Special Post- VICTORY!
Remember in “The Empire Strikes
Back”, the infamous (among my nerdy people) Battle of Hoth sequence
in the beginning? A handful of rebel troops dug into the snow,
facing down the massive AT-AT walkers? Luke, Wedge, and the boys all
buzzing around in their speeders, unable to bring down the walkers
with blaster fire? But finally, they wrap a rope around one of the
walkers, and it tumbles, helplessly to the ground?
Nancy Pelosi wrapped a rope around the
legs of the TPP a few weeks ago-namely endorsing it conditionally-
conditionally that the government offer job training paid for by
raiding the Medicare trust fund. It looked like it wouldn't work-
enough conservatives on both sides of the aisle, not to mention the
president, were all too willing to cut Medicare, and the package
looked likely to pass. The president even took the field personally
to lobby the House Democratic caucus to cough up the 8 or so votes
needed to pass the package in its entirety to compensate for a few
Republicans who may be genuine libertarians afraid at giving
corporations veto power over public rights, or may just be completely
batshit insane and thought this was something to do with their
dreaded “Agenda 21”. Either way, I'm glad they held off, because
it gave Nancy Pelosi a chance to save the world.
I'm not kidding.
Pelosi spoke to her caucus, telling
them that she could not support the president's demands at this time
without better safeguarding American labor. So even though the nasty
part passed, the poison pill of Medicare cuts- whose passage was
necessary to validate the Trade Promotion Authority bill- went down
in flames. The following list consists of things this treaty will
open the doors to abolishing by reason of impeding corporate profit- Nancy Pelosi may have just saved
Any and all environmental regulations-
mileage standards, California's emissions market, the entire goddamn
portfolio of the EPA
Rules against lead in paint and fuel
the minimum wage
the Dodd- Frank banking reform bill
the part of Obamacare mandating
employers contribute to their employees' health insurance
Every “buy local” provision in the
country
Truth in advertising laws
the GMO labelling movement
the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act- and
any future, better bills trying to improve pay equality.
These are all key parts of the
Democratic agenda, which the president was willing to sacrifice to
sell a few more MonsantiCows to Australia and please his banker
friends. What does this say about his priorities?
Unfortunately we're probably not done
yet. The senate dealt a similar blow to the TPP two weeks ago, but
the conservatives rallied and voted again, successfully this time, in
just 24 hours. Remember, the bad guys did eventually win on Hoth. Boehner has already promised a second vote by
Tuesday. So please, charge the TPP while it's still flipped on its
back. Call the capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 , ask for your
House member, and tell them to vote no on trade promotion authority,
cuts to Medicare, Trade Adjustment Assistance, and the entire bloody
Trans Pacific Partnership every time it comes up!
Might also be time to draft a few
loveletters to Pelosi. I'm sure she'd appreciate them.
Now, concentrate all fire on that Super Star Destroyer!
Rot Front, Genossinnen und Genossen
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