"surprise' vote on fast track tomorrow? Time to call Dems. Email from Alan Grayson...

[Triana]

Dear xxxxx

Let me get right to the point; then I'll dawdle later. There will be a surprise House vote on the Fast Track trade giveaway bill tomorrow. It will be a very close vote. If you want Fast Track to fail, you should call one or more of these Democrats, who voted in favor of Fast Track last week. If only four of them vote against it tomorrow, then we will win. Here is the list:

Rep. Ami Bera (Calif.) - 202-225-5716
Rep. Jim Costa (Calif.) - [phone]
Rep. Susan Davis (Calif.) - [phone]
Rep. Sam Farr (Calif.) - [phone]
Rep. Jared Polis (Colo.) - [phone]
Rep. Mike Quigley (Ill.) - [phone]
Rep. John Delaney (Md.) - [phone]
Rep. Brad Ashford (Neb.) - [phone]
Rep. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.) - [phone]
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) - [phone]
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (Ore.) - [phone]
Rep. Kurt Schrader (Ore.) - [phone]
Rep. Jim Cooper (Tenn.) - [phone]
Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas) - [phone]
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas) - [phone]
Rep. Don Beyer (Va.) - [phone]
Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.) - [phone]
Rep. Rick Larsen (Wash.) - [phone]
Rep. Derek Kilmer (Wash.) - [phone]
Rep. Ron Kind (Wis.) - [phone]
Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.) - [phone]
Rep. Jim Himes (Ct.) - [phone]
Rep. Hinojosa (Tex.) - [phone]
Rep. O'Rourke (Tex.) - [phone]
Rep. Peters (Calif.) - [phone]
Rep. Rice (N.Y.) - [phone]
Rep. Sewell (Ala.) - [phone]

If I were you, I would stop reading here, and start calling. However, if you want more of an explanation, then here it is.

"Fast Track" is a bill that lets anything that the Trade Representative calls a "trade bill" slide through the House and Senate like a you-know-what through a goose, with no amendments, with no time for hearings, and with as little as 83 seconds of debate for each House Member. (For goodness sake, I know a lot of Members who can't even clear their throats in only 83 seconds.)

A couple of weeks ago, fake trade supporters in the Senate bought enough Democratic votes to get past a filibuster. I have no idea what the real quid pro quo was, but the stated quid pro quo was that "trade assistance" (retraining support for who lose their jobs specifically because of a trade deal, and can prove it) would be included in the bill, and passed at the same time. So the Senate joined Fast Track and trade assistance at the hip.

When it came up for a vote in the House last week, with the two joined together, the Fast Track part passed by an exceedingly close vote - 219 to 211. The Democrats listed above voted in favor of it. If only four of those Democrats had voted against it, then it would have failed on its own. But it failed anyway, because a huge majority of the House voted against the trade assistance part, meaning that the whole thing crashed and burned.

Tomorrow, the Powers That Be are bringing back the Fast Track section on its own, without trade assistance, and thus contrary to what the Senate voted for. Their hope is that the House will pass Fast Track on its own, regardless of the workers who lose their jobs.

And my hope is the opposite. That our calls with turn the tide, and defeat Fast Track once and for all.

Call and say this: NO on Fast Track!

Courage,

Rep. Alan Grayson

[Cheese Sandwich]

1. Thanks for the heads up.

[riversedge]

2. k and r. yes, will call but ...

my rep. is of the 3rd way

[sabrina 1]

3. Thank you. They will keep trying and we have to keep saying 'no'.

Thanks for taking the trouble to post all those numbers.

[bbgrunt]

4. k and r.

[Unknown Beatle]

5. I called but the voice said

the mail box was full. I'll call in the morning and maybe I'll get someone in person.

[Triana]

6. They're definitely re-voting this morning...email from MoveOn:

Dear MoveOn member,

Last Friday, we won a temporary victory against Fast Track—a bill that would give corporations even more power, while hurting jobs, consumers, the environment, and financial regulations.

Now, House Republicans are calling for a do-over vote—and THIS MORNING they are going to try to pass Fast Track once again.

[AZ Progressive]

7. K&R these Trojan Horse bills need to be shot down! It's pathetic what things have come down to

in this country that we have to worry about Congressional representatives selling off our futures to the big corporations...

[WillyT]

8. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[Triana]

9. This atrocity is advancing NOW - call these Dems! n/t

[Plucketeer]

10. I just got done

calling that whole list. I don't think it took me even 20 minutes to do all those numbers AND more!

[Flying Squirrel]

11. .