"For months, [Congressman Steve LaTourette] had said he was against CAFTA because he saw little in recent trade deals that helped American workers," writes Stephen Koff of the Plain Dealer.
Thus, when LaTourette voted for CAFTA in the wee hours of the night on July 27th, it came as a complete shock to many of his constituents.
Why did LaTourette flip flop at the last minute?
The Plain Dealer explains:
LaTourette said [that when] he suddenly learned that [Middlefield
cabinet-maker KraftMaid] had been socked with tariffs on Central American
plywood -- and that they jeopardized the company's jobs in Ohio -- he decided to
vote for a controversial trade pact to eliminate those tariffs.
"Absolutely," he said after the vote two weeks ago, confirming that his
motivation was solely to protect KraftMaid jobs.
One problem: No U.S. company has to pay tariffs on plywood from Central
America, according to trade records reviewed by The Plain Dealer and interviews
with industry and trade officials...
With a crack Congressional staff at his fingertips, LaTourette should have been able to know that the tariffs did not exist.
LaTourette is either inept for failing to look into the tariff issue or outright lying about his reason for voting for CAFTA. Either way the citizens of Lake County can no longer take their Congressman at his word
