1. Republicans give tax breaks for sending US jobs overseas. 2. Overseas companies give money to the US Chamber of Commerce. 3. USCC spends hundreds of millions of dollars on Republican candidates. 4. Profit!
See also the announcement for RepubliCorp.
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22 Comments
#4 should read: KaChing!
Here’s irony and hypocrisy all in one:
Obama to Speak at U.S. Chamber-Sponsored ‘Business Summit’ in Mumbai
President scheduled to speak at U.S.-India Business Council event in November after midterm elections.
http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2010/20101012160946.aspx
Ka- Ching
I read the article. Then I read the original article. Then re-read the article. I don’t understand the issue. Seems like a fairly standard non-sequitur to me.
First and foremost, are you aware that you are linking to a pro-free-market, anti-liberal-bias “news” site?
The Chamber isn’t sponsoring the event. The only mention of the Chamber in the entire original article (that this article links to) is to say that the USIBC is “hosted under the aegis of U.S. Chamber of Commerce.”
Can you tell me what that means by reading either article? If not, why not? I can’t tell you at all what that means. Perhaps my reading comprehension is lacking.
This smacks of Glenn-Beckian blackboard nonsense. What does Obama speaking at this event have to do with the Chamber operating as a funnel for republican funding?
1032- It does follow. The “evil chamber” promotes US business relations around the globe, a good thing, yes. Obama is attending this Chamber sponsored, supported, financed (i think that covers all “aegis” possibilities)while criticizing them for their foreign connections. He is only demonizing them because they did not contribute to him or because they contribute to his opponent (quite childish if you ask me)and if they are so terrible why would he go and speak, legitimizing them and helping them earn more money.
What I am really sick of is making issues out of everything but the issues. It’s just creating sidebars so nobody looks at the actual real problems, unemployment, debt, budgets, foreclosures, economy, etc. It’s all smoke and mirrors to avoid the real problems. If we want to really look at campaign contributions then what about Obama who had close to 1/2 billion in contributions for his 2008 campaign of which 10’s of millions are from still undisclosed anonymous donors (maybe some foreign). The Chamber who is his latest evil villain is not even anonymous, they say who they are and who they are contributing to. The whole chamber foreign money for campaigns was created by Axelrod, Biden and Obama without any basis. What if some prominent politician started a rumor that Dems and Obama got money from Mexican drug cartels and thats why they want amnesty for illegals. Totally without basis, yes. How do prove their innocense?
Its all just smoke and mirrors. Hey look over there…. I’m a Democrat and I’m ashamed that my party leader is acting out like a little kid who didn’t get his way. You know Bush, for all he did wrong, has more class. To this day, even with all the nazi, hate talk that went on whhile he was Pres and to this day, he has not spoken about it publicly at all and it is in keeping with the honor and dignity of the office. I wish our current administration had that much class.
Sorry for the rant, but it’s been a bad few days.
I don’t see the hypocrisy either. I’ve been ranting against the US Chamber of Commerce for a very long time. Having Obama appear at a foreign business event, put on by an organization that has ties to the US Chamber of Commerce may be ironic, but it is hardly hypocritical.
And accepting foreign contributions to a campaign is illegal. Every campaign contribution has to be disclosed. Contributions to organizations like the USCC don’t have to be disclosed (and they don’t disclose them).
Patriot, your “covers all the possibilities” comment was really my point. I mean, it’s possible that the Chamber of Commerce is using the USIBC as a cover organization for the New World Order. They, along with the lizard people…
You see what I’m talking about? I don’t know (nor do you, obviously) what “hosted under the aegis” means in this situation. No context is given, and it is not a clear phrase.
This is aside from the guilt-by-association aspect of the article.
1032 – I don’t disagree with your reasoning. But why does the administration and media insist, without basis, that the USCC is using foreign money to fund political ads for republicans. Is not their logic equally flawed and without concrete facts as this article is?
I mean if we want to look at foreign funding, loosely speaking that is, with all the foreign products we import, all the debt owned by foreign governments, all the US companies that are partly, fully, or at least partnered with/by foreign companies or gov’s, means every politician is funded, in part, by a foreign entity. I think they are just avoiding the real issues.
Right. And that is exactly why corporations should not be allowed political speech. Period.
Ok, this is why as I implied earlier that syntax and context are so important.
Can you give me a quote from Obama, or “the administration” that says that the CoC is USING foreign money to fund ads? Or do they all say that the CoC, which TAKES foreign money, is funding ads?
The former is an assumption. The latter is true.
Everything that I have read all says the latter. It says that the CoC takes foreign donations, which is true. This money goes into the general account, which is true. The general account funds attack ads, this is true. Maybe they indeed claimed the former, in which case they definitely overstepped. I haven’t seen it if they have.
The CoC claims they have safeguards in place that prevent the foreign money from co-mingling and being used for the ads. This might be true too. Without disclosure (the lack of which, I consider to be the real issue), we can’t know. And, of course, they refuse to disclose anything.
I have to agree with Patriot who gets to the meat of the issue: ” … making issues out of everything but the issues. It’s just creating sidebars so nobody looks at the actual real problems, unemployment, debt, budgets, foreclosures, economy, etc. It’s all smoke and mirrors to avoid the real problems.” I get constant requests for more money to support the liberals. Sadly, I used to get the identical requests (same format — same content, etc.) from republicans. It does seem to be true (like some rather far-out thinkers say)that we have no real difference between the parties. I don’t like that possibility! Where are some solutions that will work???
1032 – it’s not Obama directly, but the DNC has put out the following ad. I got this info from a CBS article on the Shieffer/Axaelrod interview –
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/10/ftn/main6944799.shtml
The Democratic National Committee has produced an advertisement that hit out at Rove, Gillespie and the Chamber of Commerce.
The ad says: “Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie, they’re Bush cronies. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, they’re shields for big business. And they’re stealing our democracy, spending millions from secret donors to elect Republicans to do their bidding in Congress. It appears they even have taken secret foreign money to influence our elections. It’s incredible, Republicans benefiting from secret foreign money.”
When Shieffer asked Axelrod if he had any proof that the Chamber was using foreign money (all 100k of it) to pay for ads, Axelrod used the proof “do you have any proof they’re not”.
Come on now. OK, the following statement is true unless you can prove it’s not – Obama took money from Mexican drug cartels and Al Qaida to fund his 2008 political campaign.
Can anyone prove he did not? No, then it must be true.
Again, it’s all just a diversion to avoid the real issues.
IK – I agree with you on Corporations and I would include unions and other large national groups like the NRA and AARP in that same category.
The DNC is not the media, nor is it Obama, nor is it his administration. It is the DNC.
Your statement was, quoted for truth: “why does the administration and media insist, without basis, that the USCC is using foreign money to fund political ads for republicans.”
Ok 1032 –
this one from the LAtimes
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/12/nation/la-na-chamber-foreign-money-20101012
The White House is charging that the politically powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce may be using foreign money to fuel its election efforts.
Some Democrats on Capitol Hill worry that the White House is going too far in charging that the politically powerful business lobby may be using foreign money to fuel its election efforts.
They do not give their sources for this one.
This one from yahoo news.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obama_chamber_fight
SPIN METER: Foreign money in politics? Not proven
The Obama administration and its allies are going all out against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and GOP-leaning groups, accusing them of using foreign money to help finance political ads. Trouble is, they’re providing no evidence.
And in Pennsylvania, Vice President Joe Biden kept up the attack on the chamber and other groups ..
“I challenge the Chamber of Commerce to tell us how much of the money they’re investing is from foreign sources,” Biden said during a fundraiser for Democratic Rep. Chris Carney in Scranton. “I challenge them, if I’m wrong I will stand corrected. But show me, show me.”
Associated Press Writer Julie Hirschfeld Davis contributed to this article.
One from ThinkProgress
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/05/foreign-chamber-commerce/
According to legal experts consulted by ThinkProgress, the Chamber is likely skirting longstanding campaign finance law that bans the involvement of foreign corporations in American elections.
So, now I had time to look them up. Theres one from the VP and several others from media sources saying the admin is stating the same. Do I need more evidence? Let me know and I’ll dig some up and look at Obama’s campaign speeches of late, I’m sure he’s ad libbed away from the teleprompter at some point.
Are you still defending them 1032 or do you agree they are just throwing up a smoke screen.
Who is “they”?! I don’t understand what you are saying.
You claimed that the administration and/or Obama and/or the media was “insisting” that the money from the CoC used for ads was from foreign sources. They aren’t. They are saying that the CoC gets money from foreign sources (true) and the CoC is funding republican attack ads (true). You posted 3 different sources, and none of it supports your claim. Biden, the clown of all clowns, even has the intelligence to say ‘show me! If I’m wrong I will stand corrected,’ not ‘THE CHAMBER IS USING FOREIGN MONEY TO FUND ATTACK ADS!’
Who is throwing up a smoke screen, and what is the smoke screen? If what you are saying is that, during an election, a political party is seizing upon an issue to try to win public favor, then yes I agree with you and let me say this is the FIRST TIME that has ever happened! People are pissed off that they are unemployed and we consistently lose jobs overseas. It happens that the CoC receives money from overseas and is funding attack ads against the democrats. It makes sense for the democrats to seize on that.
If it came to light that the DNC was receiving money from an organization that, in turn, received money from the Middle East, you can bet your rear that story would be plastered across Fox News 24 hours a day for 5 years.
Fair enough 1032, i’ll take that as you agree about the smoke screen, but are not sold that it’s actually smoke.
I’d just rather see 3 of the most powerful people in our party (Obama, Biden and Axelrod) talking about something besides the Chamber and witches.
Personally, I’m happy when Biden doesn’t say anything. 🙂
Thats a very good point.
I wonder if Barrack ever tells him “Joe maybe its better if you just let me do the talking”. Sort of like what Bush Sr had to tell Dan Quayle.
It is a bit silly to argue the pretense, I think when the USCC themselves has admitted that they will spend 75 million dollars on “Political Attack campaign against the Democrats”.
Let’s spin the tables here
What would the Republiscum be saying if these kinds of foreign contributions were coming from the same Communist Chinese and Islamic Dictatorships and were going to ACORN or the ACLU?
It would be the Mother of All Hissy Fits
I know it, you know it (But won’t Man Up and admit it), the entire freaking world knows it
With great power comes bigger rocks being thrown your way. Same when the repubs were in power during the last midterm that put the dems in office. Bigger rocks got thrown at the repubs then dems. Politics and the desire for power is the game. If they can’t take the heat, maybe they should “man up” and get out of the big boys game. Or we could send them all some hankies for the inevitable whining and crying. That, buy the way, goes for repubs and dems alike who have or will get booted. (like castle and murkowski).
The next 2 weeks should be entertaining at least as the real mud starts flying. The old saying if you mess with the pig you’ll both get muddy and stinky, but the pig will like it.
It is “whining and crying” when you complain that someone has broken the law? It is illegal for foreign entities (governments and corporations) to influence US elections. Period.
If the “big boys game” involves massive illegal activities, then why don’t we just turn our government over to the Mafia? Is that the brutish world you want for your government?