Thanks Elizabeth! Thanks Bernie! Thanks Sherrod! Thanks Alan! Thanks Harry!

[MannyGoldstein]

The American People had a big win today!

Just two years ago, only four senators voted to block the rich Wall Street banker that Obama nominated to TPP us.

Things have changed! Today, 45 Democrats voted against putting this TPP misery machine on greased rails. All 45 deserve high praise for bucking our Democratic President on this, but I think that a few members of Congress have been particularly outspoken about sounding the alarm on this weapon of mass job destruction:

Thank you, Elizabeth Warren!

Thank you, Bernie Sanders!

Thank you, Sherrod Brown!

Thank you, Alan Grayson!

Harry Reid hasn't been as loud about the infernal thing - it's tough to do, given his position - but he's voiced his opposition, and I've noticed his thumb on our side of the scale whenever he gets a chance. And it's not an insignificant thumb.

So thank you, too, Harry Reid.

Hopefully we can keep this garbage deal in the garbage, where it belongs.

And, hopefully, we can win more, and more, and restore government of, by, and for The People.

[AuntPatsy]

1. For the average citizen this is just the beginning of the fight, they won't give up easy

[MannyGoldstein]

2. No, it'll be a very, very difficult fight

The other side has great resources, and will use them.

But we have heart, and we are right.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

26. What if we win this fight now, and for whatever reason Scott Walker or Jeb Bush are

elected with a repub house and senate, could they go back to this and get us in real quick?

hmm

[cherokeeprogressive]

31. hmm what? hmm?

[Jackpine Radical]

32. At that point, the TPP will be among the least of our problems.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

34. Yes, it will. But if Hillary is on record against TPP, and I am not sure if she is, this is

very important.

I guess I need to know that before saying more

[Jackpine Radical]

41. She mumbled about putting environmental & worker protections in it.

You know--grand generalizations, with no specifics, like we need to have a conversation about these minor details at some point.

[d_legendary1]

86. Kinda like Senator Obama was against free trade

And President Obama thinks its the best thing since sliced bread.

[Rockyj]

68. YES WE DO & MOST OF ALL HONESTY!

[MannyGoldstein]

71. !!!

[billhicks76]

76. Hey Manny!!!

Thank you. As usual I'm with you Brother. Keep up the good fight Light Warrior!!!

[roguevalley]

73. its our time, AuntPatsy. We will block what we

won't tolerate if we want it bad enough. I am so happy today.

[WillyT]

3. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[Gregorian]

4. And didn't Wikileaks play a role in this too?

I'm thanking them as well.

[erronis]

8. +++++ - We need more leaks and more transparency!

[Melissa G]

5. Woo Hoo !!!! Great News!!!

[geek tragedy]

6. Alan Grayson isn't a Senator nt

[MannyGoldstein]

7. corrected my wording, thanks.

The RNC needs to get me a better editor.

[Faryn Balyncd]

9. A BIG victory!!! (And a long fight ahead.)

[polichick]

10. Big k&r!

[cali]

11. Wrong. Harry Reid has been very outspoken. You should change your claim

Harry Reid Says ‘Hell No’ To The Trans Pacific Partnership

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/23/harry-reid-says-hell-no-to-the-trans-pacific-partnership/

And that's certainly not all he said. He led the tactical charge.

Please change your op.

[donnasgirl]

12. I knew i would find you here setting the record straight

Thanks Cali.

[cali]

13. thanks, dg. Not trying to be a smart aleck here, but the op isn't fair to Reid

[MannyGoldstein]

29. Just curious...

what percentage of the OP do you agree with?

[cali]

38. I agree that all the dems who voted against opening debate on the tpa

deserve praise. I think your linking this to the tpp is curious. The Senate pretty consistently gives the President a lot of discretion on USTR appointments- and I gather you are referring to Froman.

Just two years ago, only four senators voted to block the rich Wall Street banker that Obama nominated to TPP us.

But I think you do Reid a disservice as he was the one who came up with this tactic to defeat the tpa today- and this tactic btw, is a maneuver to defeat the tpp itself. Reid knows that the currency manipulation limits are pretty much a deal breaker.

I just think Reid deserves better as this was his gambit. Why won't you change your op.

[MannyGoldstein]

58. So we disagree on the meaning of the word "outspoken"

And for that I get a post that starts with "Wrong."?

Tough crowd!

I'll reword.

[TheKentuckian]

14. TOUCHDOWN SELF GOVERNANCE!

The game never ends but that thar is points on the big board.

[Unknown Beatle]

15. The fight is just starting.

We need to keep the pressure on our congresscritters.

[jwirr]

23. And starting that pressure begins with thanking all our congress persons who voted against it. Get

back on the phone and lets show we like what they did.

[geardaddy]

16. Is there a link to who voted against?

I want to see if my rep and senators are on that list.

[cali]

20. only one dem voted for it- Tom Carper of Delaware

I know Sessions voted against it, but I'm not sure what other repubs did.

[geardaddy]

22. Thanks.

[Jackpine Radical]

35. And that's great news.

There were something like 8 on the Undecided or Leaning Yes list iirc.

[cali]

43. Yep. Harry Reid deserves a ton of credit- this was his gambit and it's not only

configured to defeat the tpa but the tpp itself. currency manipulation limits are a huge impediment. The reason the President and USTR are so against it, is that they know that's a deal breaker for some of the tpp partner nations. At the very least it means a lot more negotiation of the agreement.

[cali]

47. I think you might like this article, Jackpine R.

Here's a bit of it. It's from yesterday. Minutia, but that's some of the most tricky and interesting stuff swirling within this debate.

<snip>
More to the point, Republicans say, a tough currency measure attached to trade promotion authority would doom the Pacific trade accord, scaring away important countries like Japan and Malaysia in a misguided jab at China.

“Is the goal to get T.P.A. done, or is it to crush the president’s trade agenda?” asked a Republican aide on the Senate Finance Committee.

The customs bill in question is multifaceted. Besides the currency measure, it includes the creation of an interagency trade enforcement center and a system to respond faster to unfair trade practices like the dumping of exports at prices below the cost of production. Another provision would require the Customs and Border Protection agency to expeditiously investigate allegations of customs duty evasion. Still another would close a 75-year-old loophole that allows the importation of goods provided by child labor if a company cannot find those goods elsewhere.

Candy makers are opposing that last provision on the novel ground that it would kill Ghana’s cocoa trade.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/12/business/fight-over-china-currency-policies-threatens-vote-on-trade-bill.html?_r=0

<snip>

[Raine1967]

57. I think I heard that McConnell did.

and when I say I think I heard, I was listening to the C-Span feed. I may have misheard it.

[ChiciB1]

63. I Live In Florida...

I already know. I had already contacted Bill Nelson and his return email indicated he was with Obama. My Representative & Rubio will never do anything that any Democrats support.

[JayNev]

67. Errrr... are you saying that Obama isn't a Democrat?

[Demeter]

17. TP THE TPP AND TIPP!

[KansDem]

18. HOT DAMN!!!

[MissDeeds]

19. Great news

Big "thank you" to all who voted against this debacle.




K&R

[jwirr]

21. Thanks too eveyone who has helped to slow this thing down. Hope is still alive. The Party joined

together to do what the people want.

[AtomicKitten]

24. Hoofeckinray!!!

[Dont call me Shirley]

25. Thank you for all who called your Senators, Representatives

and White House!!! You rock!!!

[turbinetree]

27. Thank YOU........

Thank you, Elizabeth Warren!

Thank you, Bernie Sanders!

Thank you, Sherrod Brown!

Thank you, Alan Grayson!

Thank you, too, Harry Reid!

And Thank you to the progressive party

[StopTheTPP]

28. And thank you to all who are taking part in the defense

[bigwillq]

30. K and R

[Elwood P Dowd]

33. K&R

[Thespian2]

36. K & R +++++++++++

[bbgrunt]

37. Whoopee! Today was a good day to die (TPP)

[SusanCalvin]

39. I'm thrilled. nt

[Trajan]

40. Thanks Manny 'Never Thanked Enough' Goldstein ...

Made my day ...

[hifiguy]

42. This. Manny is one of the great DUers.

[Jack Rabbit]

44. Thank you, Manny

[Aerows]

45. I've heard

"the TPP is a done deal". We haven't even heard from Australia and New Zealand that also are opposed to it, too (at the citizen level).

It benefits no one that lives in a developed country unless you run a global corporation in one of them.

NAFTA would have been a fart in the wind if we would have had more extensive social media when it was implemented. Social Media might put you in office, but if you are trying to pass legislation that will screw the majority of us over, it will inform you of that, too, with a resounding "Hell, no."

[benld74]

46. THANKS Senate Dems!!!

[Enthusiast]

48. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch!

[rhett o rick]

49. This is great news for the Populist Movement that some are pretending to ignore.

A year ago, I didn't think we had a chance. This is a step in the correct direction. Elect Sanders is a further step.

[MannyGoldstein]

51. A certain swarm of folks

seems to be missing.

Interesting.

[Marr]

54. I could be mistaken, but...

I could swear it's the same crowd that often bashes people for not praising Democrats enough. How strange.

[MannyGoldstein]

59. The ones who scream that people to the left of Obama

are Republican disruptors and/or misogynists and/or racists?

They're probably writing down the names on this thread.

[dpatbrown]

50. fantastic:

"Moved by excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion"
This is exciting! If "stuff" like this continues to happen, I could be convinced that there is hope for progressives after all. I've been waiting for a liberal, since JFK, to be elected. Having Warren or Sanders would extend my life by 20 years.

[abelenkpe]

55. Since JFK

Dang, that's before I was born. Seriously, it has always seemed like the pendulum has been moving to the right for as long as I remember. But Carter was pretty liberal wasn't he?
I dimly remember the adults in my family talking about Reagan and the air traffic controllers strike. Seems like workers have been on a long losing streak since then.

[MannyGoldstein]

60. Believe it or not, Carter was a right-wing Democrat for that time

The pendulum began moving in the mid 1970s.

[Art_from_Ark]

75. I disagree strongly about Carter

He might have had some "right-wing" tendencies, like deregulating certain industries, but he was not a right-winger

To wit,
He passed America's most progressive energy policy ever, which was promptly shit-canned by a real right-winger, Ronald Reagan.

Carter was also interested in energy conservation, as evidenced by his walk (rather than ride in a motorcade) to the White House during his inauguration, and his turning down the thermostats and installation of solar panels at the White House.

He supported the Equal Rights Amendment, which, once again, was fiercely opposed by right-wingers.

His foreign policy was based in large part on JFK's and was focused on human rights. He even (belatedly) won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end confrontations between Egypt and Israel. His big mistake was in listening to people like Kissinger on Iran and Zbigniew Brzezinski on Afghanistan.

He was concerned about the environment as exemplified by his appointment of Cecil Andrus as Interior Secretary. Compare Andrus to his successor, a real right-winger, James Watt. And Carter set aside millions of acres in places like Alaska for conservation.

He was also the first President to address gay rights, and opposed California's Briggs Initiative.

He also supported Ted Kennedy's call for health care reform, and supported mandatory hospital cost controls.

[MannyGoldstein]

87. FWIW, from Salon...

How Reaganism actually started with Carter

Think Reagan was the first modern president to preach low taxes, free markets and morality?

[geek tragedy]

52. Sherrod Brown would think this thread is sexist. nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

53. If it's anything like the bailout, they do a public vote and then slip it through quietly.

[99Forever]

56. A HUGE K&R!

Way to go Senate Democrats. There's hope for you yet.

[Liberalynn]

61. Thank You!

[ChiciB1]

62. Time After Time, Time After Time, Time After Time...

I've had my fingers crossed and a wish in my heart that "we the people" would begin to see Democrats or even any RW Congress Critter to show they were elected to SERVE the people!

I don't use the word HOPE anymore simply because every time I did HOPE it soon fell on it's face. So today I'm very thankful for what seems to be an awakening, still I'm unable to let my guard down given all we've seen for far too many years. I think we all know this isn't over and many who voted with Obama AREN'T going to stop fighting and will probably double down even more. People like Ed Rendel is already talking negatively about Elizabeth Warren and once again I'm hearing she's only doing this to advance herself politically. Like maybe she really WANTS to be President some day and is only doing this for political gain. In my heart I DO NOT think that's why she's fighting back, or why Sherrod Brown is fighting back. Yes, Bernie is running for President but I don't think he's doing it to have his star shine brighter. I honestly think they want to see this country get back on course and stop selling out to FAT CATS who have taken over this country.

To me Obama is a good man, a good family man and has many good attributes, but when he leaves the WH he isn't about to retire. I just don't think his motives are the same as the ones mentioned in this thread. He has gotten some good things done, but he's also made quite a few decisions that have baffled me. Just yesterday he gave the green light to drill in the arctic but says he wants to do what's good for the environment. I scratch my head about this stuff. I think the way he attacked Warren and others over this is just WRONG! Almost seems like he's attacking them MORE than he's done with many RW'ers who despise him. I didn't like seeing this.

Please let this be what it should be, a sign that there's an awakening in the country. I'm sure most Repukes voted against what Obama wanted simply because it's what they do all the time. I'll keep my fingers crossed for now but won't let my guard down.

Anyway a big THANK YOU to those who are on our side and may the fight continue and gather with time.

[Overseas]

64. K&R. Yes please!

[marym625]

65. It'll be interesting to see if the agreement is revealed

If there is nothing detrimental to the American people, this would be the perfect time to show it.

I highly doubt we will see it. And, if we do, it won't be in full

[Geronimoe]

66. Bernie and Elizabeth delivered an extra large serving of.....

[Elwood P Dowd]

69. The TPP cheerleading squad will now put you on ignore Manny.

[MannyGoldstein]

70. I've been begging them to do that for many months

It would be great if this closed the deal.

[MrMickeysMom]

72. They already have, Elwood

[whereisjustice]

74. We have a spine and it looks good on us! Let's use it more often!

[RiverLover]

77. Thank you all!!!

[INdemo]

78. Just have one question

I know when the Democrats had control of the Senate it seemed that Republicans were pulling all those shenanigans on the Democrats and it seemed that in most cases they just set back and took it...That is probably why the spineless Democrats lost the Majority.
Now that Republicans have control they are fighting like hell and this is great.

The ones listed above, except for Reid, have always been fighters.
But where was the fight the Senate Democrats are showing now when they had control?

If they would have fought like this when they had control they would still have the Senate Majority

[wolfie001]

80. Blue dogs

Most went extinct.

[NuttyFluffers]

79. :) great win, but the battle still rages.

enjoying it while we can, back to the trenches tomorrow! see you all there!

[DCBob]

81. Hold the champagne..

Harry is already working on a compromise..

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/trade-vote-senate-mitch-mcconnell-117850.html

[raouldukelives]

82. K&R nt

[cyberswede]

84. "far left"

[blackspade]

85. I can't REC enough.