It's hard to think of a fight that has showed President Obama to worse effect than his effort to pass Trade Promotion Authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership over widespread Democratic opposition. His respect for his opponents has been at low ebb, and since many of his opponents in this fight are Democrats, that means we've seen him taking uncharacteristically nasty
shots at people like Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Now, in the aftermath of a vote in which the must-pass-to-pass-the-TPA Trade Adjustment Assistance was defeated, Obama used his weekly address to mislead about what's going on.
House Democrats overwhelmingly voted against the traditionally Democrat-supported assistance program for displaced workers because, according to the rule the House had adopted, TAA was linked to the fast-track TPA bill. No TAA, no TPA. Since TPA passed in the wake of TAA's defeat, Republican leadership is bringing TAA back for another vote in hopes of getting it, and fast track along with it, through next week. That's the weird, confusing procedural background—background Obama pretended does not exist as he touted the benefits of Trade Adjustment Assistance in his weekly address. Obama said:
Right now, something called Trade Adjustment Assistance provides vital support, like job-training and community college education, to tens of thousands of American workers each year who were hurt by past trade deals – the kind we’re not going to repeat again. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have voted to renew this initiative, but so far, the House of Representatives has chosen to let it expire in just a few months, leaving as many as 100,000 American workers on their own. For the sake of those workers, their families, and their communities, I urge those Members of Congress who voted against Trade Adjustment Assistance to reconsider, and stand up for American workers.
Democrats have always championed Trade Adjustment Assistance, and voted against it this time
to block a harmful trade deal—one that many progressive champions have argued does not contain adequate labor, environmental, and other protections. Obama keeps telling us that this deal is different, but he's also pushed secrecy, so we'd just have to trust him on that. Against people like Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown, and Bernie Sanders, as well as
unions and
environmental groups. Trying to persuade voters that Trade Adjustment Assistance, rather than six years of fast-track authority, is the main thing at stake here does not instill confidence in the case he's making.
