The cloture vote happened under TPA which is already law. What TPA did was fast track any tradebill. Or said another way, for any trade bill such as TPP, the bill must be presented and voted on within X amount of time. No filibusters, no amendments, both of which are important means of stopping god awful legislation. So, once the trade agreement is presented (which has already happened for TPP) Congress must take it for action and must vote on it. That vote I believe will happen in early January.
Since “fast track” authorization was first used in the mid 70’s, not one trade agreement that I’m aware of has failed once that up or down vote has happened. The Chamber of Cronies would appear to have more than sufficient toadies in place to insure victory.
So while St. Raphael might posture and spin, it was HIS vote on cloture on TPA that got this train going. That was the critical vote and St Raphael stood not with conservatives, but with the crony capitalists.
To think that TPP will somehow fail to be voted on is naive. It’s coming and you rest assured that in spite of the kabuki theater and pole dance, TPP will pass just the same.
TPA wasn’t law when the cloture vote happened. The last TPA expired in 2007. This TPA bill was in committee. Cloture just brought it to the floor. It passed with more than sixty votes and would have made cloture without Cruz’z vote. Cruz voted “No” on final passage of the bill.
TPA has been around for 80 years. In that time, only one President has not had TPA. Some folks act like this is something new. Far from it.