( – promoted by lowkell)
So, now Conservatives are complaining Democratic charges that the Chamber of Commerce is raising funds from foreign sources are not valid because Democrats have no evidence.
I can only laugh. The complete lack of evidence did not stop Wingers from attacking health care reform based on the fabricated existence of “death panels.” Nor did it stop them from leveling accusations about the sources of funds for the proposed Islamic Center in downtown Manhattan.
Well, whatever. Facts have never been a large part of the Conservative argument. If Conservatives paid attention to the facts, they’d be Liberals.
The fact is that there is plenty of evidence for the allegation, and it is clearly laid out in the Think Progress article.
(more on flip)
The facts are these:
1. The Chamber of Commerce solicits funds and members in foreign countries.
2. There are some foreign members in the Chamber of Commerce.
3. These foreign members pay dues to the Chamber of Commerce.
4. The Chamber of Commerce uses its money to influence U.S. elections.
These facts are more than enough to give rise to a presumption that foreign money is being used to by the Chamber of Commerce to fund ads intended to influence our elections, including in the Fifth District on behalf of Robert Hurt.
As for the Chamber of Commerce, it has also endorsed Mr. Hurt.
Mr. Hurt said this about the Chamber’s endorsement (and yes, Mr. Hurt does speak about himself in the third person): “I think the Chamber’s endorsement is an endorsement that says Robert Hurt understands business.”
And how, exactly, does the Chamber of Commerce understand business? Creating jobs for the working men and women of America?
Uh, not exactly.
The fact is that the Chamber of Commerce does not represent the interests of the majority of working Americans, but rather the interests of corporate fat cats looking to pad profits at the expense of the working men and women of America and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
And this is why the foreign funding of the Chamber of Commerce matters. Foreign corporations are using the Chamber of Commerce to promote policies in the U.S. that benefit them at the expense of U.S. workers.
Don’t believe me? Read for yourself where Robert Hurt supporter, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, stands on outsourcing and U.S. jobs, then ask yourself why foreigners are willing to fund this organization, and why the Chamber supports and endorses candidates like Robert Hurt:
1. Just two weeks ago, the Chamber of Commerce helped defeat legislation in the Senate that would have provided a payroll tax holiday to U.S. multinational companies that shift jobs based overseas to domestic locations. They claimed they were protecting the bastion of free trade. (Source: Sam Stein, The Huffington Post, Oct. 6, 2010).
2. Chamber President Thomas Donahue said in 2007: “The bottom line: outsourcing has made the manufacturing process more efficient and productive, which has helped consumers and our overall economy. Outsourcing allows manufacturers to buy components from a vast array of suppliers, lowering costs for the manufacturer who is able to pass on the savings to consumers.” (Source: Venture Outsource.com, Interview with Thomas Donahue, Aug. 18 2007).
3. Donahue, again, said in 2004: “Yes, but there are legitimate values in outsourcing — not only jobs, but work — to gain technical experience and benefit we don’t have here, to lower the price of products, which means more and more of them are brought into the United States[.] … But the bottom line is that we outsource very few jobs in relation to the size of our economy. … The outsourcing deal over three or four or five years and the two or three sets of numbers are only going to be, you know, maybe two, maybe three million jobs, maybe four. (Source: CNN, Lou Dobbs Tonight, Feb. 10, 2004).
Yes, only two, three, four million jobs. Whatever. Who’s counting.
Robert Hurt is a typical pandering politician without strong principles. If you want to know the real Robert Hurt, follow the money. In this case, it leads to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Hurt’s support for policies that would benefit foreign corporations at the expense of American workers.
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