Washington Post
December 2, 2001
By Juliet Eilperin
|
At a recent closed-door meeting of House GOP leaders, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.) made an unusual proposal: that they press ahead with a vote on trade negotiating authority this year even if they lack the votes to pass it. Davis argued that a trade vote -- which is scheduled for Thursday -- would be worth the gamble. The legislation would give the president enhanced authority to strike agreements with foreign nations, achieving one of President Bush's legislative priorities, and a vote would force Democrats to choose between competing constituencies. But, more important for the Republicans, the battle over the bill serves their broader goal of driving a wedge between Democrats and the country's high-tech community.
Despite the recent implosion of many Internet-related businesses, Democrats and Republicans have continued to flock to the West Coast in an effort to solidify their ties to the technology sector. Rick White, a former GOP lawmaker who heads the Palo Alto-based trade association TechNet, said his group had hosted dozens of lawmakers in recent weeks.
"The industry is very much up for grabs," White said, adding that Democrats and Republicans alike had come to listen to the concerns of high-tech chief executive officers. "Frankly, both of them have been pretty eager to help us, and that's the way we want it."
Unlike other corporate sectors, which give disproportionately to Republicans, high-tech America has divided its money fairly evenly between the two parties in recent years. In the 2000 election, the industry gave at least $4.4 million to House Democrats and $4 million to House Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. This year, House Democrats -- who trail the GOP significantly in total money raised -- have outpaced Republicans in high-tech contributions, raising at least $940,000 to the GOP's $400,000.
Technology companies are also unlike many American corporations in that they tend to be run by their founders, many of whom are liberal Democrats. While they favor the trade bill as a way of opening up foreign markets, they are often equally interested in education, environmental and privacy policies.
"They're going to make judgments based on how's the economy, how's the investment in education, and what are the freedoms to create, not only technically but entrepreneurially," said John Gage, chief researcher for Sun Microsystems and a Democratic donor.
Davis, whose Northern Virginia district includes a slew of technology companies, has been on a three-year crusade to bring the industry into the Republican fold. He acknowledged that former president Bill Clinton was extraordinarily effective in tapping high-tech donors but suggested that such donors may reevaluate their giving now that they're relying on Democrats such as House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.).
"A tech guy who wants a Democratic House and is voting for Dick Gephardt is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders," Davis said.
The vote on the trade bill will force undecided Democrats to take a stand on an issue that pits export-oriented industries such as high tech against organized labor, one of the party's most reliable allies. Bill Samuels, legislative director for the AFL-CIO, said rank-and-file union members had already toured members' districts and conducted sit-ins at congressional offices in opposition to the bill.
"When Republicans and business leaders talk about trade, the reaction of workers is immediate and visceral," Samuels said. "It is not difficult to get people to work on this issue in the field."
Davis is hoping to capitalize on this schism. "This will be a dividing line," he predicted. "It will have significant fundraising ramifications" in Silicon Valley.
Early last month, Davis brought roughly 10 Republicans to tour high-tech operations in California's Silicon Valley and San Diego. The trip included a $300,000 fundraiser at the home of a top Oracle executive and breakfast with more than a dozen San Diego-based companies at the headquarters of Qualcomm Inc.
"Some people who were thinking in terms of social issues realized Republicans are really focused on issues that matter to them," said Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), who went on the tour.
The lawmakers particularly targeted Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs, a prominent Democrat and Clinton ally who supports trade promotion authority as a way of expanding his company's business in China.
"They're stringing you along," Davis said he told Jacobs, referring to the Democrats. "They're never going to vote with you."
Jacobs -- who has personally lobbied several Democrats to support trade legislation -- said he had been impressed with the commitment of GOP lawmakers, such as California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, to helping his industry. "He was more knowledgeable and more helpful than I really would have anticipated," Jacobs said.
But when pressed, Jacobs declined to say whether he would withhold campaign contributions from Democrats who voted against the trade bill. "We try to be balanced," he said, adding that he hopes lawmakers can reach "a reasonable compromise" before the bill comes to the floor.
And even as the trade vote looms, House Democrats are mining the high-tech community for cash. This weekend Gephardt and incoming Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) are attending a fundraiser in California Rep. Anna G. Eshoo's Santa Clara home that is expected to raise $400,000. A little more than a week later, Gephardt will be feted by America Online executives in a Northern Virginia fundraiser expected to bring in $250,000.
Eshoo said the trade bill "has never come up once" in her conversations with donors and constituents.
And Eshoo, along with other Democrats who traditionally support free trade, say they are unwilling to support such a measure until Congress addresses the more pressing problem of the unemployed. Qualcomm is a major employer in California Rep. Susan Davis's district, and the congresswoman speaks to Jacobs about trade nearly every week now. But she remains on the fence when it comes to enhanced negotiating authority for the president.
"I am certainly not opposed to trade. It makes lots of sense for the small businesses in San Diego, as well as the large businesses," Davis said. "But you really have to ask the question whether it is so critical that we do this before other issues."
Staff researcher Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.