Breaking: Dems think they have the votes to block the TPA from moving forward:

[cali]

A critical vote on President Barack Obama’s trade agenda appears in danger of failing on Tuesday afternoon as Republicans suffered defections and Democratic leaders sounded confident they could muster the votes to block the bill.

“I don’t think it’s going to be successful,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois said about a high-stakes Tuesday vote on fast-track legislation, which would allow Obama to submit unamendable trade deals to Congress for up-or-down votes.

In exchange for voting to approve fast-track powers for the president, Democrats have demanded that the Senate also pass additional worker protections. So far, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has stopped short of offering the kind of assurances Democrats are looking for.

With McConnell refusing to budge, Democratic leaders predicted that they can muster 41 votes to block the bill this afternoon, after both parties plot further strategy at private party lunches

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/trade-vote-senate-mitchmcconnell117850.html#ixzz3ZwiVA7j2

Cautionary Note: If this sugars off this way, this is only a temporary victory. This fat pig ain't going away anytime soon.

[KoKo]

1. Agree....it's not going away anytime soon.

Even if FTA is voted down...it still can be presented and the Committees in House and Senate can rework language and still vote for amendments (that we won't necessarily know too much about, either), if they expedite certain chapters with quick votes.

Still...voting down "FTA" is so important because does slow it down so that maybe more pressure will allow the Public Advocacy, Unions and Environmental groups to keep the pressure on to do what it takes to either defeat chapters or modify others. Hopefully it could be watered down to nothing much except scraps...but, something left to allow Obama to save face in some way. His administration and Dems/Wall Street, etc. have too much invested to allow total defeat, sadly.

[sabrina 1]

2. I am really proud of the Dems for holding firm on this despite the pressure they

are under.

Even stopping it temporarily is a good thing.

[erronis]

5. I wonder if the Dems would have acted against this bill

If there hadn't been such fierce opposition from the internet.

Unfortunately many of them are just happy to hold onto their job and don't want to antagonize people with money.

From my perspective there was just not that strong of a push-back from what used to be the "liberal" media.

I actually think it will be much harder to get a fast track deal done in the future - especially with such onerous conditions re time to review.

[sabrina 1]

8. I think for some the public pressure which was way more fierce than many probably expected

definitely affected some of them. Remember too that until the middle of 2013 AND until the Wikileaks exposures, no one in Congress KNEW what was in it.

Public pressure finally forced the WH to 'allow' Congress to get a peek at it, and the leaks raised the volume of the opposition only confirming that anything done in such secrecy must be assumed to be suspect.

Some however, have been trying to raise the alarm for a long time.

And don't forget, when Bush tried to do this in 2007, Fast Track a Trade bill, Dems opposed it then too, giving many of the same reasons they are giving to day.

I am just glad they have not caved to pressure from the WH.

And I do believe that the public outrage had a lot to do with it.

[erronis]

9. Wikileaks has been an important research tools for many of us

Information publicly available has changed the way the world works. Even more so, resources like Wikipedia have made it possible to get current info on most of the subjects that are now in the news.

I hope these and all the other internet sources don't get channeled/metered/filtered. I also hope that examples like Snowden, Assange, Manning will encourage others to share information that could let all of us see what only privileged individuals could see in the past.

[sabrina 1]

12. Definitely, 'knowledge is power' and thanks to Wikileaks and other sources like them,

the people are becoming more informed. And of course to the Whistle Blowers who risk so much to keep the public informed of what they have a right to know.

The Founding Fathers insisted that the only way Democracy can survive is with a truly free press.

Jefferson eg, who was vilified often by the press of his time, still believed that the ONLY way their idea could work was with 'an informed public'.

Since we no longer have such a thing here, it is fortunate that something came along to fill that vacuum, like Wikileaks and other independent media.

[Oilwellian]

20. Did you see the unveiling of Assange, Snowden & Manning statues in Berlin?

Europe is so far ahead of us. We are catching on, albeit a bit slow.

http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/01/snowden-assange-and-manning-statues-unveiled-in-berlin/

[sabrina 1]

25. I did, it was fantastic. It's such a shame that this country has become so

not free.

This shows how respected these people are, despite all the propaganda from here, around the world. We are so behind, we so need a change of course.

[bigtree]

3. so we're waiting for some inevitable deal

...pot-sweeteners drawing in the handful of Democrats they need to move forward to debate on fast track.

Then it's a full-on press to try and kill the TPA (which is, essentially, the main fight) - if TPA moves forward, passage of the TPP is all but assured.

[WillyT]

4. Take A Look At The Front Page/Top Story Of HuffPo...

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/



& Rec !!!

[KoKo]

24. From the Huff Post article--"... Crime for Obama's Trade Critics to air concerns in public..."

"Most people don't realize that we actually fixed a lot of what was wrong with NAFTA in the course of this," said Sen. Tom Carper (Del.), one of the few Democrats to stick with Obama on the vote. "We need to be negotiating in the present, in the present tense, and not the past."

But many Democrats, and some Republicans fear the TPP in particular will facilitate currency manipulation by foreign competitors, erode labor and environmental standards at home and abroad, and shrink domestic jobs for the middle-class. The Obama administration treats the TPP negotiating texts as classified information, making it a crime for his trade critics to detail their concerns in public.

While Carper and Obama emphasize that TPP will include enforceable labor and environmental protections, both labor unions and environmental groups remain steadfastly opposed to the deal, citing lax enforcement of such trade safeguards under Obama's tenure.

McConnell has the authority to bring the legislation back, but the bill now faces an uphill battle in the Senate and an even tougher fight in the House, where a substantial bloc of Republicans and Democrats don't back the measure.

[840high]

33. k/r

[donnasgirl]

6. I am watching the debate right now

Sherrod Brown is doing a great job, Senator Hatch is making me sick to my stomach and with hatch fighting so hard should be a signal to all that something doesn't set well. Something is wrong when a Republican like Hatch keeps saying he stands with the President.

[MisterP]

7. well, Obama still has the Republicans' vote (we just have to crack it, a la the NAFTA vote)

[ChiciB1]

10. Yep, It Ain't Over...

UNFORTUNATELY and AGAIN, I don't understand so much about Obama these days and I actually DON'T like saying it or feeling this way! I freely admit I didn't support either Hillary OR Obama in 2008, and I realize that Obama has been demonized since day one, however it's my opinion that he DID start out thinking the Repukes would be willing to work WITH him.

This is such past history about Obama I know, but I've always felt he must have known about the meeting Repukes had on DAY ONE and how unwilling and spiteful they were going to be. WHY he extended his hand, arm and whatever else to them has befuddled me since then. Granted he's done some good things, but over all what I think he's be the VERY BEST AT is selling himself. Maybe shouldn't have made that comment, it's not totally true because I think he's a "good man" but I've always known he was to the right of me. Many Democrats roll that way too, it's just not how I roll!

[Enthusiast]

14. Suffice it to say, at the very least President Obama has been an enigma.

Some of us have less pleasant terms for it.

[pampango]

11. Already 44 No votes so it is blocked for now. n/t

[fadedrose]

13. Right now, they wouldl have to have 5 people change their votes

to "Yes" for it to pass....

[HereSince1628]

18. 5? That's not much margin...I called my republican Senator Tim Johnson's office this morning

I told him that the Investor-State Dispute Settlement provision makes a mockery of the core of "States Rights" that -ALL- Republicans know is the core of protecting our freedoms...

I hope I came across as a loyal TP, and don't think I over played my hand

[Puzzledtraveller]

15. Like a bad Twilight Zone episode

We are actually rallying Democrats to block something put forward by a Democratic President who in turn is rallying Republicans to save it.

[Oilwellian]

27. It certainly exposes the schism in both parties

Tea Party Republicans are not going to be happy about their Senators vote to give Obama Fast Track Authority. Democrats are relieved Obama's TPA Bill failed. LOL We have entered bizarro world.

As Cali said, this is not over, so let's keep up our guard and continue the good fight.

[fadedrose]

36. X-Files coming back

This should make an episode .. ...but what side are the aliens on? Moulder & Skully will sort it out.

[fadedrose]

39. This is Hitchcock at his best!!!

Maybe the polls show who the frontrunner is, but Hitchcock would have it go a different way....

Get Liz to fight for the working man, polls improve, as Liz winks at Obama and he winks back, and then....ta ta ta ta






Either Liz or Biden get the nod....She did it for the country, not herself!!!

[ananda]

16. O please let it happen!

..

[staggerleem]

17. SHAFTA

You are correct - The Southern Hemisphere & Asia Free Trade Agreement isn't going to die this easily!

The following comments refer more to the full content of the linked Politico article than to the snippet above:

I note that The Turtle used the phrase "let the Senate work its will" twice. Somehow, I think he really meant "let the MAJORITY work its will", but that may be splitting hairs.

It seems that Harry Reid is absolutely warming up to his new role as "spoiler".

I object to the "pro/anti-trade" terminology used in the article. Look, NOBODY is anti-trade! Everybody wants to do SOME kind of business. The pro and anti labels should be flipped, and the term "trade" should be replaced by "transparency" - hey, wasn't that what Obama RAN ON in 2008? In other words, the folks they are calling "anti-trade" are really just "pro-transparency", and vice-versa.

[BKH70041]

19. Let's see if I have the local talking point down.

If the Democrats don't vote for this, it's because they're racist against the black guy in office.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what I read here at DU all the time when a group opposes Obama. At least that's what someone would learn by hanging out here. So, yeah, they must all be racists. Damn racists doing this to Obama..... again!

Of course, then there's the rationalizations of why this is only true under certain circumstances. No doubt that'll be what follows this, with a full-throated denial of that's what they're doing at all.

Predictable.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. Translation: The pig needs more lipstick (imported) to pass.

[CullenBohannon]

22. good job

The last thing we need is more "free" trade.

[Phlem]

23. Greed never rests.

Last edited Tue May 12, 2015, 06:24 PM - Edit history (1)

There are no off days, vacation or sick leave. Always more more more.

[Jackpine Radical]

26. Breaking, Hell.

Broken!

Hot Damn!

[Oilwellian]

29. Woot! Woot!

[TBF]

28. Woot! I know you're correct

That they won't give up. Capitalists like profit and they will go across oceans to get more if they're able to.

[murielm99]

30. Fat pigs never do go away,

at least the metaphorical ones.

I hope there is a way to slaughter this pig permanently. They will have to figure out how to do it. It may not go away with our next President, either, whoever that is.

[octoberlib]

31. 'Senate Democrats' is actually trending on Twitter

Mark Knoller ?@markknoller 45m45 minutes ago
From CBS' John Nolen: Senate Democrats block debate on Trade Promotion Authority by a 52-45 vote. 60 votes were needed to move forward.




A journalist tweeted that Hatch was pissed and gave the Dems a verbal beatdown.

[LondonReign2]

32. Our Third Wayers will have a very bad sad

[aspirant]

34. If they can keep united to the fall,

election season starts to roll and then not many are going to want to be attached to this disaster. They are going to need much more than luck to get it passed then.

[DrBulldog]

35. And the Senators still supporting TPP are as dumb as nails:

"Most people don't realize that we actually fixed a lot of what was wrong with NAFTA in the course of this. We need to be negotiating in the present, in the present tense, and not the past." - Sen. Tom Carper (Democrat, Del.).

Well, "most people don't realize" because THE PEOPLE ARE PROHIBITED FROM READING THE BILL!

What insanity!

[DrBulldog]

37. Just in - 1st quarter score: Warren 1, Obama 0.

[BrotherIvan]

38. Yes, I'm sure there is some yelling in the West Wing right now