Typically, Evan Bayh finishes near the bottom of the blog polls for '08. But so far, he's been out in front criticizing CAFTA, having voted against it a little while back. That posture could earn him a good bit of capital in blue collar midwestern areas... A few weeks ago, he issued this statement:
"I would like to support a trade agreement with the Caribbean Basin countries, but in this case cannot. To succeed in the global economy, America must advance an ambitious trade agenda that opens markets for American goods and services, but we cannot allow American hard work and ingenuity to be stolen by other countries that break the rules. Unfortunately, this Administration has done nothing in the face of such cheating, with drastic consequences for workers and businesses in Indiana and across the country.
I am opposing CAFTA because this agreement contains a major loophole giving a free pass to foreign companies that ignore international labor standards. In fact, the enforcement provisions in CAFTA are a step backward from the recent free trade agreement with Jordan. Our trade policy needs more enforcement not less and that is why I cannot support this agreement."
Are votes on the trade agreement critical to the '06 and '08 elections? David Sirota's email today mentioned the possibility of primary challenges for Democrats who vote in favor of the agreement... from his letter:
And that brings up the question: which Democrats are in danger of facing a
serious and well-funded primary should they undermine their party and
help President Bush pass the destructive, corporate-written Central
American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)?
The easiest way to whittle down which Democrats are in real trouble
would be to look at those Democrats who have previously slapped
working people in the face. To be sure, that is a big list. So let's
whittle it down further and confine it just to 2005. Which Democrats
have undermined their party and put a boot in the eye of the ordinary
American?
The best place to look is in the 73 Democrats who voted for the
credit card industry-written bankruptcy bill - a bill roundly
recognized as one of the biggest sellouts in recent times.
Of course, it's possible Bayh will end up supporting a revised version in the end, but so far he looks pretty firm. If he stands strong, how much does this push him forward? How would all the DLC haters reconcile his positions?