Obama's Secret Trade Deal

While the Constitution says that any treaties - agreements made with foreign nations - have to be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate - the president and virtually all the Republicans in Congress - along with a goodly number of loyal Democrats - want to go around that. Instead of calling it a treaty they're calling it an agreement - so that instead of two-thirds of the Senate it will require only a 51% vote of both Houses of Congress. Opposition to the TPP is growing - and last weekend activists took to the streets of Washington DC to protest. Veterans for peace - CODEPINK - Earth First! - the Backbone Campaign - and a group called Flush The TPP marched on the offices of the US trade Representative - which is helping secretly negotiate this job-killing deal. Opposition across the country to the TPP is rising - and both Democrats and Republicans have been curiously silent about it - ((ADVANCE)) other than those few members of Congress who are willing to print out that even they don't have access to the negotiations. Get ready. When President Obama dumps the TPP on Congress and asks for a fast-track up-or-down vote with no amendments - there is going to be a lot of political pressure - from corporations on the Republicans - and from the Democratic Party on Democrats - to pass it. You may want to let your member of Congress know your thoughts on the issue in advance.