Posted on 05/12/2015 12:04:31 PM PDT by GIdget2004
Senate Democrats on Tuesday delivered a stinging blow to President Obamas trade agenda by voting to prevent the chamber from picking up fast-track legislation.
A motion to cut off a filibuster and proceed to the trade bill fell short of a 60-vote hurdle in the 52-45 vote. Sen. Tom Carper (Del.) was the only Democrat to back it.
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) switched his vote from yes to no to reserve his ability to return to the measure at a later date.
Fast-track is a top legislative priority for the White House, but it has run into significant Senate opposition that has been led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). It faces even more opposition from Democrats in the House, and the surprise Senate failure will raise doubts about whether the legislation will make its way through Congress.
Labor unions and other left-leaning groups have declared war on the fast-track bill, which they argue has shipped jobs overseas. The Senate is generally a more pro-trade body than the House, and it has been easier to move trade agreements through the upper chamber.
The standoff Tuesday focused on procedure, though there is significant opposition to fast-track itself in the Democratic conference.
Senate Democrats demanded that McConnell combine the fast-track bill with three other pieces of trade legislation, including a customs bill that would address currency manipulation.
The opposition included Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and other pro-trade Democrats who back the fast-track bill.
The group is concerned about the lack of a commitment to trade enforcement, which is specifically the customs bill, Wyden told reporters in explaining his opposition.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Senate votes mean nothing with a lawless executive.
McConnell is as bad for the republic as the Kenyan.
“Think Pontius Pilate.”
Naaah. More like caligula.
“The Democrats are right, probably for the wrong reasons. D.C. is truly a mess right now.”
This is just a show. A little bit of kabuki theatre for the masses. They’ll pass an even worse bill within a week.
Dems voted no. ? Cruz voted yes. ? What’s the catch? Is this one of those votes to keep conservatives quiet and then they redo the whole deal (with more commie stuff thrown in) and voila’ is passes!
Absolutely.
To say I am profoundly disappointed in Ted Cruz (and for that matter Rand Paul too) would be an understatement.
Like an eleventy level chess game, there is is schizophrenia wth these votes. Warren is appearing a populist, but she doesn’t want to audit the Fed. Cruz, the tantamount Constitutional conservative WANTS to give Dear Leader MORE power. NONE of this makes sense, and lamestream media is giving almost NO COVERAGE to TPA and TPP. What am I missing here?
They must satisfy their corporate paymasters who fund their campaigns. Cruz and Paul want to increase our guest worker programs exponentially. They are tools of the corporate elites.
Me thinks the ONLY Senator not corrupt enough to be subjected to 0bammy BLACKMAIL is Ted Cruz!!! ALL the rest of them are MANIPULATED BY BLACKMAIL!!!
Cruz voted for it.
You’ve been around long enough..you know. It started with 900 stolen FBI files...it went down hill from there into the NSA fetching anything and everything on everyone. The Senate is corrupt; through and through.
DING! DING! DING! Bingo! Two words: Big Labor. They're going to need the mega-millions that the unions can deliver and they're going to need those union votes, badly. The union bosses knew all along what would happen to their constituents in the labor movement when they passed GATT and NAFTA and now this, but they're really about true marxism and not the working conditions of the working class. The blue collar putzes trusted the leadership over and over. But now they're slowly awakening to the reality. I'm ashamed of the GOP but unsurprised. That's exactly why I went Independent in January 2012. Never felt happier.
The hidden weakness in the Constitutional structure was that the Founders did not realize that seats in the House and appointments to the Senate would become more precious than gold, and that a universal franchise would be extended insuring that those doing the choosing would be, in the main, idiots.
They go in poor, and come out multi-millionaires. The only way to lose the job is to get a relatively small group of constituents angry at you - so, you delegate all powers to the Executive Branch, to be exercised by officials immune from election, and, when your constituents bitch, say, "yes, I agree, I'm on your side".
Me thinks the ONLY Senator not corrupt enough to be subjected to 0bammy BLACKMAIL is Ted Cruz!!! ALL the rest of them are MANIPULATED BY BLACKMAIL!!!
Two Republican presidential candidates, Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Ky.), voted in favor of moving to the trade bill.
Another candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), missed the vote, as did Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who is considering a White House run. Rubio and Graham also missed Mondays votes.
Wonder if missed vote was deliberate on part of Rubio and Graham...
Frightening that I watched video of Warren warning of Fast Track danger of US loss of sovereignty and actually agreed with her.
We live in interesting times.
NONE of this makes sense, and lamestream media is giving almost NO COVERAGE to TPA and TPP. What am I missing here?
Shows you that Obama is far worse than ultra marxist Warren, Boxer, Fienstein etc. all who voted against this trojan horse of Obama’s:
Im glad evil Obama got defeated on this trade deal. It would have allowed UNRESTRICTED immigration into the USA, proof:
That means hundreds of millions of 3rd world immigrants flooding the USA
Also Obama in 1 month will get his FCC thugs to take over the Internet.
Obama and the FCC will shut down Drudge and freerepublic, and the Internet. I cant believe even on this site people dont seem to know or care what Obama is going to do to the Internet:
FCC Commissioner: Feds May Come for Drudge [Isaiah 29]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3286140/posts
(Soros strikes again!)FCC Cites Soros-Funded Marxist Group 46 Times in Regs (internet takeover)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3267247/posts
This creep Obama does about 10 things like these 2 per day in order to destroy America, freedom, and capitalism. What a monster
Thanks. I’m really disappointed in Ted Cruz.
Sorry but Cruz voted for it. You spoke too soon.
Ted Cruz is 100% WRONG with wanting to give Obama fast track authority on trade.
This power would allow Obama to flood the USA with hundreds of millions of 3rd world immigrants:
I will go instead with what Senator Jeff Sessions has to say on this: Sen. Jeff Sessions: Top Five Concerns With Trade Promotion Authority
http://www.conservativehq.com/node/20233
Well worth reading, Senator Sessions speaks truthfully, as he always does.
This is a trojan horse from the monster Barack Obama, a trojan horse meant to destroy America
Im glad evil Obama got defeated on this trade deal. It would have allowed UNRESTRICTED immigration into the USA, proof:
This power would allow Obama to flood the USA with hundreds of millions of 3rd world immigrants
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.