Cross-posted from The Stakeholder, the blog of the DCCC.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has emerged as the GOP's single biggest ally - but why? Well, I always like to start off a post related to the US Chamber of Commerce with my favorite quote from the Social Security privatization debate...
Noting that there is already a lot on the congressional to-do list, Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said, "We'd like them to address the low-hanging fruit that's already keyed up," such as passing an energy bill and limiting the public's ability to file medical malpractice and class-action lawsuits. "A mandate lasts about 15 minutes in this town," Mr. Donohue said.
It's just such a good quote. You've got the almost comically greedy analogy of "low-hanging fruit" which to my mind kind of puts everything the Republicans do in perspective. Republicans don't pass "legislation" in any serious policy sense -- it's goodies, treats! And with their games on minimum wage, it's exactly the same...
You may have wondered exactly what was going on with the Republicans and minimum wage -- why choke down all this embarassment? What could possibly be worth this much humiliation? They're getting
nailed to the wall with ads, and even their little ploy fooled nobody -- this was the lead in the
AP story, which I heard echoed on my local news as soon as I got home that night...
Republican leaders are willing to allow the first minimum wage increase in a decade but only if it's coupled with a cut in inheritance taxes on multimillion-dollar estates, lawmakers said Friday.
Well, the New York Times captured the essence of the strategy well in this editorial...
Fooling the Voters [NYT Editorial]
Representatives want to appear to have accomplished something when they face voters during their five-week summer break, which starts today, and at the same time keep campaign donations flowing from special-interest constituents who are well aware that a great deal was left to do.
But given how transparent the ploy was, such that the AP immediately made a mockery of it, it sure seems like Republicans were more concerned with the second half of the equation than the first. And while Republicans certainly have many a donor who would be none-too-pleased with a hike in the minimum wage, one partner client donor is starting to stand out.
On this page, you'll find the first 25 of 180 documents in which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes a raise in the minimum wage. In this MyDD diary you'll find one of nearly 20 ads up on the air now supporting endangered Republicans for re-election, this one supporting Charles "Bank Fraud and Earmarks in Russia with my former KGB pal" Taylor. And this description from Wikipedia snipped in that diary also is about right: "It is known for spending more money than any other lobbying organization on a yearly basis." Considering that the NRCC had $26.5 million on hand as of last filing, the Chamber is no small potatoes...
Anticipating a fight over votes from seniors, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching a $10 million television and radio ad campaign thanking mostly Republican lawmakers who backed the Medicare prescription drug program.
What do they care about Medicare? Not much, I don't think. And one reason I suspect that, is that out of the Republicans they've come out to support, already at least three of them did not even vote for the Medicare bill, resulting in the Chamber having to pull the ads. And I'm hearing that the ad-pulls aren't done yet. DCCC Press commented on the situation:
3 Chamber Ads Down: Rank Incompetence Stalls Ad Blitz
The Third Chamber of Commerce Ad Pulled Down in Less Than a Week for Containing Blatantly False Information
(Washington, D.C.) - In Indiana today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been forced to take down yet another advertisement - the third in a nationwide buy that has been pulled because of factual inaccuracies. Earlier today, ads were pulled from stations in Pennsylvania and last week, the Chamber was forced to take down their television advertisements in the Cincinnati, Ohio, media market because they also contained blatantly false information. This is just the latest stumble from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in their national misleading advertisement campaign.
"The U.S. Chamber appears to be doing a heckuva job - leaving them with about as much credibility as President Bush when he says `mission accomplished.' This trifecta of incompetence is surpassed in dishonesty only by the kinds of special interest legislation they have encouraged Republican members to promote in Congress," said Bill Burton, communications director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "The Chamber seems to be connected to Republican target lists and message points but disconnected to the truth."
So why is the Chamber spending so much money? And why are the Republicans going to such extreme lengths and eating so much crow to keep the minimum wage at it's lowest value in 50 years -- and lowering every day?
I guess those are two distinct, unrelated questions that we'll never know the answer to. Congratulations to each of the following Republicans for both successfully keeping the minimum wage miles below the poverty line, and for their unrelated and ample support from the USCC:
Richard Pombo (CA-11)
Mike Sodrel (IN-09)
Anne Northup (KY-03)
Geoff Davis (KY-04)
Heather Wilson (NM-01)
Tom Reynolds (NY-26)
Steve Chabot (OH-01)
Deborah Pryce (OH-15)
Robin Hayes (NC-08)
Jim Gerlach (PA-06)
Curt Weldon (PA-07)
Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
Don Sherwood (PA-10)
Clay Shaw (FL-22)
Chris Chocola (IN-02)
Thelma Drake (VA-02)
Dave Reichert (WA-08)
As a final note, to get a sense of the sort of comradery and teamwork the Chamber and the Republicans have, consider that all but four of those are either on the NRCC's now-public "endangered" list or on their polling list -- and the remaining four (Sherwood, Northup, Hayes, Chocola) have already had public polls come out showing them in potentially deep trouble.
Now the Chamber might counter that they've run an ad or two for Democrats -- indeed. But take a look at the one they put up for Matheson in Utah, then go back and look at the Charles Taylor ad -- notice anything? Like the fact that one of them is utter garbage, with no music, nothing to grab your attention, and no emotional appeal whatsoever, while the other practically makes him a saint?
No matter. Time to start picking off the low-hanging fruit...
