The four top polling candidates-- the future leaders of their respective parties-- all oppose TPP-- Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. So do the next down in polling, Carly Fiorina and Martin O'Malley (partial source.)
The house passed the fast track bill to allow unamended voting on the actual trade bill 218 to 208.
House Passes Trade Promotion Authority Bill The House narrowly passed Trade Promotion Authority June 18th, 2015.
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Twenty-eight Democrats and 190 Republicans voted with Obama in the House of Representatives. If six house members flip to support their future leaders, the house could block the PPP.
The Senate squeaked by a passage of the Trade Promotion Authority Bill with a 60-38 vote-- just making it past filibuster numbers. A few senators flipping to support their future party leaders could kill the TPP in the senate.
Given the position of the leading candidates on both sides, it seems that TPP opponents could benefit from their position and push the candidates and their representatives to get behind the future leaders of their party.
While Hillary has come out opposing TPP, she took a long time and her opposition is soft. This is something Bernie Sanders is already pointing out. Hopefully he'll push her, in ensuing debates, to strengthen the depth and commitment to her opposition.
On the Republican side, Trump, Carson and Fiorina can use TPP as a powerful wedge to attack and weaken the candidates supporting Obama's pet project.
Constituents should challenge House and Senate endorsers of Trump, Clinton, Carson and Sanders.
Large organization on the left and right should use the future party leaders positions as a fulcrum to push for rejection of the TPP. The TeaParty opposes TPP. I would hope that progressive organizations like Moveon.org, DFA, PDA and Netroots will all start using the candidate positions as further reason to lean on the legislators and bottom-up energize the grassroots-- getting constituents to make calls with the message-- follow Bernie's and Hillary's leadership-- oppose this bill.
Bottom-line, the candidates offer opponents of TPP a new strategy that could peel away the votes Obama needs to pass this neoliberal, anti-middle class trade deal.
