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Thank Rham Emanuel. He was part of the "working group" that tailored the bill's language to the Clinton Administration's liking.
In The Selling of 'Free Trade,' Emanuel is remembered for his "aggressive" work on NAFTA and being a critical part of the administration's NAFTA working group. Emanuel lobbied for votes, helped direct the media strategy (including one targeted leak to undercut news of an anti-NAFTA politician's election in Canada), and participated in the administration's campaign to get the agreement passed--over public opposition--no matter what the cost. An October 26,1993 article in The Hotline said that the White House's NAFTA effort "came to life" under Emanuel, who served as its "operational director."
In his signing statement, President Clinton was praised by Vice President NAFTA as an issue that was able to "transcend ideology" and gain bipartisan support. Clinton compared the signing of NAFTA to the fall of the Berlin wall, while promising that "NAFTA means jobs.
American jobs, and good-paying American jobs." Clinton promised that "NAFTA will create 200,000 American jobs in the first two years of its effect" and "a million jobs in the first five years of its impact." Of course, this did not happen.
I mostly blame Clinton although I know his whole administration worked to take jobs away from the American people - but Bill Clinton eagerly signed it.
I mostly blame Clinton although I know his whole administration worked to take jobs away from the American people - but Bill Clinton eagerly signed it.
Yup. And now try and find anything made here in America. Big mistake. Let's get out of it and start creating jobs here. Otherwise we will all be speaking Chinese and dying from the poisons in their products.
It is like getting shot and stabbed at the same time.
You guys should have voted for Perot (who incidentally, called it exactly right), but thought he was nuts then. Sadly, he was correct and was probably the last honest "political candidate".
I think that perhaps now people will realize that our best statesmen were and probably will be non-lawyer citizens. Unfortunately, they are not trained in lying, like most lawyers and politicians, and are derided because they are not polished for a TV audience. I wonder how Lincoln (I know-lawyer) and Roosevelt would have played today. Probably labeled "nutjobs" by the left.
Throw the lawyers out and there may be a chance. Isn't it ironic that our most corrupt profession creates a corrupt government. Funny how that works. I would think it would be the same if we our political system was staffed by organized crime bosses, and they would probably be more fair and colorful.
To the OP - unlike what you suggest, the real problem was Clinton, not Rham Emanuel. The later couldn't impose his views, if Clinton was opposed NAFTA.
Although I am partial to Bill Clinton, he made some big mistakes during his time in office (no, not Monica). The major of these was carrying on the republican economic agenda, which were first implemented by Ronald Reagan. In that respect, Clinton was a democrat in a republican dominated period. Even his secretary of labour, Prof Reich, adopted these policies at the time. It took him/them a decade (or longer) to wake up.
* Disclaimer - NAFTA is only one function in the destruction of America's middle class. Add on top the heavy outsourcing to Asia, automation and the displacement of the human factor and the idea that the easiest way to make money is by rolling money. At the end, everybody will become rich.
Thank Rham Emanuel. He was part of the "working group" that tailored the bill's language to the Clinton Administration's liking.
Did the Republican Congress pass it? Or just Rahm Emanuel?
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