MORNING
MESSAGE
The
severe damage that President Obama’s obstinate pursuit of fast-track authority
for the Trans-Pacific Partnership did to his relationships with the labor
movement and his progressive base, and his loss of face with the business
community when an overwhelming majority in his own party turned against him on
Friday’s trade votes in the House, are not irreparable. He could go a long way
toward repairing his legacy through a bold campaign to rebuild America’s
infrastructure, starting – but by no means stopping with – with a long-term
surface transportation bill that is currently stuck in Congress.
GOP Plots New Fast Track Strategy
House
may vote on fast track again this week. The Hill: “The plan is to vote as
soon as this week on the fast-track bill approved by the House on Friday … then
approve a TAA bill in a separate vote at a later date … If fast-track were
already law … the incentive for House Democrats to vote against TAA would
disappear. But it would be a leap of faith for Senate Democrats to approve
fast-track on the promise that a TAA vote could come later.”
TAA
would get attached to an African trade bill. HuffPost: “[Senate] lawmakers
would then attach TAA to … the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The strategy
behind that approach would be to convince members of the Congressional Black
Caucus to support TAA this time around, since the controversial funding would
then be tied to AGOA.”
Unions
target Democratic Rep. Jim Costa over fast track vote. Roll Call: “Union
leaders in the Golden State declined to comment on who they are in talks with to
run against Costa next year. But three Democratic operatives in California said
union groups are courting state Assemblyman Henry T. Perea.”
Hillary Clinton to Propose Apprenticeship Program
Clinton
backs tax credit strategy. Time: “Speaking at a technical college in
Charleston, South Carolina, Clinton will propose rewarding businesses with a tax
credit of $1,500 for every apprentice they hire …”
Clinton
camp sees plan as “win-win” for business and labor. Bloomberg: “A 2012
Mathematica Policy Research study … found that, nine years after enrolling,
participants earned an average of $5,839 more than those who did not participate
in such programs. Clinton’s plan would include accountability measures to ensure
that the credits result in certain employment and earnings outcomes…”
Republican Presidential Candidates Sweat Climate Encyclical
Pope’s
call puts heat on conservative Catholic candidates. NYT: “Archbishop
[Thomas] Wenski will repeat [the Pope’s climate] messages in his sermons, and he
hopes that they will resonate with two members of his flock in particular:
Florida’s junior senator, Marco Rubio, and former Gov. Jeb Bush … ‘I don’t get
economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or my pope,’ Mr. Bush said.”
Americans
increasingly worried about global warming. NYT: “About 69 percent of adults
say that global warming is either a ‘very serious’ or ‘somewhat serious’ problem
…”
Progressive
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