California Democrat Ami Bera is playing politics on the trade deal before Congress. Bera plagiarized talking points from the White House and other groups when he wrote an op-ed in The Sacramento Bee in support of fast track. But in that same op-ed he did not give his position on the final Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Bera is now under pressure from the left for his support of fast track. Angie Wei, a leader of the California Labor Federation, said, “We’ve lost all our interest in defending this guy. We want to fight for people fighting for us, not people who turn their backs.” A union spokesman said, “It’s really unfortunate that Rep. Bera would rather parrot the talking points of corporate lobbyists and D.C. insiders than listen to folks in his own district.” Bera responded by saying he understands why labor unions feel “betrayed” and “disappointed” with his position.
It is time for Ami Bera to decide if he will be bullied by the far-left wing of his party or actually take a stand on this issue.