TPP Fast-Track Vote Too Close to Call

With fast-track trade authority expected to face a close House vote on Friday, Ben Wikler, the Washington director of MoveOn.org, has little patience for trade advocates who suggest that its only opponents are labor unions.

“That’s utterly false. That’s laughably false,” said Wikler.

MoveOn has collected 100,000 signatures to oppose fast-track and the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership (TPP), an agreement under negotiation for 12 countries representing 40% of world trade.

“The one silver lining of the TPP is it has united the entire progressive movement,” Wikler added. “The TPP attacks just about every aspect of progressive policy from drug prices to environmental issues to food safety to jobs and income equality, Wall Street regulation, internet freedom and government transparency.”

The progressive coalition fighting fast track is one of the biggest and loudest in years, and often uses colorful tactics. A group of internet activists, fearing that TPP won’t protect privacy, hounded Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, with a 30-foot blimp – saying “Save the Internet, Stop Fast Track” – that followed him to his public appearances. One protest against Ami Bera, a Democratic House member from California, featured giant Q-tips – the message was he should clean out his ears and heed public sentiment.

via The Guardian

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