Trade Pact Debate Between Tom McClintock And Laura Ingraham
There was a fierce debate on the local radio airwaves Monday afternoon between talk show host Laura Ingraham and Congressman Tom McClintock, R-Calif.
Ingraham is heard every weekday afternoon on AM 1450 KVML between 3 pm and 6 pm and was featured as Wednesday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day.”
According to Ingraham, “Despite having been the man selected to deliver the GOP’s pitch to the nation (GOP Weekly Address) on Obama’s massive global trade and labor pact, Rep. McClintock admitted today he’d never read it! Moreover, McClintock claimed the “negotiating” objections in fast-track would bind the President when, in fact, the President is free to ignore them at will – without consequence of any kind.”
Here are excerpts of the pointed debate, between the two:
Ingraham: “That’s just embarrassingly bad, Congressman, for you to say. because– number one– we have a democratic process where the people’s interests are represented by the likes of you and that means you bet we want to know what’s in this deal before we agree to a 10, 15 year process that we can never amend and that we’re not going to amend… You bet we want the people’s voices heard through the democratic process of amending deals that aren’t good for the people.”
McClintock: “Congress sets forth 150 objectives that our negotiators have to advance, and only if those objects are met is the deal then taken up in the Congress. If the objectives aren’t met, the deal is off. That’s the end of the discussion.”
Ingraham: “So you’re saying that there’s a lot of stuff in these 150 negotiating principles that Obama’s not going to like […] and yet he’ll put it in the deal anyways? Because last time I checked a very pro-free guy– Senator from Ohio– tried to put in a provision about currency manipulation. And that was summarily rejected… Guess what under this grand deal– that you think is going to be so great for the american people– that commonsense principle was nixed, so your argument about, ‘Well we have all these principles and they’ll be great and we’ll vote it down if it’s not in there.’ Do you think I was born yesterday? You guys are going to vote Obama’s deal down?? Come on.”
McClintock: “I may end up voting against the TPP, but […] adopting the TPA establishes the process which binds the Administration to 150 objectives, gives members of Congress the right to monitor and to intercede in those negotiations, and assures a 60 day period for the public to review it before it is voted on by the Congress…”
Ingraham: “So how many of those 150 provisions– I haven’t seen those provisions, I don’t think most people have seen those provisions– how many of those did Obama say no to?”
McClintock: “[pause] Well he doesn’t get a say in those provisions– that is Congress telling the President the things that we want to see in any agreement they come up with.”
Ingraham: “So you’re saying Paul Ryan in the House is going to fight for the American people so much that he’s going to put in provisions that Obama doesn’t like? See I have this crazy idea that the fix is already in: you’ve all sat down and figured out, ‘Well, Obama’s not going to go for any limits on foreign workers, so we’ve got to fuzz up that language; no one’s going to go for this currency manipulation thing, so that has to be killed off early on in the process; and we have to make sure that this whole package is done behind closed doors so the people don’t actually come up with a rational way to debate this and, frankly, kill it off.”
TM: “You’re forgetting that if the president submits a measure that is unacceptable to Congress, Congress simply…”
LI: “What measure would make it unacceptable to a majority of Republicans?”
TM: “Anything that would be allow a further illegal immigration or provide amnesty for illegal immigrants already here.”
LI: “But he can do that. He can do that after this. You understand that, right?”
TM: “No, he can’t.”
LI: Under TPA, he then has the ability to negotiate other deals beyond this deal. It’s the pathway for future trade negotiations– it doesn’t just apply to TPP, you understand that don’t you?
TM: “Yes and the TPA specifically forbids him from changing any law without any Congressional approval. Why is he going right now to all of these illegal executive orders? Because his legislative agenda has been shut down by the people… this is one area where we are reviving a process”
LI: “You don’t trust him on a bunch of things, but now you trust him on this?”
TM: “No, it’s because I don’t trust him. I want to see him bound on those 150 objectives.”
LI: “But Obama’s already said yes to them though because he and McConnell are working hand and glove on this. The Republicans and Democrats are allies against the populist movement that’s taking hold in the country.”
LI: “Have you read TPP?”
TM: “No, I have not read the TPP yet, no.”
LI: ‘You do realize that that’s a real problem.”
TM: “The reason is because that’s not yet finalized.”
LI: “PRECISELY. You believe that it’s really not finalized yet? Right that everything except crossing t’s and dotting i’s. There’s a draft now that you can go to and look at behind closed doors to look at it, and you haven’t gone in there and started to review it… Don’t you want to know?
TM: “Yes, of course, I want to know, but I want to know at the end of the process and not before the document is finalized. I am concerned about illegal immigration. I want to be sure that there’s nothing in there that would promote illegal immigration, if there is I will be a fervent opponent of TPP. But TPA is setting up a process for this…”
LI: “What do you think ‘fast track’ means? That this is going to be a robust, aggressive review of 38,000 pages TPP or whatever the hell it turns out to be? That Paul Ryan and McConnell haven’t already have this locked down?”
TM: “The debate we’re having right now, Laura, really needs to be after TPP is released and we know what’s in it.”
LI: “Oh my God. The idea that Tom McClintock, with all of your brain power on immigration, doesn’t see the writing on the wall… I’m flabbergasted… Once you pass TPA, the fix is in. You understand, don’t you?? So you believe that once you give Obama– who’s done everything to divide America, obfuscate, and frankly lie to us– you are now willing to give him virtually unbridled authority to do TPA, and then all stuff with TPP (which is almost already negotiated) and then you think it’s never going to happen (for instance) that China becomes member of TPP because he won’t have the authority to do that?
TM: “This measure binds the president to those 150 objectives. If he does’t meet them, the deal is off.”
LI: “China will become member of TPP within the next 10 yrs.”
The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM.
