CAFTA vote story

LibertyCommittee.org ^

[Happy2BMe]

When the official 15-minute period ended, CAFTA had gone down to defeat, 180
"nays" to 175 "yeas."  But the House leadership was so politically driven to get
what they wanted, they broke the House rules:  they simply violated the time limit
in order to keep twisting arms and making deals until they finally had bought or
coerced enough votes to pass CAFTA nearly an hour later.

"Twist some Republican arms until they break in a thousand pieces."  That
statement by Representative Jim Kolbe (R-Arizona) describes the Republican
leadership's rabid determination to get the U.S. House to pass the Central
American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) -- no matter what.

The vote that began late Wednesday night finally ended just after midnight on
Thursday morning, July 28.  But Mr. Kolbe's statement doesn't begin to tell the
whole truth.  Here's some of what he left out.

Because President Bush and the House leadership knew the vote would be razor
close, the day of the vote began with the president making a rare appearance on
Capitol Hill to speak before a closed-door, members-only meeting of House
Republicans that morning.  He even brought Vice President Cheney and Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice with him.

And the arm-twisting began.

"The last-minute negotiations for Republican votes resembled the wheeling and
dealing on a car lot.  Republicans who were opposed or undecided were courted
during hurried meetings in Capitol hallways, on the House floor and at the White
House.  GOP leaders told their rank and file that if they wanted anything, now was
the time to ask, lawmakers said, and members took advantage of the opportunity
by requesting such things as fundraising appearances by Cheney and the restoration
of money the White House has tried to cut from agriculture programs.  Lawmakers
also said many of the favors bestowed in exchange for votes will be tucked away
into the huge energy and highway bills that Congress is scheduled to pass this week
before leaving for the August recess." -- The Washington Post, July 28, 2005

Yet despite all the bribes and threats (one congressman estimates at least $47
billion in pork, and probably much more), the Republican establishment would later
that night fail to get the U.S. House to pass CAFTA when the legitimate 15-minute
voting period would expire.  CAFTA would be stopped fair and square.

But even though House Republican leaders preach the importance of good morals,
and run for office on "family values," their game plan already included buying votes
and breaking the rules to get what they wanted.  Before the CAFTA debate even
began Wednesday evening, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay stated, "It will be a
tough vote, but we will pass CAFTA tonight."  A bold prediction by Mr. DeLay,
considering that the vote was too close to call, and he knew it.  But when you have
the power to break the rules and no qualms about doing so, you can afford to make
such predictions.

Two hours of debate on CAFTA ended in the U.S. House at 10:59 p.m. Wednesday
night.  Representative Ray LaHood (R-Illinois), speaker pro tempore, then ordered
a 15-minute vote -- at the end of which CAFTA had been defeated!  But with the vote
kept open for more than one hour after it began, the "final" vote tally was 217 in favor
to 215 against, with two not voting.  Or was it?  We were led to believe that the two
members who didn't vote, Jo Ann Davis (R-Virginia) and Charles Taylor (R-North
Carolina) who were already on record as going to vote "no" and would have
defeated CAFTA, had been persuaded to remain silent.  Mr. Taylor's was a key
vote from a textile state that everyone was watching.

Republican leaders "spent much of [the] time wrestling with about 10 rebellious but
'undecided' Republicans, pleading and pressuring one after another to vote for the
agreement." -- New York times, July 29, 2005.  The herd mentality dictates that if
you can break key resistance, the rest will follow.

But on Thursday, the day after the vote, I received a telephone call from a talk radio
host in Congressman Taylor's district.  He told me he had asked Mr. Taylor that
morning why he didn't vote against CAFTA as he had pledged.  The talk radio host
told me "Taylor said he had voted 'no'...but somebody changed it and Mr. Taylor
was furious."  "'I voted NO,' Mr. Taylor announced in a terse statement on Thursday,
saying the House clerk's written log showed his vote...." -- New York Times,
July 29, 2005.

So, the Republican leadership claimed their razor-thin victory.  On Thursday,
presidential press secretary Scott McClellan bragged, "And on the Central
American Free Trade Agreement, last night's vote was a real victory for the
American people...."  Well, Scott...that's what Bill Clinton told us about NAFTA
in 1993.

[FBD]

(Then)Gov. Bush letter on illegal immigration and Texas/ Mexico border bookmark:

[Happy2BMe]

Good thinking. Back later.

[ckilmer]

nafta enabled US grain companies to undersell small mexican farmers. they were driven off the land. they joined the already large crowd at the US border.

cafta will do the same.

The usa is being sold out by its leaders.

[Happy2BMe]

Bush's momentum: Next up: Social Security and immigration