Ethics committee investigation into CAFTA vote?

[dweller]

just heard on my local news, but haven't seen a thread about it. I have been away from DU most of the day tho.

Some detail about NC rep Jones saying his district was cut 70+% in hiway funds once he voted no. That's about all i caught.

point me to a thread if there is one. I'm taking off for 1/2 hour or so.

tia.
dp

[KBlagburn]

1. I heard there were alot of bribes....

and threats of retribution. Nancy Pelosi is livid about the 15 defectors.

[DemInDistress]

2. I heard today a vote

that normally lasts 15 mins. were stretchen to an hour.During that hour the bush team entertained some members of congress.Bribes and promises were offered or exchanged for a yea vote...Stinke to hell this vote,hope they do investigate..

[halobeam]

3. Haven't heard anything about that...

on a scale from one to ten though, I register about a negative 50 for "shock value".

[jean]

4. oh there are a few threads

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4211316

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4214404

check out TPM:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[dweller]

6. thanks

this sounded like a different story, sorta.

dp

[dweller]

5. this was a story about CAFTA

on Wral5 out of Ral.NC. So maybe it's late breaking. Can't go looking online for info, will when i get back from the late nite run.

hopefully someone is starting an ethics investigation tho.

dp

[jojo54]

7. PAPER BALLOTS NOW!!

It'll be spun, of course. Won't change anything, unfortunately.

[GetTheRightVote]

8. This all really sucks, who is going to watch out for the public ???

:kick:

[dweller]

9. okay, found some info here

Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, accused Republican leaders of trading anything they had to get the votes they needed.

"Once again, the floor of the House of Representatives resembled the set of 'Let's Make a Deal,' " Ms. Pelosi said Thursday.

"What was the cost to the U.S. taxpayer for the president, with all of his power and all of his influence at his disposal, what was the cost to U.S. taxpayers of his very
slim margin?"

The full answer will not be known for some time. Opponents of the trade pact said Republicans lured many lawmakers by earmarking billions of dollars for pet
projects in a $286 billion highway spending bill.

The House and Senate conferees said they had reached agreement on the overall transportation bill, but as of Thursday night they had not made any details public.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/29/politics/29cafta.html?ei=5094&en=35e54e4f0f47509f&hp=&ex=1122609600&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1122609943-An3Q16nEwdYXvMThwU//Sg&pagewanted=print

details the transportation aspect.

off to check out Jones' site. He was also on Big Eddie today with his vote info (Rep.3rd district) but no mention of ethics invest.

dp

dp

[jean]

11. yes - the ethics comments relate to Pelosi. It's amazing you heard it

on your news.

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=9206639&src=rss/ElectionCoverage
Pelosi questions Republican tactics in CAFTA win

excerpt:
She refused to provide any details of who was involved and what was offered that might have been illegal. She also said the deals were hard to prove because they weren't consummated.

But "those who have more knowledge" and were directly involved might file a complaint with the House's ethics committee, Pelosi said.

another Reuters (longer version of the first one) article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/28/AR2005072801330.html
Pelosi questions Republican tactics in CAFTA win

[dweller]

12. the local news website has NO info

and they are a real pain to search, but i did try first.

like i said, just a blip on the 11pm cast, nothing more.

thanks for the link.
dp

[jean]

13. Josh Marshall is on this pretty tight - see his latest update, which

sounds like it could lead to ethics charges (why does Rep Bob Ney's name raise my hackles?)

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_07_24.php#006184

Taylor spokeswoman Deborah Potter said Thursday that Taylor cast his vote near the end of the voting period.
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.

snip

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.

Members of Congress receive a new voting card every Congress, and it’s not clear what the problem was with Taylor’s card.

[Booster]

15. Now, that just pisses me off that they use OUR money for their

payola. I never thought I'd see this country become so blatantly corrupt - I mean, we all knew it was corrupt, but this is in your face corrupt. The same thing will happen with the SS vote and apparently there's nothing that can be done about it. This should be explained in history books that this is the reason you never want one party to control everything - no checks and balances.

[Hidden Stillness]

10. It Isn't Really Even a Political System if There are Only Corps. Involved

This should surprise no one since this is how Bush and Republicans conduct themselves all the time now; remember the illegal-but-ignored all-night pressure vote on the drug corporation subsidy known as the "Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit," even though it is no such thing.

Two recent ones along with CAFTA that Republicans are pushing through: a bill to end the right to sue gun manufacturers, dealers, etc. for criminal negligence when they do not do background checks or refuse to sell under suspicious circumstances (multiple purchases by another person acting as a front, with cash etc.) and a criminal act using one of those weapons results--which means that now, with this newest bill, the gun industry will be just about exempt from law under all circumstances, and no victim can sue, even to get medical bills paid. The other thing is similar: stuck into I think the "Energy Bill," yet another payoff to Bush's and Cheney's oil etc. industries, is a provision that pharmaceutical industries, medical device makers, nursing homes, etc., etc., cannot be sued anymore for negligence, damages, faulty products or dangerous drugs that should not have been on the market. They are going over industry after industry of their contributors, and making them immune from all consequences of their criminal malfeasance. Why is anyone surprised at this group of corporate devils?

I think there must be something going on here, though. I cannot describe the shock I felt when I read (on DU), that Rep. Ike Skelton, ordinarily really good, had voted for CAFTA. Where is our country headed now?

[dweller]

14. not finding anything new, oh well

did see this week old story from WAPO:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/20/AR2005072002078_pf.html

At a closed-door meeting of House Republicans yesterday, Rep. Bill Thomas (Calif.) sidled up to the lectern and hinted that the leadership might look more favorably on lawmakers' requests for highways and bridges if they vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, according to three GOP witnesses.

"Just to let you know, we're having some problems with the highway bill. It probably won't be finished until after the CAFTA vote," the deadly serious chairman of the Ways and Means Committee said to knowing laughter.

In the scope of trade deals, CAFTA is a minor economic matter, extending duty-free trading privileges to six Latin American countries whose combined economies are smaller than the Czech Republic's. But as a political fight, the deal has snowballed into a major showdown ahead of the final House vote next week.

"CAFTA has been given symbolic status by both sides that is well outside its true economic importance," said Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.), who opposed the agreement in the Ways and Means Committee, then promised to support it next week after securing a promised vote on China trade legislation. "But that does not mean it does not have enormous political significance," he said.

fwiw.
dp