| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
31 Jul 2005 09:14:56 PM |
| Object: |
In Case You Missed It: Dunce Of The Week: Nancy Pelosi: CAFTA Contra |
In Case You Missed It: Dunce Of The Week: Nancy Pelosi: CAFTA Contra
From Forbes.com
By Rich Karlgaard
Op-Ed
July 29, 2005
This week our dunce's cap gets passed to Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader,
U.S. House of Representatives. In coming out against the Central America
Free Trade Agreement, which passed the House this week, Pelosi made the
familiar (and disingenuous) left-wing case: CAFTA, written by greedy
capitalists, fails to include protections for labor and the environment.
Otherwise she'd have voted for it.
Yeah, right. ... If Pelosi and her "petulant progressives" had their way on
CAFTA, here is what would have happened:
-- No American job would be saved. Low-value jobs are doomed to extinction
anyway...
-- Poor Central Americans would be hurt. The World Bank estimates that CAFTA
will create 300,000 new jobs ...
-- Honduras and Guatemala ... would have to explain to voters why America
stiffed them.
Support for free trade around the world would have been dealt a severe blow
if the mightiest economic power had rejected it. Free trade has been an
engine of prosperity and peace since World War II. To abandon it now would
make the world a poorer, more dangerous place.
.
|
|
| User: "SmirkS" |
|
| Title: Re: In Case You Missed It: Dunce Of The Week: Nancy Pelosi: CAFTA Contra |
31 Jul 2005 09:21:37 PM |
|
|
Harry Hope posted:
Yeah, right. ... If Pelosi and her "petulant progressives" had their
way on CAFTA, here is what would have happened:
~~~
Pelosi Calls Steering Meeting to Review Defectors' Votes for CAFTA
July 28, 2005
By Erin P. Billings,
Roll Call Staff
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), angry that some of her own
betrayed the party on a key trade vote, called a last-minute, Members-only
meeting tonight to review the early-morning balloting and the reasoning
behind defectors' votes.
Pelosi called for the special session of the Democratic Steering and
Policy Committee at a private whip meeting this morning, during which she
said she "had a sleepless night" over the Central American Free Trade
Agreement vote that narrowly passed early in the morning. Sources in the
room said Pelosi was furious at the outcome and the votes of some of the
15 Democrats -- notably some in safe districts -- who joined the
Republicans to pass the bill.
"I've never seen her like that," described one Democratic aide ...
While sources insisted Pelosi has not called for any retribution in the
Democratic Caucus, she left open the likelihood that defectors' committee
assignments would be reviewed at tonight's meeting of the Steering
Committee, which helps determine Members' placement on panels.
"There's going to be a lot of discussion at the meeting, however it's
going to focus on a certain group of Members who have no explanation for
their votes. That's what it's going to focus on," said a senior Democratic
aide. "There are a handful of members who have explaining to do."
Another leadership aide said, "there are Members who have questions" about
why some of their colleagues voted for the bill, and they want a venue to
discuss the outcome. This source said it was unclear whether Members'
committee assignments would be in peril.
"There are Members who don't seem to have any sort of reason for voting
the way they voted," this aide said. "While other Members who have tougher
districts made the tough decisions."
Pelosi, according to sources, told Members at the whip meeting that there
are "expectations" that come with top committee assignments. She said both
privately and publicly that the votes would be reviewed on "a case-by-case
basis," noting that many of the 15 defectors needed to vote for the bill
given their districts and political situations. A good share of the 15 are
vulnerable Members facing tough re-elections.
"I think we will have some conversations in our Caucus," she said at a
press conference. "These are 15 different people. Judgments are different
for different people."
Pelosi added: "It's not about retribution. It's about managing these
votes."
Sources said many Members and leaders are also concerned about alleged
deal-making that ensued leading up to the vote. Pelosi told reporters the
House floor turned into an episode of "Let's Make a Deal" ...
She even charged that ethics rules may have been broken, and that some
Democratic Members who were approached may be considering filing a
complaint.
"I think this has to stop, we have to stop this Republican rip off,"
Pelosi said. ...
Several Democratic sources said Pelosi and other House leaders are
particularly upset with New York Reps. Greg Meeks and Ed Towns, members of
exclusive committees with safe seats ...
Meeks insisted he voted for the measure because it was good for the
economy and job base of New York as well as Latin America. He said he was
lobbied heavily on both sides and offers were flying, but he refused to
take any deals.
[...]
Meeks said he "knows many of my colleagues are disappointed" [but] his
colleagues know he is with them "90 percent of the time" and on this
particular bill they simply "have a difference of opinion."
But some Members and aides said the vote might not be that easy to get
over.
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the Senior Chief Deputy Minority Whip, privately
told Members on Thursday morning that he was extremely disappointed in the
vote, and made clear that Democratic votes should not be for sale. He said
later he thought "some of my friends cast their votes for special
interests."
[.....]
"We've got to talk it out, we've got to talk this out," he said. "In the
final outcome, I don't think people are going to forget what happened.
Members who didn't have to worry about their future and who are in very
safe districts didn't have to vote the way they did."
--
TheTruthHurts.
.
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
