NYT Analysis: House Rejects Trade Bill, Rebuffing Obama’s Dramatic Appeal

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House Democrats rebuffed a dramatic personal appeal from President Obama on Friday, torpedoing his ambitious push to expand his trade negotiating power — and, quite likely, his chance to secure a legacy-defining trade accord spanning the Pacific Ocean.

In a remarkable rejection of a president they have resolutely backed, House Democrats voted to kill assistance to workers displaced by global trade, a program their party created and has stood by for four decades. By doing so, they brought down legislation granting the president trade promotion authority — the power to negotiate trade deals that cannot be amended or filibustered by Congress — before it could even come to a final vote.

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Republican leaders now have two legislative days, beginning Monday night, to bring back the trade adjustment legislation for another vote.

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But the sheer number of lawmakers who would have to change their votes make passage a second time doubtful, Republican leadership aides conceded.

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The vote was an extraordinary blow to Mr. Obama, who went to the Capitol on Friday morning to plead personally with Democrats to “play it straight” — to oppose trade promotion if they must, but not to kill trade assistance, a move he cast as cynical. On Thursday night, he had made an unscheduled trip to the annual congressional baseball game to try to persuade Ms. Pelosi.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/politics/obamas-trade-bills-face-tough-battle-against-house-democrats.html?_r=0

We certainly now know President Obama's priorities: Corporate trade agreements are the most important single item for him. He has spent more time, political capital and energy on this than on any other issue. Far more than he expended on health care reform.

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