NAFTA myths and bill Clinton

[sabbat hunter]

Myth: President Bill Clinton supported NAFTA during his first run for president wholeheartedly

Fact: During his presidential campaign he had promised to review the agreement, which he considered inadequate.

Myth: Because of President Bill Clinton NAFTA passed and hurt labor and the environment
Fact: President Bill Clinton, as part of agreeing to sign off on NAFTA as president negotiated North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation.

the NAAEC, in an aim to be more than a set of environmental regulations, established the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (NACEC), a mechanism for addressing trade and environmental issues

and the NAALC aimed to create a foundation for cooperation among the three members for the resolution of labor problems, as well as to promote greater cooperation among trade unions and social organizations in order to fight for improved labor conditions.

so while NAFTA hasn't done all it was supposed to do, Bill Clinton did try to amend it to help labor and the environment.

I feel that Sen. Hillary Clinton will follow similar steps and be a fine democratic progressive president.

[brentspeak]

1. It's a myth that those "myths" you cited even existed before you made your post

The only question is this: Did Bill Clinton push for and sign into law NAFTA?

Answer: Yes, he did.

The end.

[aquart]

4. Ah. Simple facts to suit the simple mind.

I'm sure you know the situation is more complicated than that.

[KT2000]

6. Are you kidding

the myths the OP stated are the exact myths the Nader folks espouse.

[sabbat hunter]

7. he pushed for

changes in NAFTA and the add on treaties before he would agree to NAFTA. Bush signed NAFTA under fast track provisions

[ulysses]

8. Bush didn't sign NAFTA.

Bill did. Sorry.

[sabbat hunter]

10. WRONG again

The agreement was initially pursued by conservative governments in the United States and Canada supportive of free trade, led by Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and the Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari. The three-nation NAFTA was signed on 17 December 1992, pending its ratification by the legislatures of the three countries.


want to try again?

[ulysses]

13. please see below.

Clinton signed it into law following its passage by Congress.

[ulysses]

15. and you still have to cite your sources, even wikipedia.

I'll continue the quote for you.

"There was considerable opposition in all three countries, but in the United States it was able to secure passage after Bill Clinton made its passage a major legislative initiative in 1993."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement

[brentspeak]

14. Good grief, all you're doing is cutting-and-pasting what someone on Wikipedia wrote

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement#History_of_the_implementation

"The agreement was initially pursued by conservative governments in the United States and Canada supportive of free trade, led by Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and the Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari. The three-nation NAFTA was signed on 17 December 1992, pending its ratification by the legislatures of the three countries. There was considerable opposition in all three countries, but in the United States it was able to secure passage after Bill Clinton made its passage a major legislative initiative in 1993. During his presidential campaign he had promised to review the agreement, which he considered inadequate. Since the agreement had been signed by Bush under his fast-track prerogative, Clinton did not alter the original agreement, but complemented it with the aforementioned NAAEC and NAALC. After intense political debate and the negotiation of these side agreements, the U.S. House passed NAFTA by 234-200 (132 Republicans and 102 Democrats voting in favor, 156 Democrats, 43 Republicans, and 1 independent against).<4> and the U.S. Senate passed it by 61-38<5> Finally, Clinton sanctioned the ratification in November of 1993."

[ulysses]

11. sorry, my bad.

Bush didn't sign it into law. Bill did, after having made its passage the big push in Congress for 1993.

[sabbat hunter]

16. only after

getting the secondary agreements on the environment and labor.

but the current regime has chosen to ignore those treaties


Additionally at the time of NAFTA I supported it, because I felt free trade was the way to go. NAFTA can be fixed by applying the provisions of punishment for failure by other nations (mainly mexico) to live up to its end of the bargain.

[ulysses]

17. yes, those secondary treaties that have worked so well.

:eyes:

but the current regime has chosen to ignore those treaties'

NAFTA was causing harm before the Bush II admin.

[brentspeak]

20. Ah, ha! ha! ha!

"NAFTA can be fixed by applying the provisions of punishment for failure by other nations (mainly mexico) to live up to its end of the bargain."

Here's a clue: no matter what, Mexico will never live up to its agreements on the environment and labor. They'll trot out some carefully-orchestrated PR photo-ops to make it seem that way, but they'll just go on like they always have: busting unions, imprisoning union leaders, polluting rivers, etc.

The same goes for China, India, etc. These free-trade "agreements" with the 2nd and 3rd Worlds are scams, and the people behind them know it.

[brentspeak]

12. Yeah, he pushed for changes in NAFTA...AND he pushed for it to be ratified

Clinton ratified NAFTA with his signature, after pushing for Congress to ok the legislation. Bush Sr.'s earlier "signing" meant nothing without Clinton's ratification.

[stevebreeze]

2. lets not foget Bill sending Gore out to debate with Ross Perot

on NAFTA

[ulysses]

3. I have more than a little difficulty believing

that a man of Bill Clinton's experience and intelligence woke up one day, realized that NAFTA was running amok, slapped his head and cried, "How could I have known?"

Oh, NAFTA has done what it was supposed to do. Not what the advertising promised, but what it was supposed to do.

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. What about the World Trade Organization?

I would dearly love to see you try and make a case that the WTO was not Clinton's baby start to finish.

[sabbat hunter]

9. wrong

WTO was agreed to in November 1992.....before Bill Clinton was president. became official in 1994.

[Elwood P Dowd]

18. Bullshit!

"Myth: Because of President Bill Clinton NAFTA passed and hurt labor and the environment."

No, FACT:

"Because of President Bill Clinton NAFTA passed and hurt labor and the environment."

NAFTA was negotiated and signed by H.W. Bush under Fast Track. No amendments were allowed when Congress voted on the implementing legislation in 1993. Per Fast Track, it was an up or down vote. Clinton added some useless side agreements and other window dressing that didn't do shit.

------------------------------------------------------

"...NAFTA hasn't done all it was supposed to do..."

NAFTA was designed to make a fucking pile of money for key CEOs and their wealthy investors at the expense of millions of working people on both sides of the border. When you look at all the public promises Clinton and the other supporters made about that agreement, the exact opposite has happened. Privately, they're all slapping each other on the back and laughing all the way to the bank.

[xchrom]

19. the wreck that nafta has given all of us is a fact.

clinton wanted it -- and got it and signed it.

kind of like the missing weapons of mass destruction -- bush 1 and clinton would simply not listen to voices warning of consequences.

we NEED a president who will bring us closer to bi-lateral trade agreements instead of these sweeping trade arrangements that is ''clear cutting'' the economy here.