Download or read book Clinton and the Process to Pass NAFTA written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: President George Bush hurried the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations to a conclusion in 1992 in time for the Republican National Convention. Although NAFTA still required congressional approval, the Bush campaign believed the ensuing debate would divide the Democratic Party and make candidate Bill Clinton appear weak and vacillating on trade issues. NAFTA was a divisive issue that unleashed nationalistic, xenophobic, and demagogic currents throughout the United States. One year later, however, the newly elected Clinton Administration embraced NAFTA and deftly crafted a triumphant political strategy that ensured the passage of the free trade initiative through the U.S. Congress against overwhelming odds. An examination of how Clinton congealed a bipartisan alliance and influenced the political process--akin to making sausage--to secure ratification of NAFTA is provided.