"Fast Track" which is needed to pass the TPP, is in trouble on the Hill

[cali]

One thing President Barack Obama needs from Congress to make his blockbuster Pacific Rim trade deal a reality is “trade promotion authority.” But as lawmakers return next week from a month-long break, the easiest road to getting the needed legislation may now be impassable.

Bill Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, a group that lobbies for major U.S. exporters, told reporters at a lunch meeting on Friday he was pessimistic that ongoing talks between top Republicans and Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee would produce a joint bill.

<snip>

Scott Miller, a trade policy specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said a crowded legislative calendar makes it a challenge to pass any trade promotion authority bill in the next few months.

“There are a lot of other priorities at the moment,” Miller said, referring to upcoming debates over military action in Syria, raising the U.S. debt ceiling and funding government programs for fiscal 2014.

Still, having the legislation would make it much easier for the White House to achieve its goal of finishing talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership by the end of the year, he said.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/barack-obama-trade-authority-96400.html#ixzz2f4AWTch1

[X_Digger]

1. Good! Sink that piece of shit agreement. n/t

[Demeter]

33. Mega dittos (to coin a phrase)!

[Veilex]

38. That could just be a smoke screen...

If I were a corporate strategist, I'd "leak" that information or have an interview with a news source to release that kind of press release specifically to get the political opposition to ease up on their attacks.

I'd say its more important, now than ever, to get the word out and expose the TPP for what it really is.

[X_Digger]

39. Hell yes. Keep up the pressure.

The goal is to make those in government involuntarily shudder anytime someone mentions TPP.

[jsr]

2. Kill it. Kill it dead.

[Autumn]

3. It needs a dagger to the heart.

rec

[temporary311]

4. Then we need to burn the corpse

and scatter the ashes to the four winds. Otherwise, it'll come back.

[Autumn]

5. True.

[bvar22]

10. ...and then go after thier malignant clones NAFTA, CAFTA, and all the others,

...and bury them face down in the same unmarked grave
with a warning to future generations to NEVER listen to the smooth talking con men.

THEN, maybe over the next 20 years, America can rebuild its Working/Middle Class, but that is going to be a long, hard fight,
a fight in which we will NEED a Political Party that actually fights FOR the Working Class instead of against us.




You will know them by their [font size=3]WORKS.[/font]

[fasttense]

18. Don't forget while burying horrendous trade agreements

to stomp to death and place 6 feet under all of those neoliberal WTO trade agreements. Like the amendment that ensured the repeal of Glass-Steagall.

[Plucketeer]

22. This is PRECISELY why we DO NOT need

another friggin' CLINTON in the White House! We DO need a woman in the Oval Office - one that's got experience as a senator, no less. Just NOT one named Clinton!

[Demeter]

34. I know! I know! How about....

America's sweetheart, Elizabeth Warren, who just slew the evil dragon Summers?

[Plucketeer]

40. She's my pick too.

She's an "Assume Nothing" sort. THAT'S what WE need.

[House of Roberts]

6. Pack it into a bunker buster and drop it on the WTO.

[Vanje]

7. On TPP : CALL CONGRESS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!1!!!1!!

Seriously.
Email. Call. Visit their district offices.

Take a sick day from work and spend the day being a citizen lobbyist.

Do EVERYTHING you can to keep TPP from being enacted.

If you're new at citizen lobbying here is a helpful site where you can easily find who represents your district, and click straight into your congressperson's contact information. http://www.congress.com/
Keep on em with follow up calls and emails.

Interest your like-minded friends and family to do the same.

The TTP (Transpacific Partnership) would have a huge effect. Its been described as NAFTA on steroids.

Read more about it here:
http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPImpactsYou.html

[TBF]

14. On it. nt

[Autumn]

27. That needs to be a stand alone OP.

A wealth of information there. Bookmarking to keep that handy. Thanks Vanje.

[Vanje]

8. I'm reccing this OP

because the more people know about TPP, the less likely it is to ever see the light of day
TPP needs to be be exposed, and promptly rejected.
Bad for America.
Bad for the world.
Great for Monsanto.

http://www.albanytribune.com/10092013-tpp-trade-deal-most-us-workers-likely-to-lose-out-report-finds%E2%80%8F/

[Brickbat]

9. .

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Holy Tamales, Cali--

Maybe things are turning around. Maybe we're gonna get some approximation of the Second-Term Obama we always wanted. If the left can just keep jamming up the machinery with these small nuisances like massive public opposition to the Neocon agenda…

[cali]

12. We have to build more opposition to this obscenity

I think it's going to happen.

[TBF]

13. It needs to be killed -

my idiot rep came through on Syria. I am going to email him about this as well.

I don't care if he is voting against just to spite Obama. When stupid legislation is brought up we need to kill it no matter who is bringing it.

[Vanje]

20. My reps are idiots too

Republicans, every one.
But twice a day, those broken clocks are right!
We use whatever works at the time.

[tritsofme]

15. It has always been very unlikely that TPA could pass the House

And the president can't close any of these trade deals without it.

[cali]

17. Agreed, but the more trouble it's in, the happier I am.

[ljm2002]

16. Woo hoo!

Here's hoping the TPP dies abornin'.

[pampango]

19. Similar to the Syria vote, a coalition of labor-aligned Democrats and tea partiers can stop it.

Obama-wary Tea Partiers and labor-aligned Democrats could block "fast-track" authority for two huge agreements.

It is generally agreed that the Obama will not be able to conclude the TPP and TTIP negotiations unless Congress grants him Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) -- commonly known as "fast-track" -- which guarantees that Congress will hold a straight up or down vote on any trade agreement the president negotiates.

When Congress grants TPA to a president, the authorizing legislation always includes negotiating objectives. This is a reminder to the president that he is acting as a delegate from Congress. The negotiating objectives themselves, however, often become the major point of contention. It was a battle over labor and environmental standards, for example, that prevented the House from granting President Clinton fast-track authority in 1998.

In the Senate, Democrat Max Baucus is already leading the charge for the renewal of TPA. He can expect significant Republican support, but may have some trouble corralling members of his own party. Democrat Sherrod Brown, whose power base in Northeast Ohio's Rust Belt remains upset about the 1994 NAFTA, has already expressed reservations. And since fast-track authorization is subject to filibuster, Obama may need all the votes he can get.

The battle in the House might be even more interesting. ... One can easily see an odd alliance in the House between progressive Democrats, who reflect the concerns of organized labor, and Tea Party Republicans, who don't want to give power away to the president. Even Rep. Darrell Issa, usually a free-trade advocate, might oppose it because of suspicions about the secretive nature of the TPP negotiations.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/the-odd-bipartisan-coalition-that-could-sink-obamas-free-trade-legacy/276938/

If it is only "progressive Democrats, who reflect the concerns of organized labor" who oppose "fast track" in the House, it will pass anyway if Boehner and the tea party types support it. That seems likely not to be the case.

[totodeinhere]

32. I am uncomfortable with accepting help from the Tea Party on anything.

But killing fast track is so important that if it takes a coalition with the Tea Party to kill it then so be it. Then we can go back to opposing those shitbags on other issues.

[Demeter]

35. You are going to have to get over that prejudice

The grassroots are the grassroots. They are part of the 99%. And we need them on our side.

They are educable. And they vote.

We just have to alienate them from their 1% mobster bosses...which the mobster bosses are already doing themselves. We just need to give the ordinary people an alternative which they can want and support.

[Art_from_Ark]

53. Politics makes strange bedfellows sometimes

This is one of those times.

[pampango]

56. Which begs the question: "Strange bedfellows" in a possible "relationship" or just a couple

of one-night-stands (Syria and TPP)?

IMHO, Demeter in post 35 above is arguing for the possibility of a long-term relationship (an alliance of populists against the corporate wings of both parties). Others just welcome support from anywhere on the political spectrum on an issue by issue basis but don't want to have anything to do with tea party types on a regular basis.

Most of the agreement between left- and right-wing populists seems to be on international issues like bombing other countries, trade with other countries, membership in international organizations which restrict national sovereignty. Tea party types are against the bombing of Syria and US membership in the WTO, IMF and the UN. Issues in which there is a lot of common ground with the left - well not with respect to the UN which is fairly popular.

OTOH, on every domestic issue I can think of there is no agreement between left and right.

[socialist_n_TN]

57. Just a couple of one-night stands IMO. If this was being negotiated.......

by a Republican President, ESPECIALLY a Tea Party style Republican, they would be all for it. Those two coalitions with the RW on those two issues from the right's (Tea Party) perspective are based entirely on Obama being the one call for the passage. But that's OK. I'll take it if it sinks bad laws and bad policies.

[pampango]

58. Maybe but perhaps not if that "Tea party style Republican" president were Rand Paul.

Sen. Rand Paul fights Obama's Fast-Tracking Attempt w/ TPP, the Trans Pacific Partnership! (Another Corporatist 'Free Trade' BS)

August 13, 2013

NEW YORK – When it comes to free trade, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., appears to be following in his father’s footsteps.

If President Obama attempts to get “fast-track authority” to push the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, through Congress before attending the summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in October, he can anticipate strong opposition from Rand Paul as well as from the senator’s father, former Republican congressman Ron Paul of Texas.

http://www.dailypaul.com/296001/sen-rand-paul-fights-obamas-fast-tracking-attempt-w-tpp-the-trans-pacific-partnership-another-corporatist-free-trade-bs

Paul rants regularly about Obama's links to "globalists".

republican state party platforms in 2012 often had tea party sponsored planks urging the US to withdraw from the UN, WTO and IMF. These were passed in the spring/summer of 2012 when republicans thought they had a good shot at winning the presidency. Of course, romney would have had nothing to do with these tea party planks, but they made their positions clear.

[LuvNewcastle]

21. Abort the TPP!

This is one time I'm glad Congress can't agree on anything.

[yourout]

23. Sometimes doing nothing is better than the alternative.

[bread_and_roses]

24. K & R & yes to remarks above (n/t)

[BuelahWitch]

25. Yay! More good news!

[The Magistrate]

26. Definitely Time, Ma'am, To Stop One Of These 'Trade Agreement' Corporate Immunity Swindles

[bowens43]

28. Kill it.

[another_liberal]

29. To hell with TPP!

It is an awful deal for workers and the environment. The damn thing only serves the one percent wealthiest and bloated, multinational corporations.

As far as "Fast Track" itself: No trade deal should ever pass Congress without a debate on the merits of what it contains. Fast Track bypasses the people's representatives and surrenders authority the Constitution vested in Congress to a bunch of fatcat negotiators who are answerable to no one but the President. No President should be able to reach major trade agreements on his own decision alone.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

30. Thank you cali.

[Owl]

31. The TPP appears to be a net negative for the USA. Why is PBO persuing it?

[Demeter]

36. $$$$ It's his retirement plan

So his daughters can marry up, like Chelsea Clinton did.

[awoke_in_2003]

46. I wish I could rebut that statement...

But I don't think it can be.

[dogknob]

37. Republicans will pass TPP in a heartbeat with a Republican President...

So now we're celebrating an obstructionist Congress?

TPP needs to be killed completely 1000% dead, decapitated, stake driven through its heart, and its maw stuffed with holy wafers...

The Republicans clogging Congress won't do that... they will just wait until they get their guy in the White House.

[cali]

41. probably true, but all we can do is take it one step at a time

and it's not only republicans by any means who are opposing fast track.

[dogknob]

42. The senate confirmed Michael Froman 96-4

Of course corruption is a bipartisan government policy, but I'm saying that the GOP "Stop the Negro" agenda trumps all "good sound business sense."

I live in a district represented by felons (Issa, Harkey) and where the voters get held hostage by pirates in blue (Dianne "it's me or a basket of asps" Feinstein).

TPP will eventually become the law of the land unless we can completely neutralize the influence of the GOP and stop re-fighting battles that were settled long ago (civil rights). These conflicts prevent us from tackling the real issue: corruption.

[tritsofme]

50. TPA only passed the GOP House in 2002 by one or two votes.

Congress has been very protective of TPA for the past twenty years.

[pampango]

51. And something tells me the current GOP House distrusts Obama more the the 2002 GOP House did Bush.

[DJ13]

52. I'm not so sure they would

It took a Democratic President to pass Reagan/Bush sr.'s NAFTA, it took a (the same) Democratic President to pass welfare 'reform", it took a Democratic President to pass the WTO/China MFN (initially began under Nixon), and it too another Democratic President to pass the GOP's Heritage Foundation template for health care "reform", so the takeaway is that the GOP are too cowardly to pass their own dream proposals.

They may make a lot of noise about it later when they have the WH, but I doubt they want their fingerprints anywhere near it.

[colsohlibgal]

43. Ths Shows Who Obama And The DNC Are

Sorry apologists. He's for ordinary folks and minorities but he is all in on this? It just doesn't compute, wake up Obamabots!

[dreamnightwind]

45. Yes it does

from the snip posted upthread by pampango

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/the-odd-bipartisan-coalition-that-could-sink-obamas-free-trade-legacy/276938/
"In the Senate, Democrat Max Baucus is already leading the charge for the renewal of TPA."

Baucus is close to Obama. Former Baucus chief of staff Jim Messina was Baucus' chief of staff. Other connections too.

As far as the powers that be are concerned, the TPP is one of Obama's raison d'être.

It is indeed time to wake up.

Moving forward, what choices are we being presented with? Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, I'm pretty sure they would both be pushing the same pro-globalization agenda with few or no protections for U.S. labor interests or for local control over natural resources and environmental regulations. Why? Because that's what their largest campaign donors bought with their donations.

Lesser of two evils is not enough anymore.

[emsimon33]

44. TPP: Our next big battle

Whew! It is getting to be that I am spending as much time and money trying to defeat parts of my Democratic president's agenda as I did Bush-Cheney's. This is getting very tiring, fighting whoever gets elected--no matter what the party affiliation!

[Earth_First]

47. Maybe defunding ACA sixteen more times...

before taking on new legislative agendas is more appropriate.

Or it's a 'stall' for some pertinent backdoor negotiations to be hashed out.

More than likely there is a bit of truth to the latter portion...

[grahamhgreen]

48. Call call call!

[truedelphi]

49. Will do. n/t

[silvershadow]

54. Good! Drive a stake in the heart of that crap. nt

[LWolf]

55. Good. nt