Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 18, 1993 TAG: 9311180142
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder Newspapers and The Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The 234-200 vote sent the measure to the Senate, where leaders predicted approval within a few days.
The House voted after a daylong debate that reflected high-minded disagreements over America's role in the world economy and bare-knuckled politics. Dozens of labor-backed Democrats abandoned their president to oppose the accord. More than 100 free-trade Republicans signed on, though, to assure passage.
The facts about NAFTA all but got lost amid the fury of the final debate. "Fear," in fact, appeared to be the word most frequently invoked.
Opponents said NAFTA made Americans fear for their jobs. Supporters said opponents simply were fearful of the future.
Rep. Gerald Solomon, R-N.Y., called the November 1994 election "judgment day" for lawmakers who support NAFTA because the voters "are going to throw your butts out of here!"
Rep. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., got so mad at Solomon that he hollered at him: "You, sir, have fired a shotgun of fear at me, and I resent it."
Democrat John Lewis of Georgia thundered, "I do want free trade, but not at the expense of our workers. . . . If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." Lewis said the United States would lose its soul if NAFTA passed.
But Lewis' pro-NAFTA colleague from Georgia, Republican Whip Newt Gingrich, insisted that "this is a vote for history."
"A vote for NAFTA is in the great tradition of our party," GOP Leader Bob Michel of Illinois said in a ringing speech of support. "So let it be said on this crucial vote tonight, that we Republicans did not sacrifice the jobs of tomorrow to the fears of today."
Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri summed up for the opponents who fear the pact will throw thousands of Americans out of work. "Deficient and flawed," he said of NAFTA. "We cannot and must not expose our workers and our corporations to unfair competition."
House Speaker Thomas Foley, D-Wash., the last speaker in a long day of debate, conceded the pact wasn't perfect. "One can always find defects and deficiencies . . . But this is for this moment an opportunity to expand our trade, to reach out beyond our borders, to continue our leadership, to seize the future."
Virginia lawmakers voting against the pact were Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon; Leslie Byrne, D-Fairfax; Robert C. Scott, D-Newport News; and Norman Sisisky, D-Petersburg. The Republican members of the delegation supported the pact, as did James Moran, D-Alexandria; L.F. Payne, D-Nelson County; and Owen Pickett, D-Virginia BeachUnion workers and other foes of NAFTA staged one final, forlorn rally in the rain outside the Capitol. Some held up a banner that read: "That giant sucking sound - pro-NAFTA careers, 11-3-94," a reference to determination to defeat NAFTA supporters in next year's congressional elections.
NAFTA's victory sets the stage for implementation of the controversial trade pact with Canada and Mexico on Jan. 1. The Senate is expected to approve the deal, possibly as early as Monday.
Victory was expected to send a powerful message to the world that the United States still welcomes open trade in open markets - and that Clinton fights hard and well for his convictions.
Clinton planned to take that message with him today to Seattle, where he is to huddle in trade talks with leaders from 15 Asian nations. He also will press the point in seeking to wind up global trade talks in Geneva by Dec. 15 under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
At a time of global anxiety amid widespread economic weakness and post-Cold-War confusion, foreign policy experts say that may be NAFTA's greatest importance - the firm, clear signals it sends about the United States' intentions as the world's pre-eminent leader.
Clinton spent the day working the phone, lobbying wavering House members for last-minute votes.
His top aides plugged away for NAFTA all day, too. Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen made a brief appearance in the White House press room to comment on his lobbying labors hours before celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary at a private dinner with his wife and the Clintons.
"I must say, I've courted some of these congressmen longer than I courted my wife to get them to agree to NAFTA," Bentsen cracked.
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by CNB