U.S. Chamber Of Commerce: Empty Suits
Having already sold the free market economy down the river, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is now learning the cost of making a deal with the devil – or in this case, two devils.
After supporting both the the Bush bank bailout and Obama bureaucratic giveaway, you would think that the organization would have curried some favor with the increasingly left-leaning “powers that be” in Washington, D.C. – which is obviously the goal, you know, as opposed to actually representing the needs of businesses.
Apparently not, though.
In fact, after FOX News, the U.S. Chamber is appears to be next on the White House’s “enemies list,” with the Obama administration picking a fight with the organization over its refusal to endorse the controversial “Cap and Tax” energy plan.
Like a jilted lover, Chamber President Tom Donohue took to the pages of the Wall Street Journal this weekend to fire back at Obama.
“You think we are going to blink because a couple of people are out shooting at us?” Donohue says. “Tell ‘em to put their damn helmets on.”
Ouch!
Yeah, it’s tough talk – but it’s frankly too little, too late from an organization that has lost all credibility when it comes to representing businesses.
Like the uber-liberal S.C. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Chamber is nothing but an organ of big government appeasement – and its support of the two bailouts (and a number of other anti-free market proposals) has proven it is more interested in sucking up to the powers that be than advocating on behalf of its members best interests.
We wrote recently about advocacy groups bailing on their constituencies, and the U.S. Chamber is no different.
The lesson, though?
Sucking up will get you nowhere …
Comments
By Mike on October 26th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Actually, the US Chamber has committed to spending close to 100 million in a campaign to defend and promote the advantages of the free-market system.
Now, after you pick your jaw up of the floor from hearing that any group would have to spend that much in America to advocate for free-markets, you should consider lifting them up. At least in this battle, we need to support each other.
You can’t always pick who is in the foxhole with you, but if you hold off for ideological purity you’ll be alone in that foxhole. Everyone else will be out dying on the hill.
By MKinVA on October 26th, 2009 at 9:34 am
No kidding! The US chamber is running commercials in Va against the Decmocrat for Governor because he might raise taxes! After supporting the bailouts from the feds, the US Chamber has zero credibility. They are in favor of tax money going to big business, but never the little guy (who Republicans are always touting as the job creators).
By Joseph Reynolds on October 26th, 2009 at 11:46 am
$100,000,000 ???? Where will they get that kind of money from? Raise the dues (taxes) they charge their members? Sounds like they are still on the same sheet of paper with the socialists.
By Huhhh??? on October 26th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Mike, what ought to bother you is a lobbying organization spending any amount of money to buy the votes of politicians, period.
They’re lobbyists, Mike, lobbyists.
They support whoever pays them.
You know, like any good whore.
The suckers are the poor local people who dimwittedly hand over their money to any lobbyist rather than mobilizing members and other citizens to communicate directly with their representatives.
By Mike on October 26th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
What if I’m a lobbyist too?
By political hack on October 26th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
How about a little $100 million in capital investment and infastructure…$100 million to promote “free markets” is a joke. It will just end up going to lobby firms and other associations who continue to do nothing except throw money down a black hole of bureaucratic backed business initiatives. We are completely fucked and no one is talking about how to fix the situation or get us back on track so we don’t go the way of all the other former bastions of great civilizations. We get reality tv and health care reform? We haven’t been the country our brilliant founding fathers intended since we were infiltrated by the world finiancial oligarchy’s agents hundreds of years ago. We are still being spoon fed their bullshit; free trade is for tyrants and oligarchs, why must we think globally when we could put production and utility back into our own nation? Free trade exploits third world countries by raping them of their resources and installing puppet governments or war lords subservant to the money we loan to them they will only pay back with suffering of their own people and their natural resources. Sorry for rambling, but hey what are blogs for?
By nemo on October 26th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
The US Chamber isn’t defending or promoting the free market, it’s defending and promoting the interest of the large established firms. They are only concerned with keeping the present firms with oligopoly status happy, and appeasing the health insurance cartel.
By Ynot on October 26th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
The Chamber is funded by Europeans for the most part.
Heard of the New World Order yet?
US Chamber of Commerce is part of it.
Sanford wants to take each and everyone of us there. Obama apparantly is trying to stop it believe it or not.
TRUST ME
You do not want to go there.
By Workin' Tommy C on October 27th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Strange that the libs and Lindsey Gaham don’t just LOOOOVVVVVEEEE the CofC since the CofC pushed for unconstitutional (There’s nothing “uniform” nor equal under the law about allowing a group of lawbreakers to be naturalized or otherwise allowed to stay here)amnesty programs again and again.