Bi-Partisan House and Senate pass George W. Bush negotiated "free trade" bills! See how they voted.

[Better Believe It]

Congress Ends 5-Year Standoff on Trade Deals in Rare Accord
By BINYAMIN APPELBAUM and JENNIFER STEINHAUER
October 12, 2011

Congress passed three long-awaited free trade agreements on Wednesday, ending a political standoff that has stretched across two presidencies. The move offered a rare moment of bipartisan accord at a time when Republicans and Democrats are bitterly divided over the role that government ought to play in reviving the sputtering economy.

The approval of the deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama is a victory for President Obama and proponents of the view that foreign trade can drive America’s economic growth in the face of rising protectionist sentiment in both political parties. They are the first trade agreements to pass Congress since Democrats broke a decade of Republican control in 2007.

The House voted to pass the Colombia measure, the most controversial of the three deals because of concerns about the treatment of unions in that country, 262 to 167; the Panama measure passed 300 to 129, and the agreement concerning South Korea passed 278 to 151. The votes reflected a clear partisan divide, with many Democrats voting against the president. In the Senate, the Colombia measure passed 66 to 33, the Panama bill succeeded 77 to 22 and the South Korea measure passed 83 to 15. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, voted against all three measures.

Proponents of the trade deals, including Mr. Obama, Republican leaders and centrist Democrats, predict that they will reduce prices for American consumers and increase foreign sales of American goods and services, providing a much-needed jolt to the sluggish economy. “At long last, we are going to do something important for the country on a bipartisan basis,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader.

Read the full article and see the full roll call vote of the House and Senate on the three trade deals at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/business/trade-bills-near-final-chapter.html?_r=1


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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2011

Obama Shifts Away From Jobs Message to Promote Bush-Signed Trade Pacts Projected by Official Government Studies to Increase Trade Deficit
Statement of Lori Wallach, Director, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch


WASHINGTON - October 11 - It is bizarre that President Barack Obama has switched from his long-awaited focus on jobs to spending effort passing three George W. Bush-signed, NAFTA-style trade deals that official government studies show will increase our trade deficit even as polls show most Americans oppose NAFTA-style trade pacts and recognize that they kill American jobs.

The only way these deals will pass is if congressional GOP lawmakers expose themselves to the foreseeable election attack ads and provide President Obama almost all of the votes; most congressional Democrats will oppose these deals, which are loved by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and despised by the Democratic base groups.

Apparently, the Obama team has a way to win re-election that does not involve Ohio or other industrial swing states. We saw with NAFTA in 1993 the dire political consequences of a Democratic president blurring distinctions between the parties on this third-rail issue of trade and jobs. And unlike NAFTA, this time, even official government studies show that these pacts will increase our trade deficit.
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Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts.

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/pressroomredirect.cfm?ID=3429


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Trade deal votes to divide Democrats
By Mike Lillis
October 11, 2011

Congress is poised to pass trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia on Wednesday in a series of votes that will divide House Democrats.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday predicted that the trade agreements would garner support from many Democrats, despite strong opposition from some in the caucus.

The House on Tuesday approved the rule governing the three proposals, while the Senate Finance Committee also cleared the bills for floor consideration. Both chambers are expected to vote on the measures Wednesday, and President Obama has said he’ll sign them when they hit his desk.

The trade agreements, which were first negotiated during the George W. Bush administration, have languished for years over concerns that they will hurt American workers and kill jobs.

Read the full article at:

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/186899-trade-deal-votes-to-divide-democrats

[Better Believe It]

1. To read the roll call vote in the House and Senate click on ....

the New York Times article link and than click on the left-side of the page where you see:

Inside Congress: Geography of the Votes

Colombia

House Vote | Senate Vote

Panama

House Vote | Senate Vote

Korea

House Vote | Senate Vote

[MrSlayer]

2. My Congressman voted against all three.

Ans so did one of my Senators. For what it's worth, at least they were on the right side.

[OhioChick]

3. Dennis is right on, as usual.

"Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said the FTAs will “facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs overseas and fail to adequately protect the environment.”

[Angry Dragon]

4. I see that the weeping boner and paul did not bother to vote

[Better Believe It]

5. They also take a stand!