Amen: How Ted Cruz Has Already Won the Faith & Freedom Conference

US News & World Report ^ | June 18, 2014 | David Catanese

[MN_Mike]

The Texas senator blew away the crowd of conservatives with a finely tuned speech on religious liberty.

[SoConPubbie]

I am afraid you are right. He is a great guy. Trump will eat him for breakfast.

For all of you mis-informed, hopefully sincere conservatives, here is a spot-on explanation of TPA (Fast Track) as explained by Representative Trey Gowdy:

Gowdy, Scott: Trade Promotion Authority fears are unfounded By Rep. Trey Gowdy & Sen. Tim Scott International trade accounts for more than one in five jobs in South Carolina, and in the Upstate alone exports support more than 64,000 jobs. To put it simply, our state is a trading powerhouse.

Whether it’s exporting automobiles or agricultural products, producing tires and turbines or powering a manufacturing renaissance, our workers can compete with anyone, anywhere.

With 95 percent of the world’s customers — and 80 percent of its purchasing power — outside the United States, all South Carolina needs is a fair set of rules, the protection of intellectual property and access to markets. But the rest of the world — especially our competitors — knows this, too.

In an increasingly global economy, there is a race to determine who will write the rules and standards — there are 262 regional trade agreements in the world, and the U.S. is only party to 20 of them. After seven years of weak, directionless U.S. foreign policy, China has been eager to take advantage of the leadership void and has been desperate to strike trade agreements with countries.

For the sake of our workers, our manufacturers, our exporters and our economic stability moving forward, we must act smartly but decisively.

Under consideration in Congress right now is Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). TPA is not a trade agreement. It is the way we ensure that the administration is being transparent and responsive to the concerns of the American people for all trade talks.

TPA sets parameters the administration must negotiate under, and it ensures that the public will be able to read any trade agreement months before it is voted on by Congress. TPA is publicly available for every American to read at www.Congress.gov.

While in the past TPA has been called “fast-track,” this new, muscular version of TPA is designed very differently from past versions. It reins in presidential authority and places much needed oversight and scrutiny on any potential trade agreements.

Currently, without TPA, the U.S. trade representative, appointed by the president, can negotiate without any congressional oversight and does not have to share significant details of that process with anyone outside the administration.

We understand and agree with those who are wary of more overreach by the Obama administration. From Fast and Furious and the IRS targeting scandal to the secret waitlists at the VA and immigration executive orders, we have heard the voices of our constituents and fought executive overreach like few others have.

Those concerns are why TPA ensures that this and future administrations would be required to pursue 150 negotiating objectives specifically established by Congress, consult with and report to Congress on how negotiations are going, and provide an unprecedented level of transparency so the American public has months to read and review any potential agreements negotiated under the TPA.

If, and only if, the president meets these objectives, the agreement will receive an up or down vote in Congress, ensuring a good deal is protected from amendments seeking to kill it. On the other hand, if the president fails to meet them, then we can rescind Trade Promotion Authority.

We have also heard concerns about secrecy from folks across the Upstate. The good news is that TPA mandates any trade deal negotiated under it be made public months before any congressional vote on it. That means every constituent who wants to see everything in the text of the agreement can do so well before any votes.

Finally, this new and modernized version of TPA in no way endangers U.S. sovereignty; rather, it empowers Congress and the American people, not the president or the executive branch. The TPA bill specifically says that any provision of a trade agreement that conflicts with U.S. law, be it immigration, environmental regulations or labor rules, will have no effect, and that U.S. law will supersede any foreign law in a dispute.

Some organizations have conflated TPA with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which is a specific trade agreement currently under negotiation. We are continuing to monitor the TPP negotiations to ensure that TPP is in the best interest of South Carolina businesses and families. We have also expressed our concerns with TPP in committee hearings on Capitol Hill.

Trade Promotion Authority, if passed into law, will give us a clearer understanding of exactly how our trade representatives are handling the TPP negotiations. And if the U.S. trade representative reaches a final agreement on TPP, then the American people will have more time than ever before to review the proposal and provide input to their congressional representatives. Then Congress would still have to vote on the agreement. TPA in no way, shape or form approves the TPP trade partnership.

Trade Promotion Authority is not about empowering any president, this one or ones to come. Rather, it is about dictating the terms of trade negotiations beforehand, ensuring transparency in the process and providing months for our fellow citizens to read the text before it can be voted on. That’s why strong conservatives such as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, George Will, Charles Krauthammer and the two of us support it.

Trey Gowdy represents the 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House, and Tim Scott is South Carolina’s junior U.S. senator.

[SoConPubbie]

Wow...the ignorance on this page is staggering.

I doubt all of the crap posted on this page can be laid at the feet of ignorance.

[Gator113]

Troll.

[SoConPubbie]

Hey MN_Mike, for future reference, when excerpting, you can have up to 300 words, or half of the article if the article is less than 300 words.

[SoConPubbie]

Troll.

Yup, this one pretends she likes Ted Cruz or supported him in the past, but he/she/it is actually a Paul-Bot.

[Gator113]

Mr. N. Wolfe
Since Jul 14, 2014

[Hostage]

> “I like Cruz, still like Cruz though I disagree with his vote on trade. That being said,,we cannot and must not think if we win the ‘heartland’ we win the election. We need to be taking it to the dense population centers of the cities, the big cities.”

No. The dense urban centers are controlled by democrats who control the voting rolls. There’s no one to be “taking it to” in those urban centers. Their votes are controlled by election offices staffed by democrats.

The 2012 post election analysis by several reputable and separate firms independently pinpointed the key demographics that caused Romney to lose were the Reagan Democrats who mumber about 4 million strong and the Perot demographic of blue collar conservatives who number more than 6 million. These two segments of the electorate did not vote in significant numbers for a president in 2012.

Therefore, the team that Cruz has assembled have their marching orders to assemble the old Reagan coalition which is labeled the ‘Heartland’. The team is not stupid, they are very tuned in and well-informed. Cruz is doing spectacular in attracting people to come out to Town Halls that have never been to one or bothered in recent years to participate in one. He and his team know where the votes are.

[Bulwyf]

Lol, is it wrong to laugh? Play nice, maybe some new comers are actual freedom loving conservatives and not some liberal hacks.

[GeronL]

bump

[Kenny]

And you would trust Obama to suddenly become a leader and worry about how the trade deal would impact America?

And you would trust this Congress, the same Congress that refused to defund Obamacare or illegal amnesty, who raised the debt ceiling again per Obama’s wishes to provide all this scrutiny and oversight. How many have even read this bill?

Sorry but I don’t trust any of them to do anything except what they have a proven record of doing and that is to enable Obama to destroy this country.

[SoConPubbie]

    Ted Cruz Ping!

    If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.
    Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!

    CRUZ or LOSE!

[SoConPubbie]

And you would trust Obama to suddenly become a leader and worry about how the trade deal would impact America?

Absolutely not, that is why we need the TPA.

You really need to get informed where TPA is concerned.

The executive trade agreement (NOT Trade Treaty, it's not a treaty) that Obama will go forward with or without TPA.

TPA provides the rules under which this executive trade agreement MUST obey.


The executive trade agreement process has already been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court. It is going to happen with or without the TPA.

[Hostage]

> “Really? Is the Cruz campaign still saying that TPP is “not complete” even after the Australian trade commissioner was quoted as saying it was finished but for a week of negotiations? Is that the kind of talk you are refering to?”

Why change the subject from what drives Ted to keep his promises to his Texan constituents? Is it because you have no satisfactory answer otherwise? Yeah, that’s it.

And as to your sad attempt to divert attention to Australian officials, are you saying Australia represents and speaks for the 12 countries that are said to be parties to the TPP? Because possibly Australia may be done except for a week of negotiations, but there’s no evidence that all the countries of TPP are done or are even in agreement.

For your information, my international experience and contacts point to Obama having nothing to bargain with except for assets that he won’t touch such as American crude, LNG, Texas beef and military arms. These categories are all controlled by conservative interests. Obama and the democrats won’t touch them because they will not empower their opposition. Evidence of this fact is posted here clear as a bell:

http://elizabethwarren.com/blog/heres-what-this-fight-is-all-about

What Obama wants is control of Climate Change Tax and Regulatory infrastructure development because at root it is a direct hostile takeover of industries controlled by conservatives, the nemesis of the hard-core left.

Obama has not enough time to see Climate Change plans implemented but he knows Hillary will have the time if she is elected WHICH CAN HAPPEN IF ONLY MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF ILLEGALS ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE AND ARE VOTED DEMOCRAT. That’s their game plan.

Admittedly it is disturbing that Obama wants TPP and other trade deals so bad but that is his dog barking to his masters in the hard-core left. Boehner is also barking and howling the same as he is a compromised alcoholic with skeletons in his closet. Boehner is also heeding the demands of the hard-core left high command. I find that disturbing but not surprising.

Ted Cruz is keeping his promise to this Texan constituents who are pushing for him to get TPA now because it’s the only way they can open up markets for selling their American resources, products and services. Because in 2017 if TPA were to be shelved until 2017, it would only pass if there were 60 cloture votes in the Senate and the democrats are never going to give enough votes if Ted Cruz is president. So it’s now or never.

Ted Cruz is in the position that he must keep promises he made to his constituents and at the same time while running for President he must educate and articulate to the American people what TPA is all about. And judging by the crowds he is attracting and the enthusiasm he is generating, he’s wildly succeeding.

Anyways, you can divert and lie and make up sh*t all you want because now that TPA appears to headed for reenactment, it will require TPP, TISA, TTIP and all other trade deals to be made public for at least 60 days prior to voting up or down. And that means we all get to see what’s in TPP, and to judge for ourselves whether there’s benefit or not. So you won’t be able to bullsh*t your way to disparaging Cruz or anyone by ranting out conspiracy drivel.

One thing we can say with certitude is that every president since FDR has had TPA except for Obama and now that it is on the verge of being reinstated, there is an uproar about TPA.

Thus, TPA is not the culprit, Obama is.

[hosepipe]

I notice that you keep bashing people based on the time they’ve been here. I find that odd.

---

Ever heard of shills.. payed poseurs, moles, democrats in sheep dog masks.. fakes.. snitches.. spies?..

[SoConPubbie]

I notice that you keep bashing people based on the time they’ve been here. I find that odd.

You won't after you have been here awhile.

There is a much higher percentage of short-timers, than those here for a longer period of time, that are here not for the conservative discussion, but to either pimp a less than conservative candidate, mis-direct on issues (Such as TPA, TPP, etc.) or just create havoc.

It's very observable pattern backed up by a higher percentage of zots for bad behavior.

So, when we start observing somebody engaging in trollish behavior, like continually posting negative crap with no real proof on every Ted Cruz thread then it's pretty clear we are dealing with a troll.

[DaxtonBrown]

“Cruz screwed up. His support for TPA will cost him the nomination.”

And why don’t you guys tell us who doesn’t support TPA? Bush? Walker? Christie? Rubio?

So are you going with Rand Paul or Donald Trump?

[hosepipe]

lol...

[Marcella]

ippi joined last month to trash talk Cruz on every thread he/she can find. There are a few others like her/him. Happens every election. Eventually, they may be gone.

[hosepipe]

[Marcella]

“Don’t believe your 85% number, especially today,
when Toast Cruz passed ObamaTRADE for Obama
and to give his wife a Goldmann Sachs bonus.”

Eventually, your lies will go too far.