Can We Cancel the Endorsement?

Updated below.

Obama has repeatedly vowed to try to ram the TPP deal down the throat of the American people in the lame-duck congressional session after the November election.  Sez Obama:  “Right now, I’m president and I’m for it, and I think I’ve got the better argument.”

As explained in the August 10 Washington Examiner, two major progressive organizations — CREDO Action and Democracy for America are circulating a grassroots petition stating:

“Hillary Clinton has spoken out against the TPP as well. Now we need her to take a bold step forward and help us prevent a vote on the TPP, especially during the “lame duck” session. If she speaks out, the White House will have a very hard time saying no to her. Hillary Clinton has a great opportunity to do so when she speaks to workers in the Detroit area this week. Will you join DFA and CREDO at this important moment?”

We thought Sanders had made a deal.  His endorsement of Hillary Clinton was explained in terms of the DNC’s Platform Committee adopting significant planks to the Platform prior to the convention.  The Hillary-appointed majority of the committee refused, however, to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal.  But it was considered sufficient for Hillary to have spoken against the TPP (though not at the convention), personally and mostly through her surrogates.

Time to Hold Hillary’s Feet to the Fire!

Now it is coming to a crunch.  Key parts of the TPP were recently voted down.  Obama has promised a last minute drive to convince wavering Democrats to knuckle under in an upcoming congressional vote, and the Chamber of Commerce is gearing up to wield its economic/political muscle to have their way.

Critics of the endorsement argued that platform planks and promises made by Hillary to secure the nomination weren’t worth the breath to utter them.  She might “talk the talk” but could she be trusted to “walk the walk”?  Now is the time to find out.

Should Hillary fail to speak out clearly and strongly against the TPP before the upcoming vote, that should be considered a deal-breaker.  Bernie made a promise to endorse Hillary should she have enough votes to become the nominee.  He kept his end of the deal.

Now is the time for Hillary to keep her end of the deal, and do it with the full authority and access to the media that she has at her disposal.

Should she fail to do so, then all deals are off.  Hillary supporters howl that anyone not voting for Hillary is de facto voting for Trump.  If Trump is such a menace, then Hillary should hardly hesitate to denounce the TPP in the strongest terms lest Trump, who has been completely clear in his denunciation of the TPP, seize the White House on the basis of that issue.

— Jeff Roby
August 10, 2016

UPDATE:

“Stein Now!  Stein Forever!

I realize that some may have inferred that I was in some way open to actually supporting Hillary.  In Michigan today, Hillary herself said:  “I will stop any trade deal that kills jobs or holds down wages, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I oppose it now, I’ll oppose it after the election, and I’ll oppose it as president.”

Talk is cheap and I would expect that the outrage expressed in the petition excerpted from above, and from many others, was a factor.

Talk is certainly cheap, nor is there any reason at all to turn down the “fire to her feet” on the TPP, or on the long array of other reasons for “unendorsing” Hillary.  Like plunging us headlong towards war with Russia. etc., etc. etc.  Fires turned off are not so easily reignited when the full storm hits.