The vote was close on the rule that allows fast track to proceed to a vote. It would have gone down to defeat.
Except for EIGHT Democrats who sold out seniors (because Republicans are seeking cuts in Medicare as part of this piece of dung), workers and the environment.
Some Democrats are calling the President's position on workers' aid attached to fast track (which I call "burial insurance") like it is: bullshit
So, here are the eight pieces of dung who sold the people out in this vote, which only passed 217-212 (with five members not voting):
Earl Blumenauer (OR): what the fuck is happening with the water in Oregon, with Suzanne Bonamici and Kurt Schrader also being counted as "yes" votes in the final vote.
Gerry Connolly (Va.): really no surprise.
Jim Cooper (Tenn.): which likely means that while he has been called "undecided" on some prognosticating lists, he'll probably vote for the bill tomorrow.
Henry Cuellar (Texas)
John Delaney (Md.)
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas)
Ron Kind (Wis.)
Rick Larsen (Wash.): who made this stupid statement when he announced his support for fast track--"I believe presidents should have the authority to negotiate trade agreements based on Congressional direction." That's Congressional malpractice since fast track explicitly gives away the right for Congressional direction since you can't amend the so-called "fast track" deals, unless this moron thinks "direction" means telling the president your opinion, which isn't worth a bucket of piss, whole he's flying you around on Air Force One.
OK, there's some spine and sanity from Oregon:
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said he told McDonough that the White House’s position was “bullshit.”
“Mr. McDonough comes in and he says, ‘It’s all on you. We can’t do anything if you don’t accept this bad (Trade Adjustment Assistance),” DeFazio said, complaining that it would cut Medicare. He said Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) then asked McDonough whether the president could use his leverage with Republicans — who “desperately want” fast-track to pass — to push for a more robust TAA package to help workers.
“McDonough just blew that off,” DeFazio said. “So I got up and said, ‘You’re telling us we’ve got to facilitate your deal on this TAA — which is not a very good package — and the president can’t do anything. And I said, ‘That’s bullshit.’ And it is. It’s bullshit."[emphasis added]
By the way, this same piece says:
President Barack Obama’s push for a large-scale trade deal with the Pacific Rim cleared an important hurdle Thursday — barely — but faces a much stiffer test on Friday amid growing opposition from House Democrats to his trade agenda.
Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) plan to bring a package of trade bills to the House floor is proving to be a big gamble, as both senior Republicans and Democrats are privately wondering whether they will be able to pass Trade Adjustment Assistance, a program to help workers who lose their jobs due to free trade, in a do-or-die Friday vote.
I have previously written that
TAA is "burial insurance"--it's bullshit and every Democrat who uses this as a cover to vote for fast track or so-called "free trade" is selling off the country for a few millions bucks to retrain workers for jobs that don't exist at wages that can't sustain a decent living above the poverty line.
But, hell, Republicans don't want to even give that pittance to workers. So, if that's what has to sink this pile of crap, so be it.
