Massachusetts Senator, Elizabeth Warren, is perhaps one of the most Liberal members of The United States Senate. Elected in 2012, defeating than Senator Scott Brown, Warren has fought diligently for union rights, a minimum wage increase and fair trade. This week, Warren is at odds with President Obama over a free trade deal she calls, “NAFTA on steroids”. She is referring to The North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement, which was signed by former President Bill Clinton with Republican support in the 1990’s.
Warren is leading a growing liberal push that includes Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, to undercut Obama’s attempt to negotiate free trade deals with Pacific Rim countries and the European Union. Warrens main objection to Obama’s bill is that many Corporations could challenge different countries working laws, in a provision that is sometimes added into these types of bills.
This is interesting for Senator Warren, because this is the first real major spat between Warren and her party’s President Barack Obama. This is also unique for Warren because it puts her on the same side as many Populist Conservative Republicans. Warren claims that this deal should “raise alarm bells for everyone.” The Liberal Senator also argues that the unions support her because it is a ” bad deal for workers”.
Giving support to Warren’s opposition is the AFL-CIO, which announced Wednesday that it’s freezing contributions to Democratic candidates in order to pump its money into the battle to defeat Obama on trade. This could be very troubling with the 2016 election coming up, because it means that one of The Democrats biggest money donors may not be willing to help a lot of Democratic candidates in swing states.
Obama has been trying to get the 12 country trans pacific partnership added to his resume for a long time and did not expect Warren to be the one to de-rail his plans. Warren has been an outspoken critic of what she calls “soft Democrats” for a long time. Many Democratic activists wanted Warren to run in the 2016 Presidential Election. Despite the push, Warren has said many times that she is not running for President in 2016.
It’s uncertain what Warren will do if the bill passes, she is bucking her party at a time when the party is gearing up for some major elections, including a Presidential Election. However, Warren has proven time and time again that she is worried more about principles than party.
Via The Washington Times
