MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Sanders on the Trans-Pacific-Partnership
Interview
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Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont joins us tonight.
Senator, good to have you with us.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: Great to be with you, Ed.
SCHULTZ: Senator, what`s the latest on the currency manipulation in the
TPP agreement from what you hear?
SANDERS: Well, it`s hard to say but let me just say this Ed. I think
everything that you`ve said is spot-on. The idea that we would go forward
with a another law to trade agreement when all of the other trade
agreements have failed the American working class is beyond comprehension.
Since 2001, we have lost 60,000 factories in America, hug to buy products
made in the United States. Millions of decent-paying jobs had gone. Why
in God`s name would anyone vote for a trade agreement which causes American
workers to compete against the people in Vietnam who have a minimum wage of
$0.56 an hour? That is totally crazy.
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
SANDERS: Point number two and I`m glad you made it...
SCHULTZ: Yes. Yeah.
SANDERS: I`m glad you made it Ed, because a lot of people don`t make it.
The media has been pathetic on this issue. This is an issue of huge
consequence bad trade agreements are one of the reasons why the American
middle class is disappearing and why wages like going down and why we`re
losing jobs.
You wouldn`t think there would be a national discussion in the media on
this. You were one of the very few people who actually talks about this
trade agreement.
And thirdly, this idea, you know, it`s interesting to me, Ed, the
proponents of this agreement including the President no longer even bother
to talk about how it`s going to create jobs. They know that ain`t true.
SCHULTZ: No.
SANDERS: Now, you have other ideas, it`s going to bring the world closer
together and prove our relations with Japan. That is nonsense.
So, the other point you also made one is, the first part of this thing is
fast-track, is giving the President the authority to negotiate to trade
agreement.
The truth of the matter is that I as a Senator, or any member of the
Congress, we cannot even look at the agreement in terms of copying down
provisions in terms of bringing experts in with us to look at this highly
legal and complicated document. We`re not even allowed to do that.
So as a starting point...
SCHULTZ: Yeah.
SANDERS: ... no member of Congress should think about voting for fast-
track when you don`t even know what the hell is in the agreement.
SCHULTZ: Senator, last week Democratic leader in the house Nancy Pelosi
said this. She said, "The burden is on the White House to demonstrate that
this is good for American paychecks." That tells me that she has not been
sold by the White House that this is the right thing to do. That there
needs to be some real clarification to middle-class Americans on exactly
what this is going to do to them. Why hasn`t the White House sold this to
the American people if it encompasses 40 percent of the global economy?
SANDERS: You know why? Because I think the President is an honest guy and
he knows he can`t sell it.
I think all the President -- and you not even hearing the President talking
about, you know, in the past, they we`re talking about all of how this is
going to create all of these jobs -- people don`t even bother making those
arguments that don`t -- the President is trying to make those arguments.
I think the President`s point of view is, look, where we are right now, we
are where we are and this in a sense the best that we can do. That`s about
it. But I believed we need to thoroughly rethink our trade agreements.
What we need to do is demand the corporate America, instead of investing in
China start investing in the United States. They want us to buy their
products.
You see the ads every night on T.V. We have got to demand that they start
producing those products here in the United States of America. I don`t
think that`s radical America. I don`t think that`s what we have to do.
SCHULZT: That`s not radical at all, Senator. Good to have you with us
tonight Senator Sanders, I appreciate your time. Keep up the fight my
friend.
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