No Horse Trading to Get Trade Bill Through

Wall Street Journal: “Some Democrats wanted a multiyear highway-funding program connected to the trade bill. Members of the congressional Black Caucus asked Mr. Obama to use his executive authority to steer money into high-poverty districts—a commitment Mr. Obama never made when asking for their votes. Republican leaders resisted pressure to promise votes on other legislation.”

Said Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA): “To the best of my knowledge, he never offered anybody anything.”

“Instead, both sides built a winning coalition based on shared interests in passing trade promotion authority, a piece of legislation that makes it easier for the White House to get congressional approval for trade deals. The law’s final passage Wednesday, after a bumpy few weeks in which it was declared dead, represents the first time Mr. Obama and the Republican Congress successfully negotiated to pass a major piece of legislation.”