doing the same.
As MIchael Moore said about Bill, “He gave us great cover.”