Just goes to show: there ain’t no such thing as a moderate Democrat. They’ll always turn on you in the middle of a deal. I guess it’s just in their nature?
Senate Democrats handed President Obama a stinging rebuke on Tuesday, blocking consideration of legislation granting their own president “fast track” power to complete a major trade accord with 11 nations in the Pacific Rim.
The Senate vote on a procedural motion to begin debating the bill to give the president “trade promotion authority,” was 52 to 45 in favor, eight short of the 60 needed for passage. Republicans and pro-trade Democrats said they will try to negotiate a trade package that can clear that threshold.
I’m pretty sure that opposition to this one was on a party-line vote. One Democrat voted yes; one Republican voted no (three missed the vote). Which pretty much means that Senate Democrats – and that one Republican – are taking their cues from, oh my, Elizabeth Warren*. And that’s just fine by me. Because now would be the time for SML McConnell and the rest of the Republican caucus to come up with something that can be shoved through on a party-line vote for the President to shamefacedly sign.
This is acceptable. And, remember: this is all the Democrats’ fault. We were ready to give the President a bipartisan opportunity to promote trade. But apparently a lot of mostly male, and virtually all white, Democratic politicians have a problem with that…
Moe Lane
*I really hope, for Rand Paul’s sake, he’s not the Senator who lined up with Elizabeth Warren. That’s not a good place for a Presidential candidate to be. [UPDATE: As comments reminded me: silly me. McConnell switched his vote for procedural reasons: this way the vote can be reconsidered. Which I knew, already. Again: silly me.]
But if Republicans cooperate with Obama on things that they are working with Obama! That’ll mean they have betrayed us! Again!*
*Things read on the starboard side of the blogosphere where thwarting Obama at every turn is more important than what is being thwarted. Because Obama says mean things. And revenge.
Mmmmm. Revenge.
It’s a pig in a poke.
If we don’t know the terms of the deal (and we don’t), I’m against it.
Do you trust Obama?
Me neither.
Thwart it.
Yeah, that’s what bugs me. IDK what exact authority “fast track” entails giving the President, but not knowing what’s in the deal is a deal breaker. I wouldn’t sign a contract with everything but the dotted line written in invisible ink.
I do things like this because I *like* to laugh and poke gentle fun. Because I can.
Imagine me as a guy at the bar who will take up a cause with a smile and laugh just to watch friends wind up a little.
N.B.: Friends like bar-friends; and almost always gently (I fail sometimes.) but I try to keep things in-bounds.
I often think that if I am getting too predictable, then maybe it is time to do something else.
A deal negotiated with “fast track” authority has to be approved or rejected without amendments. That’s all. If Obama’s team comes back with a deal that the Senate doesn’t like, or tells them they have to pass it to find out what’s in it, they can reject it then.
SO the senate retains oversight, and delegates the details to the executive… The only problem I have there is that Obama seems likely to make a terrible deal, and when the Senate R’s are forced to reject it, they wind up portrayed as anti trade…
…So f*cking what? Once we push fast-track through – and the Senate will – the President will put the finishing touches on alienating himself from Congressional Democrats. We can scupper bad deals with impunity, then: the President’s usual progressive apologists will still be hopping mad at him, after all.
Looking at the roll call, the only Republican to vote against was McConnell, who presumably did so in order to be able to bring the issue back up if the votes change.
:snapping fingers: Right! Will update that.
Well, hopefully we can get this trade deal done, before Labor in NZ or Australia somehow gain the upper hand. Key won’t be PM of NZ forever ( despite having won three successive elections with greater margins each time the last being 2014).