Democrats Blew it on CAFTA Vote- John Nichols

[depakid]

And the Dems wonder why they're basically irrelevant:

Organized labor is opposed to the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

Progressive farm groups are opposed to CAFTA.

Environmental groups are opposed to CAFTA.

Civil rights groups are opposed to CAFTA.

Human rights groups are opposed to CAFTA.

Virtually all of the organizations that are associated with what is loosely defined as the Democratic coalition are opposed to the trade deal that Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin says "will hurt American workers, hurt the workers of Central America and create instability in Central America that will force more immigration into the United States."

So, of course, Senate Democrats must have been united in opposition to the Bush administration's proposal to expand on the failed model of the North American Free Trade Agreement which has wreaked havoc with the economies of the U.S., Mexico and Canada to create a free trade zone that extends from the Panama Canal to the Arctic Circle.

Right?

<snip>

Instead, 10 Democrats New Mexico's Jeff Bingaman, Washington's Maria Cantwell, Delaware's Tom Carper, California's Dianne Feinstein, Arkansas' Blanche Lincoln, Washington's Patty Murray, Florida's Bill Nelson, Nebraska's Ben Nelson, Arkansas' Mark Pryor and Oregon's Ron Wyden as well as Vermont independent Jim Jeffords, who caucuses with the Democrats, voted for the president's proposal.

As a result, CAFTA was approved on a 55-45 vote.

More: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0705-33.htm

[dbeach]

1. thanx for info

dems make it difficult to vote for dems..could NEVER vote repuke but dems are AWOL way too many times..

the basic lesson is one cannot compromise with this level of TYRANNY which is the republican party of 2005

[TheFarseer]

2. You couldn't be more right

I try to tell people that the democrats are the party of the average working man, and I tell you it's a tough sell with votes like this. We could have defeated this and been the hero of all the Joe 6-packs out there but I think about 10 too many democratic senators put the money in their pocket and voted for this dog. Our party is not free of corruption and in votes like this it shows.

[In Truth We Trust]

4. It always boils down to corruption-repuke and dino. That's why I always

advocate radical change starting with paper ballots and hand counts.

[Cha]

3. Didn't these Organizations

have people in Washington pleading their case with the dems who were voting on this?

Why would they go ahead and vote against so many of their constituents' best interests?


Dems who voted for Cafta.. Bingaman (NM), Cantwell (WA), Carper (DE), Feinstein (CA), Jeffords (VT), Lincoln (AR), Murray (WA), Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), Pryor (AR), Wyden (OR)

Stunned at Jeffords!

http://workinglife.typepad.com/daily_blog/2005/07/cafta_why_the_d.html

[Larkspur]

6. NAFTA worked for Vermont because Vermont's major trading partner

was Canada, whose labor practices are similar to ours. So I assume Jeffords thinks CAFTA will be good for Vermont.

[Cha]

7. Thanks, Larkspur!

[Constitution]

5. The Democrats did the same thing with the Real ID Act

Over 200 major organizations unrelated to politics opposed the Real ID Act because of the threat to freedom and to security. Yet every Democratic Senator and most Democratic Representatives voted for it.

[dbeach]

8. so called democrats voting for cafta nafta patsy act Natl ID

fascists

Natl ID is a set up to grab the wealth and keep the commoners living in FEAR

their laws protect these corrupt pols from the citizens

[Wright Patman]

9. Politics at the national level is staged

a la professional wrestling. We have seen this recently with the chumminess of the Bush and Clinton families.

There is a globalist agenda which rules Washington, D.C. with an iron fist. Anyone who opposes it has very long odds of ever even being elected to the House or Senate, and has ZERO CHANCE of being elected President. Once there, they are continually marginalized (or 'plane crashed' if they become too pesky) until they "play ball" with the corporatists.

[dbeach]

10. oh !those plane crashes to non-insiders

like wellstone.jfk jr..

more of dem dere political coincidences

9/11/01
3/11/04
7/7/05

pols will exploit yet another tragedy of their own creation

pols worshipping at the globalists altar of hate,deceit and confusion