NYT: Pleas and Promises by G.O.P. as Cafta Wins by 2 Votes

WASHINGTON, July 28 - It was just before midnight on Wednesday when Representative Robin Hayes capitulated.

Mr. Hayes, a Republican whose district in North Carolina has lost thousands of textile jobs in the last four years, had defied President Bush and House Republican leaders by voting against the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or Cafta.

But the House speaker, J. Dennis Hastert, told him they needed his vote anyway. If he switched from "nay" to "aye," Mr. Hayes recounted, Mr. Hastert promised to push for whatever steps he felt were necessary to restrict imports of Chinese clothing, which has been flooding into the United States in recent months.

As it turned out, the switch by Mr. Hayes was decisive. Within a few minutes, the House approved the trade pact by the paper-thin margin of two votes, 217 to 215. The pact would eliminate most trade barriers between the United States and Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/29/politics/29cafta.html?hp&ex=1122609600&en=35e54e4f0f47509f&ei=5094&partner=homepage

I wouldn't even put assassination threats past these thugs.

They don't flip flop on issues.... and their leadership has enough integrity to not try and impugn the integrity of its congresspersons by trying to change their votes... not on the premise of principle but on the basis of baseless promises.

Crooks and Liars has the video somewhere on their page.

Clearly, this guy isn't the brightest bulb in the room.

Any remaining textile jobs are on their way to Costa Rica.

CAFTA Vote Switch an Issue for Democrats

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For weeks, Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., was colorfully adamant in his opposition to the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

"What does CAFTA sound like? NAFTA," Hayes declared. "It's not in the best interests of a core constituency I represent. Every time I drive through Kannapolis and I see those empty plants, I know there is no way I could vote for CAFTA."


But an hour into what is normally a 15-minute roll call _ and still short the votes needed to avoid handing President Bush an embarrassing defeat _ Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., told Hayes he could promise increased GOP attention to the challenges China poses to the domestic textile industry.

<snip>

Democrats vow to make Hayes' change of heart an issue when he seeks a fifth House term in 2006 from a textile-heavy district in a state where many voters blame the North American Free Trade Agreement for the loss of tens of thousands of well-paid manufacturing jobs in furniture and textiles over the past decade.

<snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/29/AR2005072900209.html

had better clean up the Democratic Party as well and seek replacements for those who voted for CAFTA from the Democratic side of the isle as well.
These people examples of why the Democrats are losing elections.

We are just like Republicans, only we change our minds a lot.

Any Democrat that believes in the words of a Republican should be drummed out of the party. If anyone believes a single word that comes out of the GOP, after these many years of Republican pathological lies, is too stupid to hold public office.

We have thousands of able rank-and-file Democrats that will do a fine job representing us in elective office, far more ably than those incumbents that have been corrupted by the business-as-usual corruption.

He should have believed in his constituents whose jobs will not be saved by CAFTA. Let's hope this turkey gets voted out of office by a non-DLC Democrat.

Haynes is toast. IMHO..

Virtually all of the factories where towels, jeans, underwear, sports and other clothing items were made in N.C. have shut down and moved out of USA already.

the Republicans who get elected down here are pretty twisted individuals. They figure out how to barely get 51% of people to vote for them, then they screw us all in favor of big business. Just look at Jesse Helms and Richard Burr and you'll get the picture.

And as we all know, Republican voters DO NOT follow up on what their candidates do the way liberal Dems do. As long as we North Carolinians are promised protection from abortion and gays by a candidate, well heck, that must mean he's a "good Christian" and we gotta vote for him bubba. :eyes: