Obama and his GOP allies launch big effort to win trade fight in the House
President Obama opened an intense final round of lobbying to win support for his sweeping Pacific Rim trade accord ahead of a crucial vote in the House as soon as next week, expressing confidence that he will overcome deepening skepticism among fellow Democrats.
The push from the president included direct calls to lawmakers, interviews with television stations in key states and plans to bring several Democrats aboard Air Force One with him to a summit in Germany this weekend. Obama is asking them to support legislation, approved by the Senate last month, that would grant him fast-track authority to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-nation pact that the president has called central to his second-term agenda.
In a sign of how high the stakes have become, the White House was coordinating its efforts with House Republican leaders, who are in rare agreement with Obama and are canvassing for as many votes as possible from their caucus to ensure a buffer if the president is unable to win much support from his party.
Their challenge remains daunting, though. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday promised no more than 18 votes from the 188 House Democrats — well below the two dozen or so that the administration has been seeking. That would mean Republicans would have to deliver at least 200 votes in favor of the bill.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-and-his-gop-allies-launch-big-effort-to-win-trade-fight-in-the-house/2015/06/04/d77c1316-0ac8-11e5-a7ad-b430fc1d3f5c_story.html
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when I tell them that Raygun is his 'hero'.
