Liberals Revolt and Reject Obama’s Trade Agenda While Demanding A Better Deal For Workers

House Democrats rebelled today and dealt a firm rejection to President Obama’s free trade agenda.

Before the vote, Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said:

I was hopeful from the start of all of this discussion that we could find a path to yes for the Fast Track legislation that was being put forth – some bumps in the road along the way; some potholes along the way; unfortunately, I think, sinkholes as well. But that doesn’t mean that that road cannot be repaired. I just believe that it must be lengthened.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

….

People have not recovered from, again, 2008 sufficiently to again have consumer confidence to turn around our consumer economy. And so, I think that, today, we have an opportunity to slow down. We all know we want to engage in trade promotion and the rest of that. But we have to slow down this road. It is not – whatever the deal is with other countries, we want a better deal for America’s workers.

The final vote was 302-126 against the Trade Adjustment Assistance bill.

With those words, the liberal revolt was on, and Obama’s trade agenda was doomed. Liberals have made it crystal clear that free trade is dead unless Republicans and the White House come up with a better deal.

The White House had no idea that the liberals were going to turn against the bill in the final moments. This was an embarrassing miscalculation, as Obama suffered a defeat that became more personal after he went to Capitol Hill and lobbied for the bill.

These types of political losses are not uncommon in a president’s second term. President Obama’s focus has turned more towards his legacy while House Democrats are looking in the direction of the 2016 election.

The lesson for the current and any future Democratic president is that liberals rule the Congressional Democratic Caucus. Any president should go against them at their own risk.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association