[CTC] Statement on Trade Provisions in the Democratic Party Platform

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Hi everyone:

I’m very disappointed that the strongest possible language against the TPP wasn’t included in the Democratic Platform.  That said, the language that was approved today removes the awful language on the TPP that was in the draft platform, and, when it comes down to it, is obviously, if obtusely, anti-TPP.  CTC’s public statement on the issue is below.  

Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826



For Immediate Release
Contact; Arthur Stamoulis, (202) 494-8826

Statement on Trade Provisions in the Democratic Party Platform
By Arthur Stamoulis, Executive Director, Citizens Trade Campaign

"The Democratic Party has repeatedly rejected requests that it support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — on the floor of Congress, among the base and, now, in the party platform.  Both Democratic presidential candidates have clearly stated their opposition to the TPP, as have the vast majority of congressional Democrats and base organizations.  

"Responding to voter demand, the party strengthened language initially proposed by the platform drafting committee, eliminating reference to some Democrats supporting the TPP and clarifying a vision for international trade that puts working families ahead of corporate profits — the polar opposite of what the TPP represents.   

“We are especially glad to see the platform so firmly reject the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system which has been used time and again by transnational corporations in attempts to undermine important environmental, labor and public health laws and regulations around the globe in the pursuit of greater corporate profits. Secretary Clinton was right to cite ISDS special rights for corporations as a reason to oppose the TPP, and the Democratic Party’s statement against it is a positive one.  The inclusion of language opposing the ISDS system makes it clear that the TPP has failed the ‘high standard’ set forth in the platform language.

"We would have preferred to see even stronger language outright rejecting the TPP, but, in the end, the language that was approved is a clear indication of just how much of a non-starter the TPP is within the Democratic Party and the country as a whole.  The TPP’s prospects of ever being enacted were already very slim, and today they got even slimmer.  We’ll continue fighting to ensure the TPP has no prospects of survival whatsoever.”

### 

Citizens Trade Campaign is a national coalition of labor, environmental, family farm, consumer and faith organizations working together in support of better trade policy.


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.citizenstrade.org/pipermail/ctcfield-citizenstrade.org/attachments/20160709/e622a307/attachment.htm>