LAT: CAFTA Vote May Leave Long Paper Trail for Critics (arm-twists,deals)

CAFTA Vote May Leave Long Paper Trail for Critics
By Warren Vieth, Times Staff Writer


....The late bargaining for votes in support of CAFTA infuriated critics of the trade agreement, who Thursday said they considered the deal-making unseemly.

"Right there in front of us, for the world to see, they were twisting arms, making deals, changing votes," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "This let's-make-a-deal mentality ... has got to stop."

As lawmakers returned to work Thursday following a lengthy CAFTA debate and roll call that had kept them up past midnight, there were hints of recriminations and retribution....

***

The agreement became a lightning rod for discontent about globalization, China's trade and currency policies and U.S. job losses. Heading into Wednesday's House showdown, it appeared Bush might become the first president in more than 40 years to suffer the loss of a major trade agreement in Congress.

For more than an hour, lawmakers milled about the House floor and gazed at the electronic scoreboard displaying the vote tally, which showed CAFTA several votes short of the mark. Finally, when the count reached the slim majority of 217-215, the vote was gaveled to a close....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cafta29jul29,0,729286.story?coll=la-home-nation

and we get REAL answers, not spun bullshit.

by a republican controlled congress?

"emphasized it's importance to national security"???? What part of this is vital to national security? The cheap, pooly-made blue jeans or the unemployed textile workers?

Even thou his admin has done more damage to National Security than any other group (Rovegate).

were swayed when he mentioned the 3 troops that El Salvador sent to Iraq. Yeah, they are helping in a small way in our - and I'm cringing as I'm typing "war on terror" - but so are alot of those textile and farm workers and their sons and daughters. I guess their contribution isn't as important.

btw - that's some kind of reward, help us and your citizens can sew soccer balls for 8 cents an hour.

upon their return, or shortly thereafter.

This entire arm-twisting, deal making cluster-fuck of a trade bill was for ONE THING, AND ONE THING ONLY! BUSH'S FUCKING LEGACY! :grr: That's all that miserable, little excuse for a man was thinking about. His god-damned legacy! :banghead:

ANY Democrat that voted for this sell-out of America should hang their head in shame. And if it's found that they were making any "deals" that benefited only them or only their few constituents, I will make it my crusade to se that these people are EX-DEMOCRATS!

This was about the good of the nation. ONE NATION, UNDER GOD..... not about a FEW people here and there. Any Democrat that jumped ship and sold their soul to these theo-con scum should be hung from the rafters of the Congressional Chamber.

If DEMOCRATS can't STICK TOGETHER, they DON'T deserve that (D) beside their name anymore! MY GOD,THIS PISSES ME OFF! :mad:

It is a crying shame.

I hope the Labor guy that had such a popular post yesterday on the Unions and stealing even the meager salaries of workers who are "lucky" enough to have jobs after they have all been sent to China

(neil bush after stealing a billion dollars from the American taxpayer in the Silverado Savings and Loan scandal and being banned from banking for life has spent the past decade or so in China, selling American jobs down this river).



:grr: :thumbsdown: :grr:

office the telephone voice gave me that national security line. I said, 'I am sick 'n tired of hearing national security being used as an excuse for every single piece of crap legislation the rethugs promote.' The guy laughed at me! F*cker!

sellout of the American worker??

Esp. interested in Democrats but at 2006 Elections the names of ALL THE JUDASES should be publicized from now til then.


Support our Whistleblowers - Sibel Edmond petition on her site JUST A CITIZEN, interesting articles and letters from Sen. Waxman, Leahy and others.

Support our Congresspersons who vote for the American people.

http://www.conyersblog.us/

:spray:

the American worker and call themselves Democrats anymore.

claims to care about that mythical entity called a democracy! It's time to purge the democratic party of it's supporters of the corporate oligarchy!

claims to care about that mythical entity called a democracy! It's time to purge the democratic party of it's supporters of the corporate oligarchy!

How well I remember that day in August, 2004 when John Kerry said he would do nothing to change his vote about Iraq if he knew then what he knows now. I knew then and there the election was lost for him. And yesterday, it happened again. 15 friggin democrats have sold their party down the river and we will therefore lose the 2006 mid-term election. This incident, coupled with the union debacle and the recently released DLC platform can only add to the troubles of the democratic party. I am afraid the democrats have succeeded in doing the one thing they do best, lose elections.

He never was a Dem; just faked it. Ran against a good D incumbent Ciro Rodriguez. Cuellar "won" in a close election after "finding" 300 votes in his friend's bank's vault.

This isn't about a "let's-make-a-deal mentality". It's not about being "unseemly". And it isn't about the subversion of a process. This is about the personal corruption of individual representatives who are traitors to the working people of this country. It's about individual reps who will sell out to the highest bidder, and then go home and sleep soundly at night. And these sellouts have names. Pelosi is being far too civil.

Unseemly is, say, having a few too many and making a pass at someone, or painting your house chartreuse.

Taking bribes and betraying one's country are not "unseemly."

Until Pelosi is willing to strip these people of their committee assignments and fundraise for primary challenges, I don't want to hear about her hurt feelings.

And you're right: this outrage is something else entirely.

and she was being polite because the press gathered was trying to put words in her mouth and she had to shut them down a few times.

She told them that they'd have to ask the republicans their questions, since that's their job. I was like "dayum!!!! Finally!! Someone telling the press to go do their job for themselves!"

I feel that if she came across any more strongly than she did at that pc, the press and the thugs would have spun it as her being an hysterical woman out of step with the American people. She gave it enough gas to get over the hill---the rest the press is going to have to do for themselves.

I "get" the rationale she is operating under - but I don't buy it. Our representatives (and people in general) have forgotten how to speak their mind and just say it like it is. Every public statement and every uttered word must involve a dozen goddamn political calculations and mental gyrations. Everybody can hide behind the idea that they're a hot-shot political strategist.

Iowa: "Representative Pelosi, why were you such a wimp out there just now?"
Pelosi: "Well Iowa, I feel that if I had come across any more strongly, the press and the thugs would have spun it as me being a hysterical woman out of step with the American people. So I decided to give it just enough gas to get it over the hill."
Iowa: "Oh, now I get it! For a minute there I thought maybe you were being a pansy. But what you were REALLY doing is trying to show the press that you aren't an out of step hysterical woman so that you can live to fight the cause another day. You were really being a stand-up gal all along. Well good job! Keep up the good work!"

Yeah, right. There's no way that the truth survives that mindset intact, and buried under all this calculating and spinning bullshit lie the unmet needs of the people of this country. Don't think for a minute that there's not also an element of cowardice at play here. Few have the courage to just speak the unvarnished truth. I'm sick of it.

That one went until 4am. Soon as they had the votes, BAMM! And not a second before.

the presidency being sold on the steps of the Capital to the highest bidder. As opposed to 2000 and 2004, at least the process would be conducted openly.

to investigate, or even punish, this kind of behavior. The only way we can get any results at all is if Justice (FBI ) is brought in and there was a clear, unequivocal, violation of Federal law.

Arm Twisting is nothing new, nor is it illegal (per se), it's only when it crosses the line into bribery that it becomes actionable.

the "political" layer of the FBI Beauracracy then you'll find some good, dedicated agents who are committed to the job.

The problem is how to get past that layer.

what the hell is wrong with me,...Specter is a senator ugh!

please.
dp

Rep Taylor's NO vote on CAFTA changed by glitch to YES

Taylor's `no' vote on free trade pact goes uncounted

published: July 29, 2005 6:00 am
ASHEVILLE � Rep. Charles Taylor says an electronic glitch kept
his vote against the controversial Central American Free Trade
Agreement from registering, but his explanation hasn't stopped
criticism from some Democrats....

Potter said House members have electronic cards that allow them to
vote from another location when they can't make it to the House
floor.

"At the terminal where he put his card in and voted, he voted
no," Potter said.

The machine apparently recorded Taylor's vote as an invalid card,
according to Brian Walsh, press secretary for Congressman Bob Ney.
Ney's office oversees the House Clerk's Office

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20050729/NEWS01/50728044/1001

or
http://tinyurl.com/9oa4j

...guess it was only a matter of time before they rig voting in Congress too. Then everyone can just go home and the WH will run everything!!! That's always been *'s goal, anyway--a dictatorship :eyes: :puke: :eyes: :puke:

He just wants some political cover for doing something the people in his district would never support. He's a F**king liar.

that I am sure the good Congressman will want to clear this up.


NC DP posting today (in conflict with below story about Congressional voting machine 'switching' his vote---in which case there needs to be an investigation on THAT voting machine):

Charles Taylor Ducks out of CAFTA Vote, His Absence Assists Passage
Submitted by NCDP on Thu, 07/28/2005 - 2:21pm. Press Releases


Despite his vow to oppose the bill, Republican Rep. Charles Taylor suspiciously missed the vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement. CAFTA passed 217-215 (tie votes do not pass). Republican Rep. Robin Hayes switched and cast the deciding vote in favor of CAFTA. The combination of Taylor’s absence and Hayes’ switch insured passage of CAFTA, 217-215 (tie votes do not pass). Rep. Sue Myrick voted for it as well.

Less than 2 weeks ago, Rep. Taylor said, “I have voted against all of these trade pacts and will vote against CAFTA because although CAFTA isn’t as bad as NAFTA, it still, like all the trade pacts, fails to provide and monitor a system of symbiotic trade relations, i.e. guaranteed equal trade rather than just dumping goods, either legally or illegally, on our businesses in this country.”

When the time came to deliver on his promise, Taylor was missing.

So, where was Taylor?

He voted earlier in the evening:

At 8:15 pm, Taylor voted to provide consideration of CAFTA. He also cast procedural votes at 8:06 pm and 7:56 pm.

<http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/ROLL_400.asp>

He even cast votes this week on such pressing issues as “Supporting the goals and ideals of National Life Insurance Awareness Month” and to rename several post offices.

From 11:00 pm until final passage at 12:03 am, Taylor was missing. <http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll443.xml>

“The people of Western North Carolina appreciate courage and conviction. Instead, they have an ethically-challenged Congressman who is missing in action. When it was time to play offense against unfair trade, Charles Taylor wasn’t even on the field,” said North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Jerry Meek. “The vote was kept open for an hour and Republicans were arm-twisting and dealing, so Taylor’s absence was certainly noticed. He had plenty of time to show up and correctly record his vote. Maybe they needed him to stay away so CAFTA would pass. Maybe he was on the phone dealing with his shady Russian bank--it must’ve been banking hours in Ivano, Russia.”




earlier today w/ this article from San Francisco
Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/07/28/national/w140218D93.DTL


The following 2 articles were picked up from the lead page at :
www.democraticunderground.com. FYI.

We need an INVESTIGATION of the Congressional voting machine.

Taylor's contact info: http://www.house.gov/charlestaylor/email.htm

His statement re: His NO vote (you would think hw would be interested in this
being investigated: PUSH HIM TO DO SO):

"Statement from Rep. Taylor regarding CAFTA vote
“I voted NO on the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement
(DR-CAFTA) in the vote last night. I informed the Majority Leader and the
Appropriations Chairman I was voting no, as I had informed my constituents I was

voting no. Rep. Howard Coble and I voted “no” together. Due to an error, my “no”

vote did not record on the voting machine. The Clerk’s computer logs verified
that I had attempted to vote, but it did not show my “nay” vote. I am
re-inserting my “No” vote in the record. But even with my NO vote re-inserted,
the bill still passed.”

Contact:

http://www.house.gov/charlestaylor/email.htm





marsha hammond, asheville

Rep Taylor's NO vote on CAFTA changed by glitch to YES

Taylor's `no' vote on free trade pact goes uncounted

published: July 29, 2005 6:00 am
ASHEVILLE � Rep. Charles Taylor says an electronic glitch kept
his vote against the controversial Central American Free Trade
Agreement from registering, but his explanation hasn't stopped
criticism from some Democrats....

Potter said House members have electronic cards that allow them to
vote from another location when they can't make it to the House
floor.

"At the terminal where he put his card in and voted, he voted
no," Potter said.

The machine apparently recorded Taylor's vote as an invalid card,
according to Brian Walsh, press secretary for Congressman Bob Ney.
Ney's office oversees the House Clerk's Office

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article ?
AID=/20050729/NEWS01/50728044/1001

or
http://tinyurl.com/9oa4j



LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cafta29jul29,0,729286.story?coll=la-home-nation

11th-Hour Brokering Paved Way for Bush's Trade Pact Triumph
An Alabama lawmaker switched his vote in late bargaining. Critics call the
dealings unseemly.

By Warren Vieth, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — Rep. Robert B. Aderholt's cellphone rang Wednesday as the Alabama
Republican was standing in the House gallery with some constituents.

The caller was President Bush.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bush told Aderholt that he hoped the lawmaker would support the Central American

Free Trade Agreement when it came up for a vote later in the day, emphasizing
its importance to national security. Aderholt laid out some concerns about the
accord. What followed was the kind of last-minute negotiating that helped Bush
push his controversial trade pact through the House with a margin of two votes.

The call presented Aderholt with an opportunity that he was quick to seize.
"I have some real concerns about the way CAFTA would treat my district, and

I have some things that really need to be worked out before I can vote for
it," Aderholt said he told the president. "He said, 'OK, we'll
continue to call you on this.' "

By the end of the day, Aderholt had in hand a letter signed by Commerce
Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman,
promising a series of steps to protect sock manufacturers and poultry producers

I sent him two sentences - Insist on checking your voting machine and that DU and other blogs were keeping names on who did or did not betray the American worker on this vote.

Only takes less than a minute to keep after "our" "elected" "representatives". If Taylor lied, let him and the world know.

If Bushco is now "fixing" Congressional votes, let that cat out of the bag RIGHT NOW!!

:dem: :kick: :dem: :grr: :spank: :wtf: :mad:

Isn't that one of the Republicans' favorite slogans? This wasn't an up or down vote. What's with that?

using arm twisting, political favors on an individual level, bribes, and pork to get their members to do something that was not in the best interest of the people they represent. I think a lot of the GOPpers know if they held out, and used the fact that this was something the people they represented didn't want as a stalling tactic, that the GOPper leadership would come around and offer them bribes and chances to advance their political careers that they would not get by simply representing the people that voted for them. What utter pieces of Sh*t.

Follow the info closely. We can only win if there are real consequences for bad decisions. We must choose some issues over others and stand firm. Even if you like someone's stand on abortion, what is good for working men and women in this country should trumpt that.

Should be online soon at democracynow.org

for breaking house rules and keeping the vote open until they browbeat and bribed a slim majority, which they quickly gaveled closed before it could turn against them again.

THIS IS NOT DEMOCRACY!!!

And any dems who went along with this need to be removed, ASAP!

they did the same damned thing for the Medicare Prescription Bill. Twisted arms, made deals, kept the vote open JUST long enough to pass it before anyone changed their mind.

Bullshit, isn't it? :grr:

Supporters didn't have the votes to pass it. So, President Clinton played Monty Hall and promised special protections to blocs of congressmen for some sector they were concerned about. A bloc of votes from the wheat belt here, a bloc of votes from some specific manufacturing sector there, and voila! We have the votes to pass the agreement. I remember Ohio Congressman Dave Hobson stonewalled on NAFTA until they gave some broom manufacturer in his district some special protection.

That's what makes these trade agreements such a joke. None of them are passed on their own merits. There were sweetheart deals made to just enough congressmen to get them approved.

And we've seen our manufacturing base literally go south (and east) since then. But nobody seems to want to assess our previous agreements and how they can be improved. They're so enamored with the philosophy of "free trade" that if you took the Communist Manifesto, renamed it something with the words "free trade" in it, these goofballs go ga ga over it and argue how it's a no-brainer to pass because it's "free trade." See, it says so on the label!

"11th-Hour Brokering Paved Way for Bush's Trade Pact Triumph"

:wtf: TRIUMPH? It was an arm-twisting, phony-baloney, back-stabbing cluster fuck! Triumph! The Press is reverting back to it's old ways I see. I knew it was too good to be true. :eyes:

Wow, just long enough to get out of the House and into some other lucrative bribery-type of job and not have to face the consequences when all his constituents lose their jobs. Way to show 'em ADDERholt. What a snake.

All these last minute protections just go to show two major things: they all KNOW this will take away American jobs and are looking to protect their own (for as long as they are in office) and the fact that they are not working for America.

I think this means they HATE America!

We now know who the 15 Democrats are that each undermined their party and America's middle class by casting the deciding vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The bill passed by one vote, meaning each of the 15 Democrats cast the deciding vote. When 27 Republicans vote against their own party leadership as they did on CAFTA, Democrats have only these 15 sellouts within their ranks - and groups like the DLC that pushed CAFTA - to blame for the fact that the Democratic Party has been relegated to permanent minority status.

The 15 Democratic sellouts were:

Melissa Bean (IL)

Jim Cooper (TN)

Henry Cuellar (TX)

Norm Dicks (WA)

Ruben Hinojosa (TX)

William Jefferson (LA)

Jim Matheson (UT)

Greg Meeks (NY)

Dennis Moore (KS)

Jim Moran (VA)

Solomon Ortiz (TX)

Ike Skelton (MO)

Vic Snyder (AR)

John Tanner (TN)

Ed Towns (NY)

But, let's further break this down. Which of these 15 Members has CONSISTENTLY been selling out the Democratic Party and America's middle class? The way we find that out is by looking at other recent votes on key economic issues, such as the Bankruptcy Bill, and the bill to limit citizens' legal rights and protect corporations that abuse Americans.

Starting with bankruptcy, we get the list whittled down to 12: Bean, Cooper, Cuellar, Hinojosa, Jefferson, Matheson, Meeks, Moore, Moran, Ortiz, Skelton and Tanner.
snip-----
These are the 9 Democrats who are the difference between House Democrats being in the majority and the minority - they are the people who undermine the vast majority of honest/courageous Democrats who fight for ordinary people in Congress everyday. They are the ones who make it consistenly impossible for Democrats to deliver a message that they are the party that stands up for ordinary working people in this country. The fact is, if Democrats are going to be in the minority for the forseeable future, it would be better if these folks were defeated, because they do more harm than good to a party that desperately needs unity to let America knows what it stands for.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0728-21.htm

"The DLC embraces CAFTA and sells admission to its conference to corporate lobbyists," Jesse L. Jackson

but I think using this to target the 202 Republicans that voted yes to CAFTA might serve our cause even better. There are a lot of GOPpers that have opened themselves up to some fairly serious blows on this one. Let's not miss our chance to hit them where it hurts. We can deal with our own at a time of our choosing.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/12251513.htm (registration required)

The article concerns Robin Hayes - who voted for CAFTA after saying things like:

July 25: "I am flat-out, completely, horizontally opposed to CAFTA. ... Given the nature of our district and the (textile) folks who have suffered there, (the Bush administration) has just not been able to do enough so that it becomes the right vote for the 8th District."

July 14: "Every time I drive through Kannapolis and I see those empty plants, I know there is no way I could vote for CAFTA."

July 14: "It's not in the best interests of a core constituency I represent."

Here's a taste of the article.

___________________________________________________________________

Last week U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes told the Observer he was "flat-out, completely, horizontally opposed to CAFTA." Earlier this month he said, "There is no way I could vote for CAFTA." Before the vote, he told a radio reporter "a `no' vote on CAFTA is the right vote for me."

snip

He says he intended to vote "no" Wednesday night but changed his mind after House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., promised, "You tell me what you need and we're going to do it." Rep. Hayes says he voted "yes" in return for the promise of benefits that were "really, really significant for the people back home, to improve their lives."

What benefits? He says the list is a work in progress. Well, Rep. Hayes, when you've got it, we'd like to share it with your constituents.

This is the second time Rep. Hayes, a Republican whose 8th District stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville, has had a last-minute change of heart on a trade vote. He cast a similar tie-breaker in 2001 to give President Bush so-called Fast Track trading authority.

snip

______________________________________________________________________

What a F**king idiot. This guy sold out his constituency, it's as simple as that. The district he is in has been devastated by trade agreements.

was a master at this sort of thing. I'm sure they learned from the best during the 40+ years that the dems were in charge.

The real problem is campaign financing. Almost no one whose constituency is the average working person in this country can get elected to national office.

This will continue to be the case until LOUD CORPORATE MONEY is removed from the process as the dominant factor in elections.

The dems and the repukes ARE the two right-wings of the business party (John Hightower).

A government of the elite, by the elite and for the elite ...

Fuck CAFTA and fuck all of the "Democratic" "representatives" who voted for this crap.

I find it interesting that when the Mafia had bought some congress members the public was outraged, but when multinational corporations
not only buy our representatives but in essence, run the country,
it's pretty much a yawn reaction.

All Americans should be completely outraged.

Give the Democrats and the RepubliCons, both, hell for voting for Cafta.

The DLC say it will keep China and India more competitive. Well, what about American workers? How can we compete and still pay the high cost of health, housing and energy? I could see it, if costs were going down, but they are not. The buying power of our dollar has went down 38%, so we are working for less now, but paying 38% more.

We can't all own a business or have the million dollars it would take to live off of the stock market. So far this year, with the stock market doing well a hundred thousand would make you about $4000 to $5000. Who could live off of that? It would take a million dollars.

Didn't this "government takeover by the rich" start with the Supreme Court ruling that "Money is Free Speech"? Then worsened with the Supreme Court ruling for Bush as President? Can you impeach the Supreme Court?

This is old but true: We have the best government money can BUY.

Money is free speech?

I haven't heard anything about this.

I agree the Democrats pushed for "free" trade and probably the worst
agreement is the China PNTR and they too need to get their asses
kicked out of Washington...

all of em, but I think the Democratic party has been hurt badly long term by the DLC..once they pushed NAFTA and abandoned workers...that's when the Republicans gained a foothold on their social rhetoric.

At least six or seven. Imagine Dems taking seats in S. Carolina...it could happen. CAFTA had zero grassroots support.