Wait, back up: the Senate is voting Tuesday to agree to limit debate and not to amend a "trade" deal that we haven't even seen yet – no matter what is in it? What?
It's called "fast track" and the vote will in essence preapprove the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a corporate-negotiated megadeal that is being kept secret from the pubic.
So the vote is Tuesday in the Senate. This is it.
Now is the time to use our clock-to-call-Congress tool to call both of your senators and make your voice heard, or show up at a rally, or just show up at the closest office of one of your senator. Bring a sign. Bring a megaphone. Bring leaflets. (Do all of those things that the Supreme Court says anti-choice protesters can do at clinics.)
Fast track sets aside our country's normal constitutional deliberative process so that a secret, rigged "trade" deal can be pushed through over public objections.
Even though this so-called "trade" deal is secret, parts of it have leaked. And everything that has leaked is bad, increasing corporate domination, giving special favors and protections to the largest corporations, driving down people's wages even more and forcing more factories to close and jobs to move out of the country. This is great for the 1 percent and really bad for the rest of us.
Show up, call; be polite, but be firm.
For Democratic senators, this is pick-a-side time. This really is Wall Street vs. Main Street. This really is the giant, multinational corporations vs. smaller, American-based companies, workers and the rest of us. This really is the 1 percent vs. the 99 percent.
There is no "cover" of promised trade adjustment assistance (TAA), assistance for the workers laid off by the offshoring encouraged by TPP. There won't be; the Republicans call that "welfare." And even if there was, why vote for a corporate-dominated deal that lays off workers so they need this assistance?
Call Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and ask him to lead a talking filibuster on the fast track (TPA) bill: 202-224-3524
You can also attend one of these rallies below taking place today and Tuesday. (Note: I am hearing there might be "We Won't Forget" rallies at July 4 parades and events where Democratic senators and representatives who voted for fast track will be appearing.)
Here's the current list of rallies:
Nationwide Actions to Stop Fast Track! Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1591391867814834/
Flush the TPP Action map: http://www.flushthetpp.org/actions/
Baltimore and D.C. Stop Fast Track Mobilizations Monday and Tuesday.
Baltimore-Monday 5 p.m. https://www.facebook.com/events/447734608740068/
Washington-Tuesday 9 a.m. https://www.facebook.com/events/844686712277221/
CALIFORNIA
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Feinstein)
Monday, June 22, 1 p.m.
Senator Feinstein’s Fresno Office
2500 Tulare St, Ste 4290
Fresno, CA
Contact: Stan Santos, ssantos@cwa9408.org
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Feinstein)
Monday, June 22, noon
Senator Feinstein’s Los Angeles Office
11111 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 915
Los Angeles, CA
Contact: Adrian Acosta, aacosta@cwa-union.org
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Feinstein)
Monday, June 22, noon
Senator Feinstein’s San Diego Office
880 Front Street, Suite 3296
San Diego, CA 92101
Contact: Nicole “Kali” Gochmanosky, kali@citizenstrade.org
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Feinstein)
Monday, June 22, noon
Senator Feinstein’s San Francisco Office
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA
Contact: Xiomara Castro, xiomara@citizenstrade.org
DELAWARE
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Carper)
Monday, June 22, 3 p.m.
Senator Carper’s Wilmington Office
310 North Walnut Street
Wilmington, DE
Contact: Scott Reynolds, sreynold@aflcio.org
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Coons)
Monday, June 22nd, 2 p.m.
Senator Coons’ Wilmington Office
American International Building
1105 N. Market Street
Wilmington, DE
Contact: Sam Bernhardt, sbernhardt@fwwatch.org
FLORIDA
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Nelson)
Monday, June 22, noon
Senator Nelson's Miami-Dade Office
2555 Ponce De Leon Blvd
Coral Gables, Florida
Contact: Deborah Dion, dion.deborah@gmail.com
MARYLAND
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Cardin)
Tuesday, June 23, 10 a.m.
Senator Cardin’s Bowie Office
10201 Martin Luther King Jr Hwy, Ste 210
Bowie, MD
Contact: Maya Goines, Mgoines@aflcio.org
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Shaheen)
Monday, June 22, 11:30 a.m.
Senator Shaheen’s Manchester Office
1589 Elm Street, Ste 3
Machester, NH
Contact: Daniel Justice, Djustice@aflcio.org
OREGON
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sen. Wyden)
Monday, June 22, 5:45 p.m.
Senator Wyden’s Portland Office
911 NE 11th Ave
Portland, OR
Contact: Elizabeth Swager, elizabeth@citizenstrade.org
WASHINGTON
Rally to Stop Fast Track (Sens. Murray and Cantwell)
Monday, June 22, 5:30 p.m.
Henry M. Jackson Federal Building
915 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA
Contact: Gillian Locascio, gillian@washingtonfairtrade.org
If you can't make it to any of these rallies (or even if you can) forward this message to friends and family, and call your senators now.
This post was updated at 3:40 p.m. EDT.
