I will be the very first to admit that this primary I have no excitement, there is no real passion or drive in any of it for me. But hubby and I are supporting John Edwards for various reasons after knowing his stances and his previous votes.
He is apparently fair game here at this forum. I will defend him when it appears he is a target. We had another major target here in 2003 and 2004. So let's be fair.
The Senate Permanent Normal Trade Relations Vote that occurred on September, 20, 2000....was a bill that got major support from Democrats.
I will post an article from the Democratic Leadership Council's leader, Al From, in which he praises Bill Clinton, then president, for this bill. He also chastises those who did not support it.
Then I will post the votes, and they will surprise you.
National Vs. Special InterestsRead all of this article to see where our party was on this issue. Condemning Edwards for voting for it is really out of line unless we do the same to others.
s this magazine went to press, Congress was preparing to vote on President Clinton's request to grant permanent normal trade relations to China. While passage in the Senate seemed virtually certain, the vote in the House was expected to be close. The question was whether the President could convince enough House Democrats to join with a majority of Republicans to reach the magic number of 218 votes needed for passage.
Like President Clinton and Vice President Gore, most New Democrats support granting permanent normal trade relations to China. But too many other Democrats don't. House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt opposes it. So does House Minority Whip David Bonior and most members of the House Democratic leadership. And so does the AFL-CIO and many liberal interest groups aligned with the Democrats.
The debate over China's trade status is first and foremost about U.S. politics. It is not about the merits of the historic deal the Clinton administration negotiated to open up the Chinese economy to U.S. goods and services as part of China's accession to the World Trade Organization. If it were, the vote in favor would be a slam dunk.
Unlike most trade agreements, this one is one-sided. China made all the concessions; we made none. To get into the WTO, China has to do all the giving. This deal is so skewed in our favor that some have called it America's biggest steal since the Louisiana Purchase. You'd hardly expect any member of Congress to reject a cost-free opportunity to open up one of the world's largest consumer markets.
Run that by me again? It is "skewed in our favor"? Doesn't seem like that now.
Here are the votes by party.
US Senate Extends Permanent Normal Trade Relations to ChinaOn September 20, 2000, the US Senate voted 83-to-15 to extend permanent normal trade relations to China. A yes vote was to approve normal relations and a no vote was to reject normal relations. Thirty- seven Democrats and forty-six Republicans voted yes. Seven Democrats and eight Republicans voted no.
DEMOCRATS YES
Baucus, Mont.; Bayh, Ind.; Biden, Del.; Bingaman, N.M.; Boxer, Calif.; Breaux, La.; Bryan, Nev.; Cleland, Ga.; Conrad, N.D.; Daschle, S.D.; Dodd, Conn.; Dorgan, N.D.; Durbin, Ill.; Edwards, N.C.; Feinstein, Calif.; Graham, Fla.; Harkin, Iowa; Inouye, Hawaii; Johnson, S.D.; Kennedy, Mass.; Kerrey, Neb.; Kerry, Mass.; Kohl, Wis.; Landrieu, La.; Lautenberg, N.J.; Leahy, Vt.; Levin, Mich.; Lincoln, Ark.; Miller, Ga.; Moynihan, N.Y.; Murray, Wash.; Reed, R.I.; Robb, Va.; Rockefeller, W. Va.; Schumer, N.Y.; Torricelli, N.J.; Wyden, Ore.
DEMOCRATS NO
Byrd, W. Va.; Feingold, Wis.; Hollings, S.C.; Mikulski, Md.; Reid, Nev.; Sarbanes, Md.; Wellstone, Minn.
DEMOCRATS NOT VOTING
Akaka, Hawaii; Lieberman, Conn.
REPUBLICANS YES
Abraham, Mich.; Allard, Colo.; Ashcroft, Mo.; Bennett, Utah; Bond, Mo.; Brownback, Kan.; Burns, Mont.; Chafee, R.I.; Cochran, Miss.; Collins, Me.; Craig, Idaho; Crapo, Idaho; DeWine, Ohio; Domenici, N.M.; Enzi, Wyo.; Fitzgerald, Ill.; Frist, Tenn.; Gorton, Wash.; Gramm, Texas; Grams, Minn.; Grassley, Iowa; Gregg, N.H.; Hagel, Neb.; Hatch, Utah; Hutchison, Texas; Kyl, Ariz.; Lott, Miss.; Lugar, Ind.; Mack, Fla.; McCain, Ariz.; McConnell, Ky.; Murkowski, Alaska; Nickles, Okla.; Roberts, Kan.; Roth, Del.; Santorum, Pa.; Sessions, Ala.; Shelby, Ala.; Smith, Ore.; Snowe, Me.; Stevens, Alaska; Thomas, Wyo.; Thompson, Tenn.; Thurmond, S.C.; Voinovich, Ohio; Warner, Va.
REPUBLICANS NO
Bunning, Ky.; Campbell, Colo.; Helms, N.C.; Hutchinson, Ark.; Inhofe, Okla.; Jeffords, Vt.; Smith, N.H.; Specter, Pa.
Also at the site is a speech from Tampa on that day by President Clinton praising the passing of the bill.
It just seems petty to go after one person when it was a bill pushed by the DLC and by President Clinton.
The House passed it as well. Here are vote totals.
To pass the 435-member House, the China trade bill needed to garner at least 218 "yes" votes.
With passage sewn up, 164 Republicans and 73 Democrats voted in favor of the trade agreement, while 57 Republicans and 138 Democrats voted against.
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/s... Gephardt, Pelosi, and Bonier spoke out against the bill. I don't have the individual votes.
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