MORNING MESSAGE
NAFTA
– the North American Free Trade Agreement – was sold with promises of jobs and
prosperity on all sides of the border. What really happened was that an
increased trade deficit sucked demand and jobs out of the U.S. economy; workers
lost bargaining power, resulting in pay and benefit cuts; and income inequality
rose as corporations pocketed the wage differential. Now the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) is being sold with literally the same promises. Here is why
TPP is not going to work out better than NAFTA did.
Republicans Turn On Each Other
McConnell
prepared to offer a “clean” bill to fund Homeland Security. The Hill:
“McConnell said he would be willing to vote on the clean measure before
considering a separate bill that would prohibit the administration from
implementing Obama’s executive actions shielding the immediate family members of
citizens and permanent legal residents from deportation … Even though
McConnell’s plan would appear to give Senate Democrats exactly what they want,
Reid said he first wanted assurances from Boehner that the bill would pass the
House.”
Republican
intra-party tensions rise. Politico: “…a frustrated Sen. Jeff Sessions
angrily dismissed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s plan, arguing that
his party should be prepared for an all-out battle with Democrats … But Sen.
Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican who could face a tough reelection next
year, sharply countered that McConnell’s plan was the only option to not hamper
law enforcement agencies that rely on money from the Department of Homeland
Security.”
Speaker
Boehner’s team pessimistic. The Hill: “Boehner has signaled he’s open to the
McConnell plan, but isn’t showing his cards just yet. He’ll take the temperature
of his conference Wednesday morning to see what kind of Republican support there
is for the new strategy. Still, those close to the Speaker aren’t hopeful.”
Obama
goes to Miami today to up pressure on Republicans. NYT: “He plans to hold a
town-hall-style meeting on immigration at Florida International University and
to sit for an interview with Telemundo, the Spanish-language television network.
It is a classic use of the bully pulpit …”
“Don’t
Hold Our Pay Hostage, Say U.S. Homeland Security Employees” reports
Bloomberg: “…DHS workers said they’ve heard concerns over paying for
childcare, mortgages and insurance premiums … some employees, who may make as
little as $30,000 a year, will find they simply can’t afford to be dedicated to
the mission.”
Hillary Warms Up
Hillary
Clinton delivers populist message in Silicon Valley. NYT: “‘Wages no longer
rise with productivity, while C.E.O. pay keeps going up,’ she said. ‘We have to
figure out how to make this new economy work for everyone.’ … Clinton chose to
kick off a month packed with pre-campaign speeches in Silicon Valley, where she
could hone her message about breaking the glass ceiling with professional women
… Clinton must walk a tightrope when wooing the tech sector, lest she seem too
friendly with the wealthiest 1 percent…”
Sen.
Elizabeth Warren launches “Middle Class Prosperity Project” with Rep. Elijah
Cummings. Bloomberg: “…Warren and Cummings announced a series of
congressional forums they would be holding, ‘to examine economic policies
threatening the middle class, and we’ll hear from leading economists about how
to help families rebuild economic security.’ Not long after their article was
published, the first such forum began…”
Progressives Deny Emanuel Easy Re-Election
Chicago
progressives force Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff. Chicago Tribune:
“…Emanuel failed to win a second term Tuesday, suffering a national political
embarrassment as little-known, lesser-funded challenger Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia
forced the mayor into the uncharted waters of an April runoff election …
unofficial results showed Emanuel with 45.4 percent and Cook County commissioner
Garcia at 33.9 percent … Garcia sought to keep the pressure on by portraying
himself as the populist progressive and attacking the mayor as a puppet of the
large corporations and special interests he said filled Emanuel’s massive
campaign fund.”
Another
anti-union bill advances in Wisconsin. NYT: “More than eight hours of
testimony on a so-called right-to-work bill ended abruptly here Tuesday night
after the Republican committee chairman cited a ‘credible threat’ to disrupt the
vote. In a hurried, chaotic roll call as protesters chanted in opposition,
legislators voted to advance the bill to the full Senate.”
Breakfast Sides
Dean
Baker slams TPP pressure campaign: “The [Washington] Post tells us that
adding currency rules ‘at this late date could cause a rebellion …’ The reason
that the issue is being pressed ‘at this late date’ is that there was no
opportunity for action earlier … So the Post’s argument here is essentially that
we kept the deal out of public sight for so long (it is still secret) that it is
now too late for the public to weigh in.”
Tuition
deferment could solve student debt crisis, argues Steve Cohen in NYT oped:
“Colleges should offer an alternative to traditional loan programs by allowing
students to defer up to 75 percent of the cost of attending school … and pay it
back over 20 years. Repayment would be based on a sliding percentage of what the
student defers and then later earns … it is the college that is borrowing
capital to offset its cash-flow needs because of the deferred tuition, not the
student or parent. The college’s borrowing cost would be substantially lower
than what individuals have to pay for current loan programs because colleges
have collateral…”
Obama
vetoes Keystone bill, but could still approve the pipeline. Politico: “Obama
has no deadline for making that verdict, but the speed of Tuesday’s veto
suggests his administration may hustle to deliver a one-two punch by rejecting
Keystone sooner rather than later … The State Department is in the final throes
of determining whether building Keystone would be in the national interest. Its
recommendation may not become public until after the president reveals his final
decision … The president hasn’t made any public judgments about what he thinks
of the merits of Keystone…”
Progressive
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