Republicans in the House are saying that they are confident they have the votes to deliver Fast Track trade authority to the president when a vote is held sometime later this week.  But outside observers say that the issue is still very much in doubt, and that a coalition of protectionist Republicans, libertarians, and far-left liberal Democrats may yet prevent the measure from passing. Politico: Congressional sources estimate the pool of undecided members at just over a dozen lawmakers — mostly Democrats torn between supporting Obama’s quest for a historic Pacific Rim trade deal and traditional party backers like labor unions, who have turned the TPA vote into a litmus test for deciding whether to support incumbents heading into 2016. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Wisconsin Rep. Ron Kind, the lead Democrat whipping for the legislation, need at least 217 members to support the deal for it to pass, though congressional sources say both sides want 220...(Read Full Post)