Business

Going Soft? AP Says U.S. Chamber Won‘t Oppose Obama in ’12, Supports QE2

WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring “this is not personal,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce president said Wednesday that his trade group would work with the White House, despite the chamber’s hardcharging midterm election campaign and continued opposition to Obama administration policies.

Chamber President Thomas Donohue vowed to fight what he called a “regulatory tsunami” facing American business, singling out President Barack Obama’s signature initiatives of the new health care overhaul and financial regulations law.

“We have never seen anything of this scale before,” he said of the rules under consideration. “It defies all logic and common sense.”

But Donohue was careful to separate opposition to the president’s policies and opposition to the president, and he sought to reassure the business community that the chamber’s quarrels with the president had not marginalized the association. He said that the giant trade association will stay out of the 2012 presidential elections and that it was cooperating with the administration on jobs and trade.

The declaration comes after the chamber spent more than $32 million in political ads during the midterm elections, most of them aimed against Democrats. Obama criticized the chamber during the campaign for not disclosing its donors.

The White House also stressed cooperation on Wednesday.

“There are issues that we both have in common that we both want to see progress on,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

The chamber‘s political relationships are multilayered and don’t hue specifically to one party on all issues. Though more closely aligned with Republicans, the chamber worked with the Obama administration to win support for continuing the $700 billion rescue of the banking sector, for its $800 billion economic stimulus and to assist financially reeling automakers.

But Obama and the chamber quarreled loudly during the debate on health care and on an overhaul of financial regulations.

In his speech, Donohue said the administration’s call for disclosure of its donors was an effort to “silence the business community.” Chamber supporters, if revealed, would be come targets of “intimidation and harassment,” he argued.

Donohue also voiced support for monetary policy initiatives by the Federal Reserve under Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. He cautioned lawmakers not to encroach on the independence of the Fed, putting him at odds with many Republicans who have objected to the Fed’s decision to keep borrowing rates low by purchasing $600 billion in Treasury debt.

On Tuesday, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and senior House Republicans Mike Pence of Indiana and Tom Price of Georgia called for the Fed to focus primarily on guarding against inflation instead of encouraging more employment. They said the Fed’s efforts on job growth threatened to weaken the dollar.

Donohue said Bernanke “acted in an important way and we must maintain the independence of the Fed and be very, very careful not to louse that up on Capitol Hill.”

In an overture to the administration, the chamber’s board met privately Wednesday with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and U.S Trade Representative Ron Kirk. House Republican Leader John Boehner, the Speaker-in-waiting, and Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota also met with the board.

Even if the chamber does not actively inject itself into the presidential election, it inevitably will clash publicly with the administration, leaving little doubt about its views of Obama’s presidency.

But Donohue’s stance is also pragmatic. The chamber is seeking to influence the administration on issues of international trade, including a South Korea commercial pact that Obama was unable to clinch in Seoul last week. Donohue was in South Korea at the same time.

Comments (53)

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  • WTH is up with our government
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 10:03am

    In the end…Obama is “shutting them up”…Thanks chamber, way to go, you are such a good example of the spineless masses that are bowing out on America for your own agenda, I hope you got a good “deal”. QE2 needs to be stopped. Obummer needs to be stopped in 2012. We need a president and businesses that actually want America to be successful and happy. Stop the police state scanners!

    Report Post »  
  • Waggedy Wabbit
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 9:58am

    NO surprise here—-Listen to some of the PUBLC SERVANTS we just sent to WASHINGTON . I hope i am not the only one that feels like i am standing here with my ass in the wind

    Report Post » Shamokin_CoalCrackers  
  • wash1776
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 9:24am

    Just goes to show the Chamber is crooked too. If they can see the harm Obummer is doing and just sit back and do nothing, that says it ALL!

    Report Post »  
  • swonga
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 9:19am

    I will never give anymore $ to the chamber of commerce. Plus they should be stripped of the us in their title.

    Report Post »  
  • WestOfThePecos
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:56am

    Glenn really missed it on this group and I am missing my $25 donation.

    Report Post » WestOfThePecos  
  • Fighting4America
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:46am

    Just sent them a tweet letting them know how wrong this is for America. I am not upset that I donated when Glenn asked because I like to show the strength of our family. I also realize that we won’t all agree on everything. They have this wrong for sure!!!!

    Report Post » Fighting4America  
  • dcart888
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:41am

    I don’t trust the Chamber any more than I do NRA. Both look at what goes on in the beltway with a too narrow of a lens. I did not donate to Chamber nor will I ever. Chamber only thinks of profits (Hey China has profits do we want to be come USSR?) . . . NRA only looks at gun rights not realizing that after we lose the country they come for the guns!

    Report Post » dcart888  
  • lbk
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:28am

    Wonder how much money it took for the Chamber to change their mind?

    Report Post »  
  • Ronko
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:08am

    The Chamber isn’t a political machine they only rise up when something threatens the economy like ObamaCare.

    Report Post »  
    • bobby535
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:26am

      ……………
      …………..
      QE2 threatens the economy

      Report Post »  
  • stinkybisquit
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 7:20am

    “We’re not marginalized. We’re going to fight hard, then collapse into a quivering pile of goo. And no, what Soros said about spending money elsewhere didn’t affect our decisions a single bit.”

    Report Post »  
  • Everett Bennett Jr
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 7:15am

    Ummm…maybe what they said about the Chamber is true? Leadership controls the agenda. Kind of like what is happening with the Unions. Corrupt Leadership? Rules for Radicals, say one thing, do another.

    Report Post » Everett Bennett Jr  
  • starman70
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 7:14am

    I just ground up my plastic Chamber of Commerce sign. the local chamber supports the national chamber. The time has come for Americans to take our country back from these liberal communist supporters!

    Report Post »  
  • shellmen
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 6:53am

    The chamber has been a joke for years. If you are not one of the elite they do not know you other than to want you dues.

    Report Post »  
    • felina g
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 7:10am

      I`m sure the Chamber members are thrilled. Just like the unions………it is always the running dogs at the top that become twisted. This must STOP.

      Get prepared. Do your homework.

      Report Post »  
  • EP46
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 6:07am

    Who the H#### has threatened the Chamber? This needs to be investigated. Either they support America or they shut down. Have they become so involved overseas that America no longer matters?

    Report Post »  
  • FreedomIQ
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 4:53am

    Whimps! I knew the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wasn’t worth a damn.

    Report Post »  
  • SummerB
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 4:20am

    I fully understand the need for the CofC to work with Obama for the next 2 years &, therefore, for the sake of cooperation say they are not going to oppose Obama in 2012. I also applaud them for opposing the HC & Financial Reform Bills. However, the problem with the Chamber is that they are only for American ‘Global’ Corporations at the expense of this Country, the American people & small business. That is their business, their political platform, their bread & butter. As such, this is why they “worked with the Obama administration to win support for continuing the $700 billion rescue of the banking sector, for its $800 billion economic stimulus and to assist financially reeling automakers.” And, why they are supporting the Fed moniterizing our debt. I just wish once that businesses chose America first & felt that they are part of “We the People,” instead of habitually selling her/us in order to line their own pockets. America & We the People have been continually sold out since the ’80s by Wall Street, Corporations & Government. Whatever happened to good ol’ American patriotism & integrity. Makes me sick!

    Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 4:06am

    Financial Bigotry
    By Matt Spivey
    The “tax cuts for the rich” debate needs a new focus. We are missing the point of the tax debate. It is not about taxation in a recession. The wealthy will be comparatively well-off regardless of the economic environment. It is not about the wealthy’s ability to promote job creation. Our government does not care about private-sector growth when it considers government employment an acceptable (and even more valuable) alternative. And it’s certainly not that Republicans are in love with the rich, since households that vote Democrat tend to have higher incomes than those that vote Republican.

    The point of the tax debate must be the principle that every man — rich, middle-class, or lower-class — has the right to keep as much as possible of what he has honestly earned. It is this foundation of freedom and property rights that is being ignored in the increasingly complicated political debate over an elusive definition of how to promote “growth” for the country. Regardless, whether a man earns only a few dollars (like most of us) or millions of dollars (like President Obama), he has the right to everything that is his.

    In an effort to create fairness, our government has created a system of penalizing the few for the sake of the many. Yet we would never stand for such blatant discrimination in other arenas.

    McDonald’s does not have separate menus for rich, middle-class, and lower-class customers. Teachers do not penalize top students because they are naturally brighter or do extra homework.

    In sports, perhaps the ultimate bastion of fairness in America, such discrimination would be absurd. Baskets scored by the tallest NBA players are worth the same as the shortest, despite being nearly two feet closer to the ten-foot high hoop. A touchdown by a speedy wide receiver is worth the same six points as one by a 350-pound lineman who picks up a fumble and rumbles to the end zone. The fastest tennis server has to hit the same box as the slowest server, and the greatest bowler on the planet still has to knock down the same ten pins as the half-drunk guy in the Saturday night beer league.

    Despite the natural inequalities that exist in the real world, everything functions more smoothly and more fairly if everyone abides by the same rules and is judged on the same merits. Separating people into tax groups exaggerates inequality. While “class warfare” has become the preeminent term for this conflict, I prefer “financial bigotry” due to the unequal treatment bestowed upon a specific social group.

    By our government’s logic, not only should rich people pay more in taxes, but men should have higher tax rates than women; 50-year-olds should pay more than 20-year-olds; tall people should pay more than short people; good-looking people should pay more than unattractive people; and Asians should pay more taxes than any other race. This is because each of the former in this list tends to earn more than the latter. However, if such distinctions were listed on our 1040 forms, a warranted uproar would certainly follow. Yet this is exactly the kind of categorizing we do by separating the wealthy from everyone else.

    Just because someone has more does not mean the government is entitled to a larger portion of it.

    Though countless economists have proven that tax revenues increase when rates are lowered, the left continues to live in ignorance, and the right need no longer speak to the brick wall of economic illiteracy that is the left’s ideology. Rather, we need to emphasize how low taxation should be the cause for reducing government spending. If we don’t have the revenue, we shouldn’t have the program. The left believes the opposite: we need a government program, so we must find tax revenue. This ignores the premise that income belongs to the citizen first, and financial property rights for individuals must be protected before any government expansion is ever discussed.

    Thomas Jefferson wrote, “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned — this is the sum of good government.”

    Our leftist government is showing neither wisdom nor frugality when it insists on taking from its citizens that which never belonged to it in the first place.

    And our conservative legislators are not articulating the fundamentals of financial freedom clearly enough.

    We need to stop avoiding the real tax discussion by attempting to defend economic principles the left inherently disregards. Inequality of taxation need not be an argument over growth or revenues or deficits. It is an argument that lies in our founding principles: placing certain requirements on a particular category of people and not on others is legally and morally wrong, and every man deserves to keep what he has earned.

    Report Post » Psychosis  
    • Cemoto78
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 7:25am

      This is a truly “two thumbs up article”. This should be sent to every politician in America, daily. This article really defines freedom. Thank you for such great insight.

      Report Post » Cemoto78  
    • printdesignchicago.com
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 9:47am

      that rocks! truly!

      Report Post » printdesignchicago.com  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 7:24pm

      TO PSYCHOSIS:
      Matt does an eloquent job of defending our right to financial gain. Let me play devil’s advocate. A Marxist would reply that some of the inequalities he mentions cannot be objectively assessed, so higher taxation of the rich is required. For example, higher taxation of the rich will affect men who earn significantly higher salaries than women.

      With respect to cultural disparities, such as individuals who are brighter than others, both progs and commies see these inequalities as undesirable, and therefore promote/implement government programs that undermine the concept of merit inherent in capitalistic societies. However their approach is subtly different. Under the prog model, “social equality” is accomplished not by directly punishing smarter individuals, but by providing props and financial security to those who are not as bright. Ultimately, this shift in focus does punish those who are brighter, by taking away some of the opportunities and financial gain they would have enjoyed through a merit system. Affirmative action is a good example of the transformation of the merit system into a socialized paradigm of justice. Obama is a product of that system. Communism, in turn, aggressively condemns the capitalist merit system as corrupt, evil and exploitative, thereby instigating social unrest and class/racial warfare. Those who say Obama has done nothing that proves he is a Marxist disregard the fact that his frequent disparaging remarks against the rich and whites are unequivocally Marxist in nature.

      We all know that communism is not the social equalizer it purports to be. It actually creates the smallest, richest and most corrupt elite of all, namely, the govt. elite. Capitalism alone provides the freedom of opportunity which IF coupled with a godly foundation will prompt individuals who are wealthy to be exceptionally generous (American exceptionalism). Glenn has done an excellent job of explaining how communism breaks this vital God-man connection and replaces it with secularism/govt. control. Unless we reconnect with God and/or his principles, we can neither attain freedom, nor protect it once it is ours.

      Unfortunately, there is no glaring legal or moral impediment to placing higher taxes on the rich. Glenn has played a key role in awakening individual Americans to their role in restoring honor, but do not think for one minute that one single line of argument will effectively expose the commie hoax. These radicals have attacked us from all sides and we must respond in kind. Since most gimmies think they are living the prog dream of having it all for free, we must prove to them that Utopia is an optical illusion. For example, conservative pundits should SYSTEMATICALLY expose the fudged unemployment stats and the false employment parameters (jobs saved) of the Obama admin in a manner that ordinary folks can understand. As for the radical ideologues, they must be rendered powerless. There is no level of reasoning that will convince them.

      Report Post »  
  • Goohuman
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 3:52am

    So Chamber elites want it both ways. Sounds like a recipe for losing all Chamber influence.

    I would suggest that the real power comes from the people, whom you ignore at your own peril. So you Chamber members can work against or for the politicians, but if they aren’t doing what we want, they will not be in office to return the favor.

    Report Post » Goohuman  
    • BoilitDown
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 4:19am

      I suspect Donohue’s real motives for the disaster called QE2 will become apparent in the coming days. Perhaps the devastation it will cause abroad seems attractive to him despite the damage to our own economy. Perhaps there’s a sweetheart deal available for the leaders of the Chamber of Commerce. Whatever he’s thinking, it’s likely to be against the common interest.
      On the face of it, he looks insane but, there is probably some corruption within the elitist thieves circle.
      Small business owners need to band together and attack this ASAP, and do it loudly.

      Report Post »  
  • Sutter Buttes
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 3:10am

    Gutless bastard!

    Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 3:07am

    we must stand strong, and make sure we let these fools know whats really going to happen here. we will not allow the status quo to ever return to the way it was. This giant will never sleep again.

    Report Post » Psychosis  
  • staythecourse
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 3:06am

    Interesting. Now that the elections are over, the Chamber shows it’s true face. The Chamber is a Progressive Organization that is not really interested in preserving small business, capitalism, and freedom. The Chamber received a tremendous outpouring of support from many people around the country after Glenn encouraged us to support them in an effort to fight for small business and fight against the destructive agenda of this current administration. Now that the election is over, new alliances have formed and it looks like it was all a lie. Not to worry. The AARP betrayed the American elderly, and the American Medical Association betrayed the medical profession. In both cases rival organizations have formed to fill the vacuum they have created by losing site of their true vision. The fact that the truth about the Chamber is being revealed actually creates a tremendous opportunity for a new organization to form and truly represent small business, capitalism and freedom in this country. The need is there. Is there anyone out there willing to step forward and make this vision a reality. A new opportunity awaits.

    Report Post »  
  • kryptonite
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 2:33am

    Donohue in re his trip to South Korea with Chief Obama: “We came, we saw, we did not conquer.”

    Report Post »  
  • New-American-Saviors
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 2:29am

    I thought I was fairly educated, But it seems that there are several Contradictory Statements Here.
    As well as jamming up the system with so many “Transformations” it will give Obama the excuse to tell us we‘re too stupid to know what’s good for us.
    Then there’s the Pelosi infamous quote “You have to pass it first to see what’s in it ”
    I’ll Pass on the INTEGRITY of these individuals.

    Report Post »  
  • Rob_M
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 2:02am

    So what did he bribe them with?

    Report Post » Rob_M  
  • Dustyluv
    Posted on November 18, 2010 at 1:38am

    Donohue needs to step down with this news. You sir have no spine and should NOT be leading the Chamber.

    Report Post »  
    • Stuck_in_CA
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 5:54am

      “He said that the giant trade association will stay out of the 2012 presidential elections and that it was cooperating with the administration on jobs and trade.”
      Yeah… Jobs in China, and trading all that foreign-made crap back here to Walmart. Thanks a lot, Tommy.

      Report Post » Stuck_in_CA  
    • Cemoto78
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 7:17am

      The more things change the more they stay the same. Everyone is scrambling to keep their “scam” money coming in, all at the expense of…………………..taxpayers. Doesn’t it make you feel all warm and fuzzy these elitists in Washington D.C. just seem to keep making more and more money while the average Joe keeps footing the bill and getting more and more poor. Sooner or later the taxpayer is going to stop paying the money and starve this Federal Government, hopefully it’s sooner.

      Report Post » Cemoto78  
    • HKS
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 7:30am

      Sounds like the commies have infiltrated the chamber.

      Report Post » HKS  
    • bobby535
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:07am

      Now everyone that made donations on that record breaking donation day for the chamber need to speak up and let them know who is in charge.

      The chamber is a puppet of the Fed it seems. And i guess they think we are dumb, and because Glenn asked us to donate to the chamber (at the time it seemed reasonable) we will be on the side of the chamber no matter what. They still think it is a political game.

      I feel like they think we have backed down and let up pressure after the elections. Do we think that because we got “our people” in there, that we are safe and can go back to sleep? Even that eye candy Michelle Bachman (spelling??) has said some things that make me wonder if she is as much for the people as we thought.

      P.S. Maybe i have over looked it, but why hasn’t the blaze reported on the national sales tax that may be implemented? I think this will ruin any chances of the fair tax, or flat tax plan.

      Report Post »  
    • FloridaRob
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:32am

      This should serve as a lesson to ALL of us, including Glenn. The enemy of my enemy is NOT my friend! The money bomb never should have happened. Perhaps it is time for a new organiztion to be formed, just as we now have an alternative to AARP – the American Seniors Association. Think outside of the box!

      Report Post »  
    • tobywil2
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:56am

      Has the Chamber of Commerce recognized the peril of opposing a powerful politician? Perhaps, it is later than you think! Are

      The greatest danger to the Republic is the use of government force, wielded by the bureaucracy, to punish political dissent. “21st Century Common Sense” describes the use of the bureaucracy, especially the IRS, to attack and vilify political opponents.

      Both FDR and Nixon were notorious for using the bureaucracy to harass and prosecute their political opponents. The bibliography of “21st Century Common Sense” contains links to website with more proof of both FDR and Nixon’s abuse of power.

      Why do you think that here has been so little dissent on the “Global Warming Scam?” That fact, alone, illustrates the danger of the use of the bureaucracy to control political dissent.

      There should be a permanent independent prosecutor to investigate bureaucratic persecution of political enemies to control political dissent and punish office holders who direct this abuse of power.

      For more about the perils of political dissent, click on the following link:
      http://commonsense21c.com/files/ANTITRUST-HC-11-1-2009.pdf

      http://commonsense21c.com/

      Report Post » tobywil2  
    • grandmaof5
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 9:05am

      I second that motion! Now that the Chamber got all those bucks after Glenn stood up for them, Donohue is going to cave? Resign, and do it quickly. What he should be focusing on is what we can do, businesswise, to hold down prices. Big manufactures that vie to have the “prettiest, most appealing packaging” need to go back to cheap packaging (who cares, it’s the price that counts), Campbell Soup needs to pare down its choices and concentrate of keeping pricing low (alot of people will have to eat just soup soon), and we need to start growing cotton again since the price overseas is going up 30%. Let’s see who will be the hero and do what they can to keep their prices as low as possible and then shout it from the rooftops. Buy American!

      Report Post »  
    • LUDWIKA BRONISLAWA
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:19pm

      Chamber is in it for themselves, period. Any way the wind blows.

      Report Post » LUDWIKA BRONISLAWA  
    • A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
      Posted on November 18, 2010 at 10:52pm

      Looks like Michelle Malkin was right.

      Why I’m not donating to the Chamber of Commerce
      By Michelle Malkin • October 15, 2010
      http://michellemalkin.com/2010/10/15/why-im-not-donating-to-the-chamber-of-commerce/

      Report Post »  
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