8/11/2019 Patriots, Carpets, and NAFTA | Vermont Times | Nov. 18, 1993

1/1

P a t r io t s , C a r p e t s a n T his week the disciples of Ross Perot are proving that"denial" is a lot more than just a river in Egypt. Vermont's

United We Stand Director Jaye JellDY said the GreatPerot-Gore Debate was tainted by Gore's "diversions and per-

sonal attacks on.Per~t." F~rJenny, the gominute extravaganzashowed the nation the difference between a politician and a patriot."

Patriot?I~ ~e post- Watergate age, everybody pretty much knows that

patriotism IS the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings. .Congressman Bernie Sanders, on the other hand wasn't

impressed by either Gore or Perot. "I thought both were 'nasty toeach other," he told Inside Track. "Perot has a lot of negativesattached to him," explained Vermont's scout on Capitol Hill."What Clinton did very cleverly was decide that Ross Perot wasgoing to be the spokesman for my cause. Meanwhile people likeRalph Nader. Jesse Jackson. Dave Bonoir and memhers of the Black Caucus and Progressive Caucus are not recognized as

playing an active role in this. It was a successful strategy," said Sanders with a tinge of admiration.After all, maklng the media work for you is a strategy 01'

Bernardo's had some success at. Fact is, when it comes tohandling the press, nobody in Vermont does it better. Take thisMonday's early morning press conference at the BurlingtonInternational Airport.

First of all, under the rules of the game, Bernie picks the topic.And the game that's played is whether or not a reporter can getthe master to address another topic that, no matter which side hetakes, will offend someone. But airport press conferences arestrategically weighted in the host's favor because Tbe Bern canshut the door on questions with the old, "Sorry, but the plane'sleaving in two minutes. Got to go."

What was surprising about Monday morning's political spingig was what wasn't discussed just two days before the big voteon the North American Free Trade Agreement in the House of Representatives. Not a word about NAFTA passed through thelips of our folk hero from Chunky Monkey Land. Not a peep.

Instead, all the talk was about putting lahels on carpets, theissue that has magically transformed our working class hero intoa national environmental dustbuster leading the charge againstindoor air pollution.

Fact is, Bernie Sanders went toe-to-toewith Corporate Americaon this one and got a piece of the rock. His victory prize is a six-inch by five-inch "information" label - a concession from thecarpet industry. In a nutshell, the label tells carpet owners to goto the doctor if they feel sick. Brilliant. If only the doctor could he part of a Canadian-style single-payer health care system, too,Bernie would be running for President. But that's another story.

Before the press conference, out in the hallway, 01' Bernardodid share his thoughts with yours truly about the state of the NAFTA battle. You may recall, just two weeks ago Bernie thesocialist was singing the praises of Ross, the billionaire. Strange bedfellows for sure, but that's been NAFTA's trademark. LastWednesday's CNN "debate" between Perot and Vice PresidentGore put an end to that. As the world now knows, Ross Perot lostit that night. He revealed for all to see that his robotic one-linersmay play well to the faithful at the Patrick Gym, but theydisintegrate under questioning. So does Ross Perot.

But, despite the perception on the street that Perot's pip-squeak antics had fIred a kill shot into the heart of the NAFTAopposition, Sanders was still forecasting a victory for his cause

Monday. "The tide is not turning," he insisted, "even with all of corporate America and a very biased mass media" pushing NAFTA. "When I go back to Washington," he said with a touchof sarcasm, "it'll remain to be seen whether the Capitol is goingto be there or moved to California as part of an exchange for avote." Hey, what about moving the CIA headquarters to TaftsCorners?

To 01' Bernardo. NAFTA's a "class" issue. "If the average person feels that Corporate America and the big banks have theworking people of this country at heart, then they should support this treaty. I don't," he growled as he strode back intothe airport conference room to begin the carpet label show. Buthow ironic it was that the guy sitting next to him in front of themicrophones was a staunch NAFTA supporter. Ron

VanGeIderen, president of The Carpet and Rug Institute, wasin sync with Sanders when the discussion was on carpet labels.Bu t as the press conference broke up, yours truly couldn't resistthrowing in a question about the import-export side of carpet-ing.

According to VanGelderen, 98 percent of the carpets sold inAmerica are made here. The problem is getting them past

Mexico's 11 percent tariff at the Rio Grande. IfNAFTA passesand the Mexican tariff goes bye-bye, he said, it'll create a lot of new jobs in the carpet industry. That's jobs for working people.It's also a side of N AFT A we never heard about from Bernie.

By now you know how the vote in the U.S. Hou!le came out. Thegoose is either cooked or airborne. Eitherway, here in Vermont, the

NAFTA debate was something of a public service. It provided Vermonters with yet another issue where Bernie Sanders and Sen.Jim Jeffords are on opposite sides. Next November, Jim's seat inthe U.S. Senate is up for grabs. What if.... ?

Oh, never mind.