Breaking: Dems think they have the votes to block the TPA from moving forward: [View all]

[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.