Some of the presidential candidates are running on “populism”, putting people ahead of corporations. But don’t worry, the corporations are ready to fight back:
WASHINGTON — Alarmed at the increasingly populist tone of the 2008 political campaign, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is set to issue a fiery promise to spend millions of dollars to defeat candidates deemed to be anti-business.
“We plan to build a grass-roots business organization so strong that when it bites you in the butt, you bleed,” chamber President Tom Donohue said.
The warning from the nation’s largest trade association came against a background of mounting popular concern over the condition of the economy. A weak record of job creation, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, declining home values and other problems have all helped make the economy a major campaign issue.
Reacting to what it sees as a potentially hostile political climate, Donohue said, the chamber will seek to punish candidates who target business interests with their rhetoric or policy proposals, including congressional and state-level candidates.
Although Donohue shied away from precise figures, he indicated that his organization would spend in excess of the approximately $60 million it spent in the last presidential cycle. That approaches the spending levels planned by the largest labor unions.
The chamber president is scheduled to announce the broad outlines of the organization’s plans for the 2008 election and beyond at a news conference here today. Donohue also plans to fire a rhetorical warning shot across the bow of candidates considered unfriendly to business.
“I’m concerned about anti-corporate and populist rhetoric from candidates for the presidency, members of Congress and the media,” he said. “It suggests to us that we have to demonstrate who it is in this society that creates jobs, wealth and benefits — and who it is that eats them.”
Well, at least he’s honest about his plan. Remember who owns the media that will inform a lot of the voters. The corporations aren’t going to give up their power without a fight, as John Edwards has said many times. Look for the phrase “anti-business” to be used in ads attacking the Democratic nominee, no matter who it is.
Government “of the people, by the people, for the people” has been perverted into government “of the rich, by the media, for the corporations.”
(cross posted at http://www.pygalgia.blogspot.com/
Pygalgia)
Exactly, small business creates jobs & wealth. International corporations in/out source jobs, and create the race to the bottom wages. If we had universal health coverage, I wouldn’t need to work for a big company. I could start my own.
It is not just jobs: what kind of jobs does business create? And if pay is in question, isn’t it greed that has kept wages down?
Union membership in Sweden: 89%. In the US, somewhere near 12%. One has to believe that the media is responsible for this disparity, because to get people to believe that lower wages are better than higher wages, it takes a deception that can only be communicated by the media.
your local c of c to find out what their agenda is? I guarantee you will be somewhat disappointed in the backward views there. They are focused on their member’s bottom line. Unfortunately nobody ever remembers that they got into business for a reason and usually that reason had nothing to do with the bottom line. But I digress. They oppose anything that might cost their members money (local taxation for improvements fall under that rubric – so transportation for their employees is not something they support!) They oppose minimum wage, family leave, etc. Sometimes they get a break from congress on these issues since their gross is usually small.
Most of the things you and I would support as employees, they oppose.
That is true in most places. My local C of C is actually rather progressive (I have a good friend who works there), but I’m in a liberal city…in the state of Arizona. So it doesn’t count for much.