The Obama campaign just released this memo... Senator Clinton made her “opposition” to NAFTA a cornerstone of her Ohio campaign. There was only one problem: she wasn’t telling the truth to Ohio voters. Misrepresenting your position and carefully parsing your words when you don’t think you’ll get caught are the hallmarks of the kind of politics that Barack Obama is running to change. That’s the kind of politics that led us into war in Iraq and gave us a tax code that lets those with offshore investments pay a lower tax rate than the average working family in Pennsylvania.
It’s about trust.
Working Americans are looking for a President who will be consistent in standing up for American workers—and have the integrity to be consistent in his or her views. Senator Clinton has failed that test: though she now rails against NAFTA on the campaign trail, her records as first lady show that she actively lobbied for NAFTA’s passage.
Thousands of pages of Hillary Clinton’s White House schedules released yesterday show that she was one of the administration’s top proponents of NAFTA, attending at least four meetings to advocate for its passage.
That was then. Now that she’s running for President, Clinton has changed her tune. Less than a month ago, Clinton said at a debate that “I have been a critic of NAFTA from the very beginning. I didn't have a public position on it, because I was part of the administration, but when I started running for the Senate, I have been a critic.”
Really? Attendees at the 1993 NAFTA briefing where Clinton served as the closing act say that she was “totally pro-NAFTA and what a good thing it would be for the economy.”
American workers are already facing the uncertainly of a changing economy. The last thing they need is another President who changes views when there’s an election coming up.
Continue reading...
“A CRITIC OF NAFTA FROM THE VERY BEGINNING”?
Clinton Said “I Have Been A Critic Of NAFTA >From The Very Beginning.” Clinton: “You know, I have been a critic of NAFTA from the very beginning. I didn't have a public position on it, because I was part of the administration, but when I started running for the Senate, I have been a critic.” (
Democratic Debate, 2/26/08)
Clinton Said That NAFTA Was “Negotiated Under President George H.W. Bush And It Was Passed During My Husband’s Presidency. But I Was Always Uncomfortable About Certain Aspects Of It, And I Have Always Made That Clear.” Clinton on her position: NAFTA was “negotiated under President George H.W. Bush and it was passed during my husband's presidency. But I was always uncomfortable about certain aspects of it, and I have always made that clear.” (
AP, 2/26/08)
Clinton: “I Had Said That For Many Years” That We Should Fix NAFTA. Asked how she would “fix” NAFTA, Clinton responded, “Well, I had said that for many years, that, you know, NAFTA and the way it’s been implemented has hurt a lot of American workers. In fact, I did a study in New York looking at the impact of NAFTA on business people, workers and farmers who couldn’t get their products into Canada despite NAFTA. So, clearly we have to have a broad reform in how we approach trade. NAFTA’s a piece of it, but it’s not the only piece of it. I believe in smart trade. I’ve said that for years.” (Clinton, AFL-CIO Debate, 8/7/07)
Clinton Campaign: “Clinton Has Been Voicing Serious Concerns About Trade Agreements For Years.” In response to criticism of Clinton’s trade stance, Clinton’s spokesperson said “Senator Obama must have been talking about himself because as recently as 2004, he was saying the United States should pursue trade deals like Nafta. The fact is that Senator Clinton has been voicing serious concerns about trade agreements for years.” (NYT, 11/18/07)
THE RECORD: NAFTA MEETINGS IN THE WHITE HOUSE
NOVEMBER 10, 1993: Clinton Served “As The Closing Act During A Briefing On NAFTA, The Trade Agreement She Now Assails.” Clinton served “as the closing act during a briefing on NAFTA, the trade agreement she now assails.” According to her schedule, at 11:30 am - 11:45 am Clinton did a “NAFTA briefing drop-by” with approximately 120 expected to attend and Clinton concluding the program. (
ABC News, 3/19/08; Clinton Schedule 1993, p. 1375-1376)
Ø
ABC: Two Attendees Said “It Wasn’t A Drop-By It Was Organized Around Her Participation” And “Her Remarks Were Totally Pro-NAFTA And What A Good Thing It Would Be For The Economy.” “Two attendees of that closed-door briefing, neither of whom are affiliated with any campaign, describe that event for ABC News. It was a room full of women involved in international trade. David Gergen served as a sort of master of ceremonies as various women members of the Cabinet talked up NAFTA, which had yet to pass Congress. ‘It wasn’t a drop-by it was organized around her participation,’ said one attendee. ‘Her remarks were totally pro-NAFTA and what a good thing it would be for the economy. There was no equivocation for her support for NAFTA at the time. Folks were pleased that she came by. If this is a still a question about what Hillary's position when she was First Lady, she was totally supportive if NAFTA.’ That first attendee recalls that the First Lady's office in the East Wing put together ‘the invitation list, who was invited authorizations and all that stuff.’ And what is this attendee's response to Clinton today distancing herself from NAFTA? ‘For people who worked hard to pass NAFTA and who support the importance of markets opening for the economy in the long term, they're very upset. A number of the women who were there are very upset. You need to have some integrity in your position. The Clintons when Bill Clinton was president took a moderate position on trade for Democrats. For her to repudiate that now seems pretty phony.’ Recalls a second attendee, ‘they were looking for women in international trade who supported NAFTA. Senator Clinton came by at the end. And of course she asked for our support and help in passing NAFTA.’ Women who attended that event, the second attendee says, have been incredulous to see Clinton distance herself from the trade agreement as she campaigns today. ‘They're all saying, ‘What's this all about?’ We all heard it firsthand.’ She says Clinton isn't being honest with voters today.” (
ABC News, 3/19/08)
AUGUST 9, 1993: Clinton Attended Back-To-Back Meetings On NAFTA. According to Hillary Clinton’s schedule, she attended a NAFTA meeting that was tentative with the President at 5:10 pm and a NAFTA/Health meeting with the President at 6 pm. (Hillary Clinton Schedule 1993, p. 885)
OCTOBER 5, 1993: Clinton Attended Meeting On NAFTA. According to Hillary Clinton’s schedule, she attended a NAFTA meeting that from 10:30am-12am. (Hillary Clinton Schedule 1993, p. 1159)
MEET ME IN OHIO!
Clinton Criticized Obama For Sending Out A NAFTA Mailer And Said “I Have To Express My Deep Disappointment That He Is Continuing To Send False And Discrediting Mailings With Information That Is Not True To Voters Of Ohio. … It Has Been Discredited. It Is Blatantly False And Yet He Continues To Spend Millions Of Dollars Perpetuating Falsehoods” And Added That Newsday Had Corrected The Record About Her Views On The Agreement. Clinton: “We’ve been drawing contrasts in this campaign, and I think that's important for voters so that they know where we stand, what our records are, what it is we will do as president. Today, in the crowd, I was given two mailings that Senator Obama's campaign is sending out, and I have to express my deep disappointment that he is continuing to send false and discredited mailings with information that is not true to the voters of Ohio. He says one thing in speeches and then he turns around and does this, and we have consistently called him on it. It has been discredited. It is blatantly false and yet he continues to spend millions of dollars perpetuating falsehoods. That is not the new politics that the speeches are about. It is not hopeful; it is destructive. … This mailing about NAFTA, saying that I believe NAFTA was a, quote, boon, quotes a newspaper that had corrected the record. We have pointed it out. The newspaper has pointed it out. Time and time again, you hear one thing in speeches and then you see a campaign that has the worst kind of tactics reminiscent of the same sort of Republican attacks on Democrats. Well, I am here to say that it is not only wrong, but it is undermining core Democratic principles. … Enough with the speeches and the big rallies and then using tactics that are right out of Karl Rove's playbook. This is wrong, and every Democrat should be outraged because this is the kind of attack that not only undermines poor Democratic values, but gives aid and comfort to the very special interests and their allies in the Republican Party who are against doing what we want to do for America. So, shame on you, Barack Obama. It is time you ran a campaign consistent with your messages in public. That’s what I expect from you. Meet me in Ohio. Let’s have a debate about your tactics and your behavior in this campaign.” (Clinton Press Conference, 2/23/08)
NEW EVIDENCE CONTRADICTS PREVIOUS MEDIA REPORTS
Obama’s Attack On Clinton’s NAFTA Position Is, “Most Observers Say, Misleading.” “As the 2008 campaign shifts to economically hard-hit states like Ohio, so too do the topics of political debate. This week, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign has attacked Sen. Hillary Clinton on trade, arguing that she was once a supporter of the North American Free Trade Agreement that contributed to the loss hundreds of thousands of American jobs. ‘A little more than a year ago,’ an Obama mailer reads, "Hillary Clinton thought NAFTA was a 'boon' to the economy.’ The piece goes on to argue that the New York Senator is ‘changing her tune’ now that she's campaigning in the Buckeye State. The attack is, most observers say, misleading. The "boon" line, a paraphrase lifted from a September 2006 Newsday article, has yet to be confirmed as an authentic quote. But, more importantly, the mailer misrepresents what former Clinton administration officials and biographers say was Hillary Clinton's long-held opposition to the legislation.” (
Huffington Post, 2/14/08)
Mickey Kantor Said “Hillary Clinton Was One Of The Great Skeptics” Of NAFTA. “’In August in 92, we had to make a decision,’ Mickey Kantor the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Clinton adviser, and free trade advocate recalled for the Huffington Post. ‘President Clinton had to make a decision as governor, whether or not he would support
NAFTA, and of course he did... Hillary Clinton was one of the great skeptics in the discussion as to whether he should do. So she was always skeptical beginning in 1992 and onward.’” (Huffington Post, 2/14/08)
David Gergen Said Clinton “Was Extremely Unenthusiastic About NAFTA. “I was actually there in the Clinton White House during the NAFTA fight and I must tell you Hillary Clinton was extremely unenthusiastic about NAFTA. And I think that’s putting it mildly. I’m not sure she objected to all the provisions of it but she just didn’t see why her husband and that White House had to go and do that fight. She was very unhappy about it and wanted to move on to health care. So I do think there’s some justification for her camp saying, you know, she’s never been a great backer for NAFTA." (CNN, 2/25/08) 
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