Obama's attempt to ram TPP through Congress is apparently meeting resistance from the Democrats, according to this article on Huffingtonpost.Why House Democrats Might Kill Obama's Big Trade Deal.
It appears that pressure from the base is finally getting the attention our House Democrats, or maybe they are just miffed at being ignored.
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's international trade agenda is dead in the water if he doesn't do a better job engaging with Democrats in Congress, and his administration appears to be getting that message, Democrats said Friday.
Congressional Democrats have often been frustrated by his lack of attention to their concerns, but they've been especially disturbed lately that in his grand pivot to Asia and push for a 12-nation trade pact dubbed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, they and the rest of Congress largely have been cut out of negotiations.
Also, things are not going so well for Max Baucus.
The issue came to a head Thursday in two ways. In one case, Obama's new nominee for China ambassador, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), angered his party by introducing fast-track trade legislation backed by the White House. The bill would ease the passage of the TPP and is cosponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.). But most Democrats oppose the bill, and ultimately, Baucus and the administration introduced the legislation without a House Democratic co-sponsor -- a public embarrassment that prompted House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to declare Obama needs to get his act together on trade policy.
Senators Wyden & Warren have been calling for the proposed details to be made available for some time. Wyden's concerns are especially important since he is due to take over as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee when Baucus leaves.
Our trade imbalance is an important aspect of our jobs program. A bad trade deal could be fatal to the Democrats' election prospects in 2014. So that is probably a factor too. A lot of folks are not happy about how NAFTA worked out.
There's a lot at stake for Democrats and the president in working out their rough spots. If they don't, Obama's trade agenda stalls. And for Democrats, giving the White House too much authority could undercut the centerpiece of the 2014 election argument -- that they are the party that will deal with income inequality and help the middle class. That's because many in their own party, especially grassroots activists and unions, blame flaws in previous grand trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement for siphoning off middle class jobs.