Progressive Breakfast: Democrats and the TPP: Who Speaks for the Future?

MORNING MESSAGE

Robert Borosage

Democrats and the TPP: Who Speaks for the Future?

Texas populist Jim Hightower will present the Democratic Party platform committee with a Bernie Sanders-sponsored amendment to the draft platform when it meets in Orlando this Friday and Saturday. It will read: "It is the policy of the Democratic Party that the Trans-Pacific Partnership should not get a vote in the lame duck session of Congress and beyond." ... The vote in Orlando will be a big, defining vote. Who speaks for the party? A lame-duck president pushing a trade deal that is opposed by both the presumptive nominee and her leading opponent, or the future nominee and the vast majority of Democratic primary voters and activists?

ENDORSEMENT TUESDAY?

AP reports Sanders, Clinton in talks about endorsement next week:“A Democrat familiar with the plans said Wednesday if the two sides continue to make progress, Clinton and Sanders would appear at the joint event Tuesday in New Hampshire.”

Shift in Clinton’s college affordability plan precursor to endorsement. Politico:“By leaking the plan, Clinton made a significant concession to Sanders on one of the driving issues of his campaign … Clinton’s new proposal, the product of weeks of negotiations between the campaigns, outlines a plan to provide free college for families earning $125,000 or less at in-state public colleges and universities … [She has] been willing to discuss further strengthening rules on Wall Street banks — though she remains opposed to the re-institution of the lapsed Glass-Steagall … One hurdle that remains — the draft of the platform slated for final approval…”

“I think at the end of the day, there is going to be a coming together,”Sanders tells MSNBC.

TRUMP IN DC

Trump meets with House and Senate GOP caucuses today. The Hill:“Several GOP senators facing tough races said they would likely skip the Trump meeting, offering a plethora of excuses … Those who will attend have a laundry list of items they hope Trump will address.”

“Majority of GOP senators to attend Trump convention” reports The Hill:“…32 Senate Republicans plan to attend the convention in Cleveland later this month, while 15 will skip it … Only two senators facing competitive races in the fall will attend: Rob Portman (Ohio) and Richard Burr (N.C.) …”
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Not Rubio. W. Post:“… Rubio will not attend the Republican National Convention this month, reversing previous plans … In a statement explaining his decision, Rubio spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas cited a need to campaign at home as the main reason. She made no mention of Trump.”

Ted Cruz may crash. Politico:“Delegates from Colorado and Maine have begun collecting signatures to place Cruz’s name into nomination … It remains unclear, however, whether Cruz would accept a speaking role if his allies were to succeed in securing one for him.”

VEEPSTAKES WATCH

Mother Jones’ Patrick Caldwell makes the pragmatic case for VP Tim Kaine:” Supporters of Bernie Sanders have slammed Kaine for lacking ‘progressive backbone’ … To those who accuse him of insufficient progressivism, he might respond that he is, as Clinton has called herself, ‘a progressive who gets things done.'”

Infrastructure shutdown in NJ. NYT:“Hundreds of projects to replace bridges, resurface roads and renovate transit stations across New Jersey will grind to a halt by Friday night, after state lawmakers failed to reach a deal last week on raising the gas tax. Gov. Chris Christie’s administration on Wednesday released a list of projects that will be shut down, saying they would be postponed for at least seven days.”

GOP DIVIDED ON GUNS, SENTENCING REFORM

House flinches from gun vote. NYT:“House Republican leaders on Wednesday backed away from plans to vote on a gun measure that already faced broad Democratic opposition after their own conservative members said they would also reject it … conservatives demonstrated once more their ability and willingness to derail even their own majority-party’s legislation.”

Republicans split over criminal sentencing reform. The Hill:“One obvious way [Sen. Mitch] McConnell could help [Sen. Chuck] Grassley — and reward his allegiance in the court fight — would be to push bipartisan legislation reforming criminal sentencing through the Senate before Election Day. Passage of the bill, for which Grassley is the lead sponsor, would be a huge win … The problem is that doing so would require McConnell to face down two outspoken conservatives, Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).”

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