Posted on 07/27/2005 10:42:51 AM PDT by Happy2BMe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush urged Republican hold outs on Wednesday to back a controversial free trade agreement with Central America, and party leaders predicted he would win but only after a tough fight for votes.
"The president reminded us that we come here not only to represent our district but to represent the nation," House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay told reporters after a Capitol Hill meeting between Bush and House Republicans, many of whom have opposed it on the grounds that it will hurt industries in their regions. "It will be a tough vote but we'll pass CAFTA tonight," the Texas Republican said. "We will honor our commitments to the south, we will protect our national security and will do it all with very few Democrats."
The long-awaited vote would end months of uncertainty about the fate of the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, which lowers trade barriers between the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
The White House has a harder time rounding up votes for CAFTA than for any other recent trade pact because of stiff opposition from many Republicans in textile and sugar-producing states who fear it will cause job losses.
In addition, most Democrats oppose CAFTA on the grounds that its labor provisions are not tough enough for a region with a poor record on workers' rights. The White House says the labor provisions are stronger than any previous trade agreement and consistent with guidelines Congress set in 2002.
Bush appealed to House Republicans to put aside any "parochial interests" they might have about CAFTA and look at the broader benefits of the pact to the United States and the six other countries, DeLay said.
"It is good for our national security in supporting these fledging democracies at our back door. It is good in our effort against illegal immigration. It is good for our economy," DeLay said.
DeLay said Republicans would gavel the CAFTA vote to a close "when we get 218," the number of votes needed for approval. Republican leaders have angered Democrats in the past by holding votes open until they finally pressure enough party members to vote the way the leadership wants.
CHINA TRADE VOTE
Several Republicans from the textile states of South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia are expected to support CAFTA after reaching a deal with Republican leaders and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman to address specific concerns.
However, many Republicans from North Carolina -- which has experienced heavy textile job losses -- have remained opposed.
The Bush administration also has made promises aimed at reducing sugar industry opposition to the pact, but many Republicans from sugar-producing states such as Louisiana, Florida, Montana and Idaho continue to have concerns.
The vote on CAFTA will be proceeded by a vote on Republican bill aimed at addressing a number of trade issues with China. House leaders expect to pick up the support of some Republicans in industrial states like Pennsylvania with that bill.
Only six Democrats have publicly announced their support for CAFTA. Portman told Reuters he remained hopeful that many more would vote for it in the end, but declined to give any estimate.
Portman said he had just come from a meeting with three undecided Democrats and they had refused to tell him on they planned to vote on CAFTA.
Thanks.
A simple yes or no will do.
Local governments used to have a say in foreign policy? When?
Now we have four in the FRRQC?
Or they can just call us Norte Americanos using new official language of the continent.
"Is everyone on this thread a Democrat or what? Whine whine whine."
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Pronounced fur-uk-see
Lets just say America's and the president's interests intersect more often than your's and America's do.
Reading your posts.
Try as I might I fail to see how much benefit there is in surging trade and budget deficts, increased immigration and along with it the billions of $ in medical, education, etc. costs to US taxpayers / drug gangs / tuberculosis threats/ etc. as well as huges increases in debt at the fedgov, corproate & personal levels that've been required to even keep this whole thing afloat while our infrastructure is being systematically gutted by foreign predators and fedgov sellouts.
"Think of it this way, would you rather your dollars go to China, or to Central America? Do you remember when China was a backward country, similar to Central American countries today? Had we invested in Central America 30 years ago, instead of China, our economy woould be a lot better off."
Create a problem, and then peddle the "solution." You speak as if we have a choice between the two, when in fact, thanks to you guys, we have BOTH.
This is by far and away the most cynically disingenuous statement regarding CAFTA-DR that has been put out to date.
George Bush Jr. almost lost his first election to a complete boob. The Democrats gave him the last election by running an even worse candidate. I don't see anything historical about his "BIG WIN" (hysterical maybe).
We have seen all the facts and all the evidence. Nobody here is a democrat.
I for one am tired of trying to explain it to people who don't want to know or are too slow to understand.
CAFTA is about destruction of the nation and its sovereignity.
Trade is just a ruse.
Ah you mean Buchananite bitter loser, and third party idiotic voters. This is no name calling it is the absolute truth. The Buchananites are bitter loser who are always furtrated that they cannot have more than 0.25% of the votes. Any person who votes for a third party is an idiot because he or she is wasting his or her vote.
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