POLITICO: President Barack Obama’s trade agenda was jolted back to life Thursday, as the House voted narrowly to grant him fast-track authority to finalize a sweeping accord with 11 other Pacific Rim nations.
Now, in order to score a major victory on a centerpiece of his economic agenda, he has to convince a handful of key Senate Democrats to take a leap of faith ahead of a crucial procedural vote Tuesday. So far, several are holding back.
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“This is of such importance because the pro-trade Democrats have been through a lot of hits now,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee. “And I’ll tell you I’ve come to the conclusion that for many Democrats, not all but many, trade is now the toughest economic issue.”… (more)
EDITOR: It is unimaginable to us that President Obama, of all people, would purposefully allow harm to American labor unless he believed the Pacific Trade Pact to be essential for national security and, with proper subsidies for those who become unemployed as a result, beneficial to business and labor in general over the decades to come.
