[Gaffer]

I support Cruz and will likely vote for him. My post history is pretty clear on it. However, his dalliance with TPA, TAA, TPP and all that is WRONG.

As far as I know, you are the first one that has brought up CAFTA. To me, Sessions (who in the past has also done some dumb $hit IMO) doesn’t enter into it. I can think for myself and I know that this whole TPA and pact thing is wrong, especially with the tyrant we have running this country.

[parksstp]

Here you go. Full Trade Record here. Includes some goodies:

http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Jeff_Sessions_Free_Trade.htm

I thought this one was interesting. I didn’t think TPP even included China.

Vote to give permanent Normal Trade Relations [NTR] status to China. Currently, NTR status for China is debated and voted on annually.

[InterceptPoint]

Good luck. The Cruz bashers are out in force this week. What I would like to hear is just who their preferred alternative is. They’ve very quiet on that subject.

[kabar]

Attacking Sessions doesn’t address the substance of TPA and TPP. These are bad bills that must be defeated.

[kabar]

The Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is an expansion of NAFTA to five Central American nations (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua), and the Dominican Republic. It was signed May 28, 2004, and passed through the U.S. House of Representatives by one vote in the middle of the night by the U.S. Congress on July 27, 2005. It wes signed by Bush with the help of a GOP controlled Congress.

So we are supposed to replicate the same mistake on TPP and TPA. CAFTA is based on the same failed neoliberal NAFTA model, which has displaced family farmers in trade partner countries, exacerbated the "race to the bottom" in labor and environmental standards and promoted privatization and deregulation of key public services.

CAFTA proponents promised that the deal would bring prosperity to Central America, causing violence and immigration to the United States to decline. The opposite has happened. Central America is facing unprecedented levels of gang and drug-related violence, and immigration from Central America to the United States has surged. Evidence suggests that CAFTA itself has contributed to the economic instability, feeding the region's increase in violence and forced migration.

[marron]

The people most upset by this are Cruz supporters, so attacking them isn’t helping. Who is the preferred alternative? There really isn’t one, Cruz was the big hope.

So the ball is in Ted’s court to explain himself. This is a bad bill and his support for it makes no sense. He really needs to get out front and speak to his supporters on this.

[raybbr]

Did CAFTA give fast track authority to the president?

Did it contain provision governing health care?

Are there direct points of correlation in the two bills?

[philman_36]

Funny, but didn’t Sessions support CAFTA?

Jeff Sessions on the Issues
Voted YES on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade. (Jul 2005)

Wasn't Reagan once a Democrat?

[Georgia Girl 2]

WEll since we have Two crappy trade deals already in place that being NAFTA and CAFTA then lets applaud Cruz for wanting to let a Muzzie loving Commie fast track another even worse trade deal. Yeh that makes sense to me. Lets do it. :-)

[cripplecreek]

And right on cue, Obama is on twitter inviting the moron masses to help him make it better.

[jwalsh07]

Based on what he has written and said he has probably concluded it was a mistake. The data shows that these agreements result in higher trade deficits, lower GDP, lower wages and increased legal and illegal immigrants.

While I am a free trade sort the evidence seems conclusive that our leaders are piss poor negotiators.