Via Michael Crowley at TNR’s “The Plank,” a story from The Hill about the 15 Democrats who broke party ranks to support the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA):
Business interests are making good on their promise to reward 15 House Democrats who bucked their party’s leadership in July and backed [CAFTA].
In the three months since CAFTA passed the House by two votes, business groups and individual companies have held more than a dozen fundraisers for members of the so-called “CAFTA 15” and have provided help selling the trade pact to skeptical constituents….
Since August, [high-tech lobbyists] have held fundraisers for 10 of the 15–Reps. Melissa Bean (Ill.), Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Norm Dicks (Wash.), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Ruben Hinojosa (Texas), Jim Matheson (Utah), Greg Meeks (N.Y.), Dennis Moore (Kan.), Ike Skelton (Mo.) and Edolphus Towns (N.Y.)–according to sources with knowledge of the endeavor. They have plans to arrange fundraisers for two more–Reps. Bill Jefferson (La.) and Solomon Ortiz (Texas)–before Thanksgiving.
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