Is
Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader, ignoring the overwhelming majority of Democratic voters and the majority of Democratic House members who
do not want to see Fast Track, also known as TPA, enacted?
--Does the Congresswoman want to pass Fast Track and surrender Congress' authority to consider amendments to the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?
--Doesn't she believe that Congressional review can at least improve TPP, a 12 nation pact negotiated in secret for several years by only the president, corporations and lobbyists?
With Obama pushing Fast Track authority to ensure passage of TPP, who will lead House members to success in representing the Democratic base? We need Nancy Pelosi to work hard to marshall the votes needed to defeat "FastTrack."
Fast Track Can be Stopped in the House
With a little less than half the House members on record, 81 House Democrats say they will vote NO to Fast Track, exceeding so far the number of "Yes" Republican votes (68 out of 87 on record). So far, 7 Republican members will vote "no."
Nancy Pelosi is listed among 23 Democratic Representatives who are still "undecided" on whether to vote against Fast Track. Congresswoman Pelosi needs to exhibit leadership, not doubt. And her skills are needed for a big fight ahead. It will be led by the co-author of Fast Track, Republican Paul Ryan, chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
If Fast Track passes, Congress, the people's representatives, will not have input into the content of the agreement. Fast Track, (or TPA), will allow the President sole authority over the treaty's content; and it will confer the same authority on whomever is his successor, as it has a term of 6 years. (Fast Track authority has been in effect for a total of only 5 of the past 20 years).
TPP is NOT a "progressive treaty"
Same old same old. Parts of the highly secret treaty were leaked by Wikileaks and they reveal that its regulations concerning labor are like those of NAFTA, (which to date has caused the loss of a million U.S. jobs). Despite the President's claims, TPP is NOT designed to discourage the loss of American jobs to lower-wage countries. In fact, the Cato Institute, a prominent free-trade, libertarian group, characterizes TPP as a "subsidy to offshoring jobs."
But much bigger, and much worse. Economists and others say this largest of all trade agreements is about far more than trade. It will cause a huge power shift--a loss of US domestic sovereignty to global corporations. US regulations and practices can be challenged or struck down; fines can be levied by tribunals. For more, read:
"Passing the TPP would compromise the monetary sovereignty of the United States" http://neweconomicperspectives.org/... …
The TPP draft process was said by one economist to be "corporate lobbyists literally drafting their wish list." [http://neweconomicperspectives.org/...]
The inevitable result is widespread opposition to the treaty. A broad coalition of American labor, farmers, technology companies (see top photo), healthcare providers, ranchers, environmentalists and many hundreds of other groups and organizations across the spectrum are strongly opposed to the passage of TPP, and certainly of efforts to fast track it.
Pres Obama has partnered with the big business interests shared by Republican leaders Mitch McConnell and John Boehner. The three are working together to pass Fast Track and TPP through Congress.
Despite the tight secrecy during years of putting TPP together plus the scant coverage of the treaty in the mainstream media, we are now more aware of the enormous consequences TPP can have for our economy and our society.
TPP will widen the income inequality gap.
We were left with economic disaster when George W Bush left office.
We could be left with a far more divided country: more for the very wealthy, less for everyone else, if the "skids are greased" by the House of Representatives for the passage of TPP.
That this affront to the common good and well-being will have come from a Democratic administration which alone has represented, protected, and championed the needs and wellbeing of all Americans in a myriad of ways throughout its time in office, is hard to comprehend. And impossible to accept.