So yesterday one of my two dem senators, D. Feinstein, voted for cloture on TPA. I was furious. So I called to find out why.
Her office explained that she had not voted on TPP but TPA (which I already knew) and it was just cloture for TPA (which I also already knew). My question was WHY would she vote for cloture over just stopping TPA altogether?
In a nutshell, it was because things were added to TPA that took care of a few of her issues and she felt it should be debated. (Note: I read this as absolute bullshit). I asked if he understood that Californians were solidly against this bill? He did not answer.
We had a discussion about displaced jobs (he answered, in part, that the ineffable "retraining" for other work was included to which I responded that there is no way a 50 year old worker trained in one field could jump to another at the same income, just for starters, and that we KNOW this system does not work) and he indicated that California stands to benefit from increased trade and that export from CA since 2009 had jumped (I asked jumped from what? From the debacle in 2008? Of course 2009 was better!) which means more jobs for CA workers at all levels. (NOTE: I looked up the data and sure enough, this is the data he was referring to: (caution PDF) http://www.trade.gov/.... If you look at the data and read the report, you could drive a truck through her arguments. For instance, the majority of trade was with Canada, Mexico and China. There are a lot of arguments that could be made just with that data.
He finally told me she has not made up her mind about TPP. She did not support NAFTA. I told him that as a life-long dem I was just disgusted with democrats caving in and this cloture vote is a terrible embarrassment that will HURT the middle class and point everyone downward and that the entire democratic party is being increasingly seen as neoliberal as opposed to a party that actually stands for forward movement on important issues, including jobs, fair wages, etc.
Note that I am retired now (involuntarily, I might add), but those of you who aren't, God help you if this passes.
We had a longer conversation that this but please, folks, get on the horn and CALL your senate office and have a conversation about this. Make the call well armed with knowledge.
It doesn't take long and they need to know your feelings. Signing a petition isn't enough. Writing an e-mail isn't enough. CALL.
Here's the capitol switchboard number: (202) 224-3121
Here's the alphabetic list of senate members: http://www.senate.gov/...
For you Californians, here's Feinstein's D.C. office number: Phone: (202) 224-3841
Please call and given them a thank you or a thumb's down and like I said above... make the call armed with at least enough information to refute their BS if they voted for this piece of garbage.
I am really pissed and the next thing is to write a letter disabusing her notions.
I'm not buying what she is selling.
BTW... I called to thank Boxer for voting against this POS. It's too bad she isn't staying and Feinstein leaving.
If anyone has great arguments or data on this topic pertinent to CA, I would appreciate you posting it here (with links). I'm nowhere done with this.