The CAFTA post

Last week, by a squeaker of a vote, the House passed legislation expanding NAFTA to some lucky ducky countries in the carribean basin. This piece of (dung) legislation was called, originally enough, CAFTA.

There was arm-twisting, sweet-talking and outright threatening in efforts to pass the thing, and they all worked. All the emails, letters, calls, and missives that were sent to the House of Reprehensibles failed.

And my record for picking losing issues remains untouched!

I'm like, 0-12. At least I'm right.

This thing stank. To high heaven. And the fact that Melissa Bean voted for it (on top of her inexplicable vote to gut bankruptcy protections for working Americans) makes her untouchably bad. Bad on you, Melissa. You're no Democrat. You clearly don't stand with working folks. You had two chances to show where you stood, and you did. Unfortunately, it's not with us.

Jonathan Tasini has more on what Labor's respone to the CAFTA 15 should be. And it's important to keep in mind that when NAFTA passed, it passed the house with around 100 democratic votes. Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China passed with around 70, fast track authority for free trade agreements (which mean the President can negotiate trade treaties and Congress has no input other than an up-or-down vote) passed with 23, and CAFTA with 15.

So Democrats are apparently learning. Slowly. Either that, or the dwindling votes mirror their dwindling numbers in congress. At this rate, there won't be a working class by the time they have it figured out. It'll be the out-of-working class. Until then, the spigot should absolutely be shut off from these turncoats.

Also. Passed along without comment.