[tomder55]

A War Of Lies Against The Chamber

Posted 10/12/2010 07:14 PM ET


Politics: President Obama has doubled down in his attack on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, continuing to call its ads foreign-funded. His charges are false and he knows it. If this isn't beneath his office, what is?

One needs to look hard to find any head of a major democracy as openly at war with his country's Chamber of Commerce as Obama is. His charge that the Chamber's $75 million ad campaign ahead of elections is funded by foreign sources is both false and an unprecedented smear, an accusation of a crime.

It's deeply disappointing coming from a country's elected leader.

Neither Europe's socialists nor Asia's combative leadership fight their chambers like this. Chambers of commerce, including the U.S. branch, generally seek pragmatic accommodation with those in power. Obama's attack on the Chamber is sadly reminiscent of the scorched-earth relations Venezuela's self-declared communist leader Hugo Chavez has with his country's business groups — and he makes no secret of wanting to destroy them.
Shockingly, a similarly antagonistic situation now exists in the U.S. center of world capitalism.

Based on a blog post from the Center for American Progress, Obama now calls the Chamber's ad campaign in defense of free markets not protected speech but "a threat to democracy." His embattled party still repeats the scurrilous claim that the Chamber's ads are foreign-funded because it receives a small amount ($100,000) of dues from overseas companies. But nearly all of these businesses are based in the U.S. and their dues are separated from ad funds. The White House knows this — or at least, should.

As the media, including the New York Times, gave this a good debunking, Obama refrained from continuing his charges Monday.

But his lieutenant, Vice President Joe Biden, "didn't get the memo," as Lucianne Goldberg quipped on her Web site. So Biden continues the dishonest line of attack.

"I challenge the Chamber of Commerce to tell us how much of the money they're investing is from foreign sources," Biden said Monday.

"Not a red cent," the Chamber replied, desperate to keep the lies from becoming a "truth" by repetition.

"These accusations by a George Soros-funded anti-business blog are unfounded, deceitful, and completely erroneous," the Chamber wrote on its Web site. "They are a desperate attempt to silence those who support free enterprise, and a diversion by people upset by their grim prospects in the coming election."

This sorry situation says two things about the Obama administration: One, it's willing to use the same Alinskyite tactics against a single target that it used to win elections. And two, it's at war with America's private sector.

A War Of Lies Against The Chamber - IBD - Investors.com
Next on his docket ,The Lion's Club ,Kiwanis Club,and The Boy Scouts.
The Chamber of Commerce represents businesses of all sizes nationwide. 96% of the Chamber's membership consists of small businesses with fewer than 100 employees... and yet the White House has called them "a threat to democracy."

This beg for an investigation into charges about the President receiving foreign donations during the 2008 campaign that were never seriously addressed ,although there was substantial evidence of him receiving many in his internet fundraisings(he avoided a FEC audit by not accepting Federal matching public funds).

His charges about the Chamber reek of hypocrisy. On November 6 ;less than a week after the election,the President will travel to Mumbai to address a business summit... a summit sponsored by 'The U.S.-India Business Council'.

The U.S.-India Business Council, formed in 1975 to advance commercial ties between the world’s two largest free-market democracies, is hosted under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

USIBC to host summit for Obama?s India visit | Articles | IndUS Business Journal

The bottom line is that there is no basis for the charges being leveled by the Obots ;and indeed they haven't even attempted to provide one. Instead they are asking the Chamber to open their books to prove the Obot's wrong. When Joe Biden challenged them to reveal how much of their campaign donations comes from foreign sources ,Tom Collamore, senior vice president of Communications and Strategy from the Chamber of Commerce responded "We accept the vice president's challenge here and now, and are happy to provide our answer"... "Zero. As in, 'Not a single cent".
If the President has any proof it is up to him to provide it . But he can't .

[excon]

If the President has any proof it is up to him to provide it . But he can't.

Hello tom:

You got it backwards... The WHOLE idea of secret donors is so that NOBODY knows who's contributing... So, the onus falls on the Chamber to DISCLOSE its list of donors... To simply SAY that they DIDN'T misspend foreign money, and that we should TRUST them on that, AIN'T good enough...

There's no question that they ARE taking donations from FOREIGN countries... That's been admitted. They say that THAT money isn't used for blasting Democrats... But, I don't believe 'em. You shouldn't either... Oh, of course, the righty's will. I don't know why.

But, if YOUR job has been outsourced to India you should be VERY wary of the US. Chamber of Commerce accepting money from them, and then using it against Democrats... The Indians want SOMETHING for their money, and it's YOUR JOB!! They know who ISN'T isn't looking out for you and YOUR job.

excon

[excon]

Hello again, tom:

Karl Rove has been accused of misspending foreign money too. George Stephanopoulos asked him DIRECTLY if he would guarantee the voters that the money he is raising is NOT from foreign donors.

Rove did NOT give George that guarantee. He could have. I wonder WHY he didn't. Nahhh... I don't wonder why...

excon

[tomder55]

I'd say it reeks of McCarthyism ,but that would be a disservice to Joe McCarthy . It is more like a Stalinist ,Alinsky style smear without substance. If he has anything on the Chamber then I suggest he get his Justice Dept to move on it. But he won't because he's got nothing.

[excon]

I'd say it reeks of McCarthyism

Hello tom:

To wonder which FOREIGN country is donating to YOUR Senators election campaign is McCarthyism?? Dude!

excon

[tomder55]

Since we are making baseless charges ,then I will make the same charges about funnelling foreign funds to Democrats against the Teamsters and SEIU ,the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ,all the affiliated AFL-CIO unions... all of which have international affiliates .

I call on them to open their books to show the sources of their contributions .

This is absurd.

[excon]

I call on them to open their books to show the sources of their contributions . This is absurd

Hello again, tom:

Me too.

excon

PS> To wonder WHICH foreign country might be funding your presidents re-election campaign is ABSURD?? Dude!

[tomder55]

The reason for their phony charges against the Chamber is that dues are collected and money is fungible. Therefore they claim that since foreign dues are being collected it stands to reason that foreign dues are part of the money being used in campaign donations.
Again this is baseless ;as baseless as my claim above about the unions.

[excon]

The reason for their phony charges against the Chamber is that dues are collected and money is fungible.

Hello again, tom:

The problem is twofold. First, is the fact that the UNITED STATES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is collecting a DIME from foreign sources, and then spending it domestically. Money IS fungible, as you say, so the accusations are not only proper, they should have been expected.

The second is transparency. YOU like it sometimes, when it has to do with Obama, but you don't like it other times, like when it has to do with Republicans raising money... I don't know why. Transparency is good, or it isn't... I think it's good - ALL the time.

The third, is Citizens United, which is the underpinning for this entire controversy... It was right wing JUDICIAL ACTIVISM on steroids, and clearly the WRONG decision.

excon

[tomder55]

Citizens United had nothing to do with this. The Chamber being a non-profit has been able to air political ads since 1986 .
What the Dems don't want to admit is that their policies ,being tremedously hostile to business in America is what is prompting the explosion of campaign spending against them.

[excon]

What the Dems don't want to admit is that their policies ,being tremedously hostile to business in America is what is prompting the explosion of campaign spending against them.

Hello tom:

I understand what businessmen think... I don't blame 'em. After 30 years of DE-regulation (which caused our fall off the cliff), who'd be happy about being RE-regulated a little bit??

But RE-regulation is what was called for, and the Dems did it. They were gentle though. After all, the guys running the fix, were the guys who broke it... So, they protected your Wall Street friends pretty good.

But, for sure, whey you've been stealing BY lobbying for 30 years, you're going to get upset when you actually have to EARN your way now, and of course, you're going to spend the farm to keep you what you stole (earned).

PLUS, Citizens United opened the floodgates for UNLIMITED campaign spending... I think THAT had something to do with it, too.. You, not so much..

excon

[tomder55]

Anyway ,I'm sure Rep .Darrell Issa and Sen. Tom Coburn will be more than happy to open up Congressional hearings on the influence of foreign donations in the last 2 election cycles when they become chairs of their respective committees.

[excon]

Anyway ,I'm sure Rep .Darrell Issa and Sen. Tom Coburn will be more than happy to open up Congressional hearings on the influence of foreign donations

Hello again, tom:

Don't forget impeaching that Muslim, commie, Marxist, Nazi, Kenyon, Allinskyite. I can see it now... The first expert witness Chairman Bachman will call is Glenn Beck...

Bwa, ha ha ha ha.

excon

[speechlesstx]

The Chamber is bipartisan, they started running ads for Blue Dogs last week.

And Gibbs? He used to work for a secretive group that helped derail Howard Dean's candidacy in 2003-2004. This administration, after breaking virtually every transparency promise he made, has no room to speak. Pot, meet kettle.

And you might like this, ex. Obama is Rove’s fundraiser-in-chief

Your man has no respect for the office and he's obviously not up to the task. The Dems are desperate, they won't run on the issues, they're running away from Obama and their own votes and living by the smear. Whatever happened to hope and change?

[speechlesstx]

The DNC chair is claiming this could be bigger than Watergate. Did I say they were desperate?

[cdad]

The DNC chair is claiming this could be bigger than Watergate. Did I say they were desperate?

I say go for it and we can start here ;)

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Obama Online Fundraising Scandal in Less Than 5 Minutes! | Obama Shrugged

[excon]

Hello again,

I don't know... I seem to remember a right wing refrain that goes something like this: if you don't have anything to hide, you shouldn't be afraid of being searched...

Even YOU want to know who's funding the race for YOUR senator.

excon

[tomder55]

My Senator has a war chest full of money he will never deplete . Campaign finance restrictions is incumbency protection by another name.

[speechlesstx]

I dunno... I seem to remember a right wing refrain that goes something like this: if you don't have anything to hide, you shouldn't be afraid of being searched...

So you're OK with the President of the United States accusing the US Chamber of Commerce of a federal crime - much less doing so without offering a shred of evidence?

BOB SCHIEFFER: do you have any evidence that it’s anything other than peanuts?"

David Axelrod :Well, do you have any evidence that it’s not, Bob?

When did you stop beating your wife, ex?

[excon]

So you're ok with the President of the United States accusing the US Chamber of Commerce of a federal crime - much less doing so without offering a shred of evidence?

Hello again, Steve:

What are they afraid of? What are they hiding? All they have to do is let us look at their books. If they didn't do anything WRONG, why won't they let us see them?? Don't YOU want to know WHO is funding YOUR Senator's reelection bid?? Do you not see any correlation to the right wing screed, "if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid of being searched???? Do you see how really DUMB that right wing statement is??? Are you bummed only NOW, because it's YOUR side who's ox is being gored???? Have you heard the left wing refrain that goes something like this; "what's good for the goose, is good for the gander"??

excon