House Democrats exhibited unity on Thursday in voting to stall a trade pact with Colombia pushed by President Bush, but that vote masked deep party divisions on trade, an issue certain to become even more highly charged given consequential trade deals with South Korea and other countries in the pipeline.
An influential bloc of Democrats continues to favor expanded trading relationships with nations willing to meet labor and environmental conditions, putting them at odds with fellow Democrats allied with unions who blame free trade for the loss of thousands of American jobs since the 1970s. The fight has flared in the presidential campaign as well.
“There has been a split within the party, I think, that has become pretty evident,” said Representative Joseph Crowley of New York, who has backed previous trade deals. He attributes deepening Democratic resistance to trade agreements to what he calls the “Dobbsian effect” named for the CNN broadcaster and trade critic Lou Dobbs.
But Mr. Crowley and others inclined to entertain free trade agreements sided with Speaker Nancy Pelosi in voting 224 to 195 to put off consideration of the agreement with Colombia until the speaker decides the time is right — a move that infuriated the administration and House Republican leaders. All but 10 Democrats backed Ms. Pelosi while 6 Republicans joined in stalling the agreement.
|