Liberals lost the fast-track battle, but don't assume this means TPP will pass.

[HomerRamone]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/210665/fast-track-fight-effectively-over-its-happening#

Sometime in the late summer or early fall, the Obama administration will finally release the full TPP text, after the president signs it. After 90 days, Congress can vote on it...

The unknown details of the TPP, incidentally, are what Hillary Clinton cites for not yet having an official position on the trade deal. If the Democrat base gets truly riled up when the details do come out, she may end up opposing the deal. This would give cover for every congressional Democrat to do the same.

Members of the House will also be in the thick of their reelection campaign this fall, and increased progressive activism and actual primary challengers will no doubt make a TPP vote even harder...

And 2016 will no doubt have the same effect on the Republican side, as incumbents face challenges from opponents to their right who may decide to blast them for supporting Obama’s trade agenda. The presidential race provides more pressure, and we’re already seeing it: Only weeks ago, Ted Cruz voted to move fast track. Tuesday, he released an op-ed on Breitbart.com bashing “Obamatrade” and voted against cloture.

So while progressives lost the fast-track battle, the trade debate isn’t quite over yet. “What [today’s vote] doesn’t mean is that Congress must pass [the TPP],” said Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen. “When the inexcusable and anti-democratic veil of secrecy surrounding the TPP is finally lifted, and the American people see what is actually in the agreement, they are going to force their representatives in Washington to vote that deal down.”

[merrily]

1. kabuki

[delrem]

2. Oh please!

The game is rigged. OK? It's rigged.
And yes, TPP and EVERYTHING THAT WALL ST. WANTS will pass. It will pass swimmingly and with lubricated ease, and yes, the Wall St. candidate, of whatever party, will win. With ease.

I guess you can say that I'm no longer a believer.
Money wins. Period.

[ReallyIAmAnOptimist]

3. Whatever the stakes, we need to fight it right to the end.

Yes I'm angry and depressed. And yes I know the deck is stacked. But I'm going to keep up calling Congress and trying to convince others to do the same!

[HomerRamone]

4. I'm a pessimist

but I intend to do the same

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Oligarchies do not work that way

[99Forever]

7. They need ZERO Democratic votes. ZERO.

A simple majority. Period.

Run your bullshit somewhere else.

[HomerRamone]

10. Take your insults somewhere else. nt

[99Forever]

15. You got sold a bill of goods.

That you didn't and still haven't figured it out should insult you. Only it isn't me doing the insulting, it's the people who pretend they "represent you." You were played.

[HomerRamone]

16. I know, I think the voting machines are rigged, too.

But if we don't keep trying and hoping, we might as well all kill ourselves. Your avatar is Bernie Sanders. I don't think "they" will let him be President, but I'll be supporting him anyway...

[99Forever]

17. Save the strawman stuff for someone else.

This liberal doesn't give a flying fuck what "they" want.

[HomerRamone]

18. Save your hostility for someone else

"They" were who wouldn't let Fast Track fail

[99Forever]

19. You mean the Democratic Party?

You are absolutely correct.

[PowerToThePeople]

8. Uh, 54 out of 100 are Repukes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_United_States_Senators

Ya, they will stop it.

[HomerRamone]

9. The NATION article was saying the *House* may stop it

[PowerToThePeople]

11. House already passed it.

[HomerRamone]

12. The House passed Fast Track; the actual TPP won't be voted on until it is (mostly?) made public

Please read the article; I can't get everything into an excerpt

[PowerToThePeople]

13. They did not pass fast track to vote down the TPP.

It is pretty simple imo.

[Egnever]

14. The replies here are astonishing.

I am at a loss for words.

[Populist_Prole]

20. I wish that were true, I really really do.

As far as they were really concerned, "fast track" = TPP, with fast-track being seen as merely a procedural hurdle. I, mean, I just can't see where a house or senate member who voted for "fast-track" would vote against the TPP.

If this wasn't being pushed hard by a corporatist president, that would be different, but he is, and it's not. We can bet our sweet bippys that the president will push just as hard to pass the TPP...twist arms, entice, entreaty any and all democratic house members to vote for this and ignore their constituents as he did for fast track.