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Stop Fast Track Sierra Club put up a Great Fight But House Approves Fast Track 215-214 Message Sent to Sierra Club volunteers and staff December 6, 2001 Tonight, the spirit of American democracy bent, but did not break. Due to relentless pressure from the White House and severe arm-twisting from the House Republican leadership, the corporate lobby eked out a narrow 215-214 victory in their campaign for anti-environmental, anti-labor, anti-democratic fast track trade legislation. Though the vote count might have been better, in many respects the Sierra Club and its allies in the environmental and labor communities won a great victory tonight. In the course of this campaign, we greatly improved the education level in Congress on the environmental perils of any trade agreements that might come back under the fast-track process; Our analysis persuaded many key, traditionally "pro-free trade" leaders in Congress to vote against fast track. We were especially honored to have fought this battle alongside Bob Matsui, Sandy Levin, Jim McDermott, Charlie Rangel, Lloyd Doggett and other thoughtful congressional leaders; We also were honored by the courage and conviction of fair trade stalwarts, including Dick Gephardt, David Bonior, Barney Frank, and Nancy Pelosi; and, most important, The Sierra Club's volunteers and staff mobilized in this fight-for-global-fairness as they have never mobilized before. The truth is that our side had far more to gain, and far less to lose, tonight than the other side. We've beaten fast track twice before -- in 97 and 98. A third and final defeat of fast track would have sealed the fate on the anti-environmental trade policy of the past -- a policy that brought us NAFTA and the WTO. The corporate "free trade" lobby needed this victory to survive; we needed this victory to put them away for good. So we emerge from this temporary set-back well primed to confront and defeat any trade agreement that might be brought back under the "fast track" rules that the House adopted tonight. How primed? Let me share a little story. Last night, about 9 PM, Wednesday, Dec. 5, I got an urgent call from a Lone Star Chapter staffer. She fretted to me that the Congressman from El Paso was drifting the wrong way. Maybe we hadn't done enough. Was there any way to phone bank? So I made a few calls -- and mind you, this is not a district that the national Club had actually targeted -- so I made a few calls to see the state of play locally. Well, it turns out that the folks in El Paso had their act very well together on fast track thank you very much. They had done a mailing to all 500 members a couple weeks back. Then they phone banked. Then they had lit up the listservs. The media team had placed op-eds -- in both the Spanish- and English-language papers in town. And, oh, the volunteers found time along the way for a little sit-down chat with the member. Turns out that that Congressman withstood the pressure from the corporate lobby and voted against fast track. I wonder why. Many of you poured your hearts into this one. You've breathed new life into the old idea of citizenship. You know who you are. My heartfelt thanks. So we'll be back next time, stronger then ever, to fight their agenda of corporate rule disguised as "free trade." Rock on Sierra Club. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club