Elizabeth Warren wants Hillary Clinton to say "no" to Fast Track
Congress is likely to vote on “fast-track” in the next few weeks—allowing this president (and his successor) for the next six years to railroad secret corporate trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
House Democrats are skeptical, but there’s one person whose opposition could be a real game-changer and effectively kill it: Hillary Clinton. And Elizabeth Warren wants her to come out:
As the fight over a massive international trade agreement heats up on Capitol Hill, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on Tuesday that she wants to see Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton "weigh in on trade."
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Warren declined to say whether she would endorse Clinton. “Right now I think it's important for her to have a chance to lay out her views on a whole host of issues, including trade,” she said.
As the Fast Track debate pits President Obama against the vast majority of House Democrats, Hillary Clinton has been coy on the subject. In her book
Hard Choices, she expressed opposition to
certain parts of the TPP—but when pressed, has only said she has been for “some trade agreements” and “against others.”
Congress may vote on it soon after Memorial Day weekend, and the White House is pulling all stops to pressure House Democrats—much like how Bill Clinton lobbied Congress to pass NAFTA in 1993.
Daily Kos and allies have been asking Nancy Pelosi to publicly oppose fast track (to date, she says it’s up to House Republicans to get the votes), but a strong statement from Hillary Clinton would be far more decisive.
Would Hillary Clinton oppose fast-track, given that her husband made corporate trade agreements such a central part of his presidency? She has already distanced herself from Bill Clinton’s “law-and-order” policies that have led to mass incarceration. The Clintons are smart, and are slowly realizing that the Democratic Party of 2015 is not the Democratic Party of 1995. With labor, environmental and consumer groups in overwhelming opposition to fast track, it is time for Hillary Clinton to lead and say “no.”
The vote on fast-track will come down to wire. Please sign and send an e-mail to your member of Congress, urging that they vote "no."