In the House, NAFTA passed 234-200; 132 Republicans and 102 Democrats voted in favor of it. For a politician who is remarkably inconsistent in his policy stances, opposition to NAFTA and trade deals has been a lodestar. He repeatedly associates it with President Bill Clinton, but that’s only half right. Bill Clinton certainly pushed hard for its passage, even over the objections of many Democrats, but you cannot assign all of the blame — or give all of the credit — for NAFTA to Bill Clinton. But he did put his political prestige on the line to get it approved by Congress — even as two top Democrats, House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt (Mo.)

Source: Washington Post May 09, 2016 01:26 UTC