New Report Uncovers Stealth Strategy by US Chamber of Commerce

[Uncle Joe]

New Report Uncovers Stealth Strategy by US Chamber of Commerce to Influence Elections: Examines Documents in Washington State Attorney General Race

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=69108

NEW YORK, July 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A major new report released today by the Center for Justice & Democracy finds that U.S. Chamber of Commerce provides substantial financial and strategic assistance to local front groups to influence state elections, including funding major media buys to smear local candidates.

The report, "The Secret Chamber - The Inner Workings of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Hijacking of an Election," draws from the cache of newly-released papers and deposition testimony uncovered in connection with litigation surrounding the failed 2004 election bid of Deborah Senn for Washington State Attorney General. Senn, a former pro-consumer insurance commissioner, was viciously attacked in an advertising blitz, which contributed to her defeat. It was only later revealed that the ad campaign was funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its Institute for Legal Reform. Litigation arose after the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission concluded that the ads violated state election law and the participation of the Chamber and the ILR was revealed.

According to author Laurie Beacham, "This report shows that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is involved in an organized, aggressive, covert and nasty effort to infiltrate local election campaigns. While the Chamber tries to disassociate itself from the negative campaigning conducted by its local front groups, it remains actively involved in elections, pursuing all the trimmings of a full-out political campaign."

"Most people believe the Chamber is an apolitical and innocuous business support organization. But it is anything but," said Joanne Doroshow, Executive Director for the Center for Justice & Democracy. "This group has its hands in just about every level of electoral politics, dipping into the very foundations of our democratic process. It is important that this effort, which has largely stayed under the radar, become known to the public," Doroshow added.

A full copy of the Report can be found at
http://www.centerjd.org/lib/studies.htm

[Beetwasher]

1. Why Is There No Mention of PARTY AFFILIATION????

I'm assuming they are smearing Dems...

[Uncle Joe]

5. Good question Beetwasher, and I believe you are correct. n/t

[formercia]

17. They have infiltrated all Parties

They only owe allegance to their oath.

[Up2Late]

25. Because it's a PR Newswire, a "pay to place" press release.

Not really illegitimate, but not 100% honest either.

Usually, those who use services like U.S. Newswire or PR Newswire do so because nobody would pick up the free usage Press Release.

They were probably forced to edit out specifics to use PRNewswire.

[Judi Lynn]

2. They target Democrats. What a low blow.

From the article:

U.S. Chamber official Stan Anderson acknowledged that the U.S. Chamber’s “legal overhaul
efforts” target mostly Democrats.56 Anderson, who served as Henry Kissinger’s Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State during the Nixon Administration,57 once stated that getting a slate of
“tort reform” friendly judges on the bench “is an example of what the business community can
do.”58 Anderson is also a partner at the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery,59 which has
provided legal services to the Republican Party. 60
(snip)

Thanks so much, Uncle Joe.

Hoping a LOT of people see this immediately.

[Uncle Joe]

7. My pleasure Judi Lynn n/t

[formercia]

18. They target progressives and moderates

of any party. They have been doing it for decades. This is the only time they have been caught red-handed that i'm aware of.

This has to be spread far and wide.As long as these people maintain their power, we will never have fair elections.

[Lars39]

3. k&r This confirms a lot of people's suspicions about the CofC.

[Sherman A1]

4. Shocked

Shocked, there is gambling going on?

[Robbien]

6. Recommended. Surprising how this has been flying under the radar.

Logically of course the CofC would be supporting the corporate elite but I wasn't aware they were actively involved in controlling elections.

Thanks Uncle Joe for the link.

[Uncle Joe]

8. Thank you Robbien. n/t

[Trillo]

9. RICO?

Does this mean that the Chamber of Commerce is a racketeering and corrupt organization?

[Joanne98]

19. It sure the Hell does!

[farmbo]

10. USCOC did the same thing in Ohio:

http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2005/032005/gottlieb.html

For example, in 2000, the Chamber, through its affiliate Citizens for a Strong Ohio, flooded the airwaves with attack ads against Supreme Court Justice Alice Robie Resnick, who in 1999 authored a Supreme Court decision declaring Ohio’s “tort reform” law unconstitutional. The Chamber argued that these were “issue ads,” allowing it to conceal its corporate contributors. But the Ohio Elections Commission disagreed, subpoenaing the group in the course of an investigation as to whether the Chamber used illegal corporate money and seeking to find out who financed these attack ads against Justice Resnick. The group is now challenging the Commission and a lower court decision upholding it.

The 2000 Ohio Supreme Court campaign was only a harbinger of what was to come. Last year, the Chamber spent large amounts of money to influence elections at every level of government.

In a letter dated December 6, 2004, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue reported to the Chamber’s Board of Directors about the Chamber’s success in the 2004 elections.

“To briefly recap, the Chamber put 215 people on the ground in 31 states; sent 3.7 million pieces of mail and more than 30 million e-mails; made 5.6 million phone calls; and enlisted hundreds of associations and companies in our web-based ‘VoteForBusiness.com’ program to educate and mobilize voters,” Donohue wrote. “Combining these activities with ILR’s voter education efforts in 16 state Supreme Court and Attorney General contests, as well as our targeted campaign to make so-called tort reform a factor in the presidential race, the Chamber invested up to $30 million in the November 2 elections.”

Without taking full credit, Donohue noted that Chamber ran education and get-out-the-vote campaigns in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Florida, Iowa, Nevada and Ohio, and that all but New Hampshire and Wisconsin went for the Bush-Cheney ticket.<snip>

[UpInArms]

11. Commentary: Corporations Aren't People

http://www.alternet.org/story/38406 /

"Corporate personhood" gives corporations -- entirely artificial entities created by the state -- the same individual rights that the framers fought and died to secure for flesh-and-blood citizens (or at least for white male property holders, but you get the idea). The doctrine started in England reasonably enough; it was only by considering corporations "persons" that they could be taken to court and sued. But during the 19th century, the Robber Barons and a few corrupt jurists deep in their pockets took the concept to a whole new level. After the Civil War, while many of those same interests were fighting to keep African-Americans from being enfranchised, the doctrine took on new weight -- the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment was extended to corporations, and Thomas Jefferson slowly rolled over in his grave. The trend of granting more and more rights to corporations continues today. (A detailed discussion of how this all developed can be found here.)

<snip>

Which is why we need bold, populist ideas for real structural reform. I say let's rip a page from Karl Rove's Scorched-Earth Politics for Dummies and offer a progressive constitutional amendment that would end this madness once and for all.

That could be as simple as a one-line amendment that rolls back Buckley by explicitly stating that regulating the amount of money donated to campaigns or setting limits on what candidates spend on advertising isn't the same as putting limits on political speech.

But I think something even bolder is in order. I think it's time for a Defense of Human Citizenship Amendment -- language that would strip the "personhood" from corporations and give reformers a fighting chance to establish a true democracy in the United States.

It should be as brief and straightforward as the Republicans' gay marriage amendment:

SECTION 1. Citizenship in the United States shall be conferred only on human beings. Neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that citizenship or the legal incidents thereof be granted to corporations, partnerships, proprietorships or trusts.

[Uncle Joe]

24. Yes, it seems we have created Super-citizens,

to rule over us, totally blows all "men are created equal" theory out of the water. It goes to follow, you cannot have Super-citizens without having lesser ones.

[Roland99]

12. Can Iraq invade us to spread some democracy over here?

[formercia]

13. The chamber of commerce is a front organization

for the Knights of Malta. The annual installation of the Federal Chapter of the Knights of Malta is held in the Hall of Flags at the Chamber of Commerce building in Washington DC.

[PassingFair]

14. I have long known of the Chambers' right tilt.

But how credible a source is "Center for Justice & Democracy"?

I would like to see another source for this info before I start
shooting my mouth off at work.....

Anyone?

[Tempest]

15. The Center for Justice & Democracy is not the source

The source are documents and testimony from litigation, and from the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.

The Center for Justice & Democracy is the messenger.

The CJ&D report cited in the original post is full of citations.

[formercia]

16. This is a very big 'Smoking Gun'.

the men behind the curtain.....

[Joanne98]

20. I bet Lou Dobbs is going to jump on this. He hates the chamber.

[mod mom]

31. Perhaps a mass email to inform Lou is in order-what do you think?

[htuttle]

21. George Seldes and Izzy Stone wrote extensively about the Chamber pre-WWII

The Chamber of Commerce was apparently right in with a number of other proto-fascist groups in the US trying to keep us out of the war (or to enter the war on Germany's side).

I would particularly recommend a book by Seldes called, 'Facts and Fascism' that's all full of names, dates and quotes during the run-up to WWII. It's very hard to find (look second hand), but well worth having for reference.

[depakid]

22. They are slime

and have been for a long time....

[Rex]

23. The US Chamber of Commerce looks at the bottom line.

The USCC is all about capitalism, fuck democracy. Democracy is just a word used to make the masses conform. It's all about political capital and who controls the majority.

[Up2Late]

26. I never knew how bad the CofC was until recently.

Major scumbags.:mad:

[chill_wind]

27. NH Phone Jamming Case: NH Dem Party wants depositions from them

along with custodian of WH records and some other key GOP.

http://www.senatemajority.com/files/MOTION_6_8_06.pdf

DU thead: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2376504#2376861

[knitter4democracy]

28. Of course they do. This is news?

Our local one has a subgroup just for politics. I was thinking of joining and then getting on that committee (I'd be the only Dem, but it would be fun!). I decided not to mess with it until after my shop is real and open.

[Just Me]

29. Ah HAH,...another infiltration group to target!!! LET'S GO GET,...

,...THOSE BASTARDS!!!!

Every state and federal COC PAC outta' be under attack!!!

Of course these money-changers/mongers wouldn't give a damn about democracy!!!!

We must maintain a list of every anti-democratic group out there,...and go after them with a lust,...worse than what they've done to the centrists.

[formercia]

32. The usual suspects

This is another generation of same bunch of 'boys' that conspired to take over the Federal Government back in the 30's with Gen. Smedly Butler. They keep trying new ways to do it and every time they get caught and let off.

Time to end the circle of Treason and conspiracy of silence.

[brentspeak]

30. This isn't an LBN news source

[alstephenson]

33. Isn't the Chamber of Commerce a non-profit corporation???

An IRS 501(c)(3)designated tax-exempt corporation is prohibited from using resources to support any political party. WTF?

[JPZenger]

34. Need more transparency on political expenses

The US Supreme Court has ruled in the past that the Federal government cannot establish maximum expenditures for political office. However, we can at least require greater transparency. Too many corporations and groups are making secret contributions through front groups. When any corporation or group makes a contribution for some purpose to influence political decisions or elections, they should be required to post that contribution within 24 hours on a publicly accessible website. Then we can find out that Americans for Public Health is really funded by tobacco companies and that Democrats for Lieberman is really funded by Exxon (hypothetical examples).