BEAVERTON, Ore. (AP) — President Barack Obama argued forcefully Friday for a pending international trade agreement, saying the U.S. must write the rules for global commerce now, while it's in a position of economic strength, or lose out.
Related Stories

"If we don't write the rules for trade around the world, guess what? China will," Obama said, making his case at the Oregon headquarters of the athletic apparel and footwear company Nike. "And they'll write those rules in a way that gives Chinese workers and Chinese businesses the upper hand."

Nike was a curious choice for the president's speech, given criticism of its labor practices over the years.

But the company pledged Friday to create up to 10,000 jobs in the U.S. over the next decade with its manufacturing partners if Congress gives Obama "fast-track" trade negotiating authority that ultimately leads to the 12-country Trans-Pacific trade deal.

Nike said the trade deal would allow it to take advantage of lower tariffs on shoes and speed up investments in footwear manufacturing in the U.S.

Negotiations over the deal have put Obama in the awkward position of publicly battling with Democratic allies who normally would support him, including many lawmakers, labor unions and environmentalists.

Opponents fear the deal would lead to jobs being shifted overseas.

Obama argued that the current system doesn't benefit American workers, particularly those in the small businesses that he said create two out of every three jobs in the U.S. He said those businesses need easier access to the fast-growing Asian markets.

Obama acknowledged getting a "whupping" from his own party on the issue, but he said the pending deal includes enforceable provisions on the environment, child labor and other issues. Participating countries have to raise labor standards and pass other laws to protect workers, he said.

"Some of my dearest friends are wrong. They're just wrong," Obama said.

i wonder what lies this has in store for us...

Well some of us saw this **** coming.

Who does Obama think our landlords are? We owe China more money than we or any country could possibly pay back. Does Obama really believe all Americans or all powerful nations live in a closet & don't know this?

Ugh... pay backs are a ***** !

be honest, i don't really disagree with obarry on this... i can't see through his lies on this yet, but what he's saying has some merit...

Well historicaly the ' Trickle Down' theory has never worked. Our auto industry for example. And it still will NOT be " Owned & Made in American by American Standards & Benefits & Rights ".
It is just MORE land that we are GIVING away & possibly another wave of immigrants/ non Americans with American employment.
Any corporation can stipulate workers or have a 'carry over' of people & policies in their contract.
IMO- this is just another President giving & selling out The United States of America.. & trying to convince us it it for our own good, by appealing to our greed & desperation or lack of True Patriotism. * Not you Moe.... *

Think Moe! What has NAFTA and our other trade agreements given us? NOTHING! (OK.....cheap junk imports with nothing "Made In America" anymore) Unless you are able to go to those other countries for work.

These agreements have closed businesses here allowing foreign nations to buy the real estate for pennies on the dollar, getting taxpayer funded low or no interest loans from OUR govt, and then not paying a dime in taxes while sending the money they make off of us back to their country of origin

This is all part of Agenda 21 and the One World Govt plans which in the end will cause the demise of our sovereignty, along with our Constitutional rights and subject us to UN control and laws

They basicly give our govt what it has been seeking all along..... control of us..... which our Constitution has prevented to a degree up to this point

All I've seen on this so far, has been the paranoid rants of fanatics. The details of the proposed agreements themselves, have so far been left out of the published articles I've read.

I have long been wary of believing any of the carefully crafted ways that politicians use to present "cover pages" for the laws they want to pass, or in the speeches they n make about them.

One common claim made, is that "this law will open up opportunities for every American." When the actual law is revealed and passed, it turns out that the "opportunity" for SOME Americans, is for them to accept lower wages and benefits, or move to another country.

Things that I would LIKE to see in Trade agreements, include such things as...

...that manufacturers cannot sidestep responsibility for the use of child labor or slave labor by having things made overseas;

...that businesses can't avoid paying taxes on their profits from Americans, by shiftingt their official headquarters outside the country;

...that entrepreneurs cannot side step safety regulations, or pollution controls, simply by shifting to overseas locations (the polluted air and water will get here eventually);

That sort of thing. Lowering regulations or tariffs on others, simply in the hope that they will take that as a bribe sufficient for them to technically open new markets to us, is BS. As long as foreign manufacturers are not held to the same standards as Americans are, they will continue to undercut everything here, and continue to reduce how many jobs and how much wealth is actually created here.

This is what happens sadly way to many times...

I know it sounded good but with Obama I am waiting for the catch, somewhere there will be print so fine we won't be able to read it till long after it is a done deal. That fine print is what worries me...

Living on the past glory. CHINA is already dictating the tune. Pride goeth before destruction

2 true all that plus this was all initiated during those robust years of the Clinton era and had NAFTA not been ratified by both sides of the isle it would not have passed so glaringly easy! Which to my simplified way of thinking: AAAAHAAAA - there must have been quite a few corporate lawyers among those with whom there was going to be a huge chunk of tidy profits made once the ability to relocate their corporations over seas was realized and all that really cheap - cheap labor could be put to use under the guise of another SUTO CORPORATION NAME!

See, if you want to screw over Uncle Sam have the corporate attorneys look at a Bill First and then if they can't make profits off of it --- **BINGO** then you know it's going to be OK for 'John Q Public' and passing it won't hurt the middle class!

Because that's exactly what happened with the NAFTA bill and the corporations that slide out of our shores and landed on those foreign shores were singing 'We're In The Money' $$$ and they had nothing but good ole GREED in their hearts and could give-a-**** about 'Made In America by American Labor'!!!

i will never agree with the "trickle down" effect, but i fail to see what that has to do with this...

http://nypost.com/2015/05/08/schumer-reid-aiming-to-make-obama-a-lame-duck/

Schumer, Reid aiming to make Obama a lame duck

"to make" obarry a lame duck? when wasn't he?

I suppose you're praying Day and Night so it will come to pass?

seems those two are hellbent to torpedo his Legacy-Trade-Deal!

I trust those two as much as I do "Obama The Liar".

China has reaped the rewards of
"most favoured nation" trading status
with the u.s. , for several decades.

Nothing will change.
The u.s. will continue to get the worst
end of that deal.

^ any trade agreement with Asian markets must require equal market access in consumer goods to their markets AND investment in American jobs with as much manufacturing coming back to the US as possible. We can sell the material investments in those countries back to them to retire debt.

Oblowme gave us:

Oblowmecare, its lies, and hardships
Benghazi lies and scandal
Bowing to a foreign king while representing America
IRS corruption and scandals yet given even more power over the people
increased BLM land seizures and imminent domain forfeitures with NONE creating jobs
Solyndra and "green power" scandals and fraud
lowered Americas' credit rating
nearly doubled our National debt
sequestration causing monument closures with no "balanced budget"
Veteran watch lists
Common Core
made us the laughing stock of the world
continual attacks on our Constitution and Bill of Rights
set us back 50 years in race relations
bringing a known criminal, "tax cheat" and "race baiter" on as an "adviser" to our White House
Bergdahl trade and negotiations with terrorist org's
heightened tensions with Israel.... our ally
enhanced NDAA and patriot act guidelines in time of peace
declared our homeland a "war zone", making Americans "a possible threat"
Troops on American streets defying "posse comatatus"
the "Iran Deal"
"Free Speech Zones"
Attacks on religion while praising Islam and claiming "Christianity"
Gay marriage (1st against, then for)
Failure to close or protect our borders

The list goes on....... and none of it good

So now we let him and his admin negotiate yet another "secret" trade agreement even after his failed Oblowmecare, Bergdahl and Iran deals?

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm buying stock in Vaseline the next year or so!

Beware of Obamas bearing Gifts!