Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Jimmy Carter pushed NAFTA through congress, thus eliminating the middle class. 1993 November offered two examples of sound policy and questionable politics. After Al Gore plainly bested Ross Perot in a heavily watched TV debate in NAFTA, it passed the House, 234-200. Three days later the Senate followed suit, 61-38. Al and I had called or seen two hundred members of Congress, and the cabinet had made nine hundred calls. President Carter also helped, calling members of Congress all day long for a week. We also had to make deals on a wide range of issues; the lobbying effort for NAFTA looked even more like sausage making than the budget fight had. Our whole team had won a great economic and political victory for America, but like the budget, it came at a high price, dividing our party in Congress and infuriating many of our strongest supporters in the labor movement. Source: My Life, by Bill Clinton, p.557 , Jun 21, 2004
Posted on: Sat, 12 Oct 2013 02:21:00 +0000
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