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Fwd: U.S. Chamber of Commerce grows into a political force
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E
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com
DATE:
2010-03-16 15:47:11
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<B5ED13A0-26B4-4B5E-821D-CB7DC0E4925C@rosemontseneca.com>
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Hunter Biden
<hbiden@rosemontseneca.com>
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You sure you don't want to join the Chamber? Eric D. Schwerin eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: > From: Beau <beau@bidenag.com> > Date: March 16, 2010 11:37:45 AM EDT > To: Snyder-Mackler Alex <smacklera@gmail.com>, Kaufman Ted <tedkaufman@comcast.net > >, Toner Dennis <dennistoner@gmail.com>, Hunter Biden <hbiden@rosemontseneca.com > >, Eric Schwerin <eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com> > Cc: Rogalsky Joe <joerogalsky@gmail.com> > Subject: Fwd: U.S. Chamber of Commerce grows into a political force > > > > Begin forwarded message: > >> From: "Jenifer Fuller" <jfuller@politicalworks.net> >> Date: March 16, 2010 11:21:53 AM EDT >> To: "Jenifer Fuller" <jfuller@politicalworks.net> >> Subject: U.S. Chamber of Commerce grows into a political force >> >> >> >> >> >> TO: The Democratic Attorneys General and Candidates >> FROM: The DAGA Staff >> DATE: March 15, 2010 >> SUBJECT: U.S. Chamber of Commerce grows into a political force >> >> >> In an effort to help keep you informed, we wanted to forward along >> a recent article, which you will find below, from the Los Angeles >> Times to provide you some insight as to the activities of a major >> Republican funding source, the U.S Chamber of Commerce. As you >> know, in the past the chamber has raised and spent tremendous >> amounts of money in support of Republican candidates, including >> candidates for Attorney General, across the country in state and >> federal elections. By this report, the Chamber appears to be >> continuing their activities in earnest in 2010. The article >> provides some important information regarding recent and >> anticipated political activity by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in >> this election year in light of recent changes to campaign finance >> law and the current political climate. We will continue to bring >> you the latest news and information about elections, races and >> politics throughout the year. In the meantime, for more information >> or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 303.831.0100 >> or jfuller@politicalworks.net. >> >> >> U.S. Chamber of Commerce grows into a political force >> >> A swelling tide of money could put the business group in a better >> position to sway elections. >> Los Angeles Times - March 08, 2010|By Tom Hamburger >> Reporting from Washington — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is buildi >> ng a large-scale grass-roots political operation that has begun to >> rival those of the major political parties, funded by record-sett >> ing amounts of money raised from corporations and wealthy individu >> als. >> >> The chamber has signed up some 6 million individuals who are not >> chamber members and has begun asking them to help with lobbying >> and, soon, with get-out-the-vote efforts in upcoming congressional >> campaigns. >> >> The chamber's expansion into grass-roots organizing -- coupled with >> a large and growing fundraising apparatus that got a lift from >> Supreme Court rulings -- is part of a trend in which the >> traditional parties are losing ground to well-financed and >> increasingly assertive outside groups. The chamber is certainly >> better positioned than ever to be a major force on the issues and >> elections it focuses on each year, analysts think. >> >> The new grass-roots program, the brainchild of chamber political >> director Bill Miller, is concentrating on 22 states. Among them are >> Colorado, where incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet is >> vulnerable; Arkansas, where Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln faces >> an uphill reelection battle; and Ohio, where the chamber sees >> opportunities in numerous House races and an open Senate seat. >> >> The network, called Friends of the U.S. Chamber, has been used to >> generate more than a million letters and e-mails to members of >> Congress, 700,000 of them in opposition to the Democratic >> healthcare plan. That is an increase from 40,000 congressional >> contacts generated in 2008. >> >> What makes the initiative possible is a swelling tide of money. The >> chamber spent more than $144 million on lobbying and grass-roots >> organizing last year, a 60% increase over 2008, and well beyond the >> spending of individual labor unions or the Democratic or Republican >> national committees. >> >> The chamber is expected to substantially exceed that spending level >> in 2010. >> >> The chamber's expanding influence is worrisome to top officials in >> the White House -- including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who has >> expressed concern about the chamber in the past, and senior advisor >> Valerie Jarrett, who tried to build direct contacts with company >> executives last fall when the chamber was fighting the >> administration's legislation to regulate carbon emissions. >> >> Several companies, including Pacific Gas & Electric and Apple, left >> the chamber over its stance on climate policies, but since then >> many more firms have joined and made substantial contributions, >> chamber President Tom Donohue said. >> >> Amassing cash >> >> Two major factors are driving the chamber's growing success in >> fundraising. >> >> First, President Obama and Democratic majorities in both houses of >> Congress have alarmed a widening circle of business leaders with >> their calls for greater government involvement in healthcare, >> tighter federal regulation of the financial industry and >> legislation to help unions organize workers, among other issues. >> >> Second, the recent Supreme Court ruling that corporations have a >> free-speech right to spend money to help elect or defeat candidates >> not only struck down a century of laws limiting such spending, but >> it also made many business executives feel more comfortable about >> using corporate money for political purposes. >> >> Industries that are the most directly affected by Washington >> policies and regulations -- pharmaceuticals, for example -- have >> always spent lavishly on lobbying and politics. But many others >> have held back, deterred by concern over violating the complex laws >> on campaign spending and by a general sense that putting money into >> politics might open companies to criticism. >> >> The Supreme Court decision appears to have allayed those concerns, >> according to corporate lawyers and others involved in the process. >> >> "In the past a lot of companies and wealthy individuals stood on >> the sidelines," said Robert Kelner, who heads the Election and >> Political Law Practice Group at Covington & Burling, one of >> Washington's most influential corporate law firms. >> >> "In just the last election, we had the spectacle of John McCain >> threatening to prosecute his own supporters if they spent their >> money on outside groups that ran advertising in the presidential >> race. >> >> "That cloud has been lifted," he said. >> >> Anonymity >> >> Using trade associations such as the chamber as the vehicle for >> spending corporate money on politics has an extra appeal: These >> groups can take large contributions from companies and wealthy >> individuals in ways that will probably avoid public disclosure >> requirements. >> >> The chamber has developed that into something of a specialty: Under >> a system pioneered by Donohue, corporations have contributed money >> to the chamber, which then produced issue ads targeting individual >> candidates without revealing the names of the businesses >> underwriting the ads. >> >> At the chamber, officials contend that rising donations are less >> the result of the recent Supreme Court ruling than they are of a >> 5-4 decision in 2007 in which the court ruled it was >> unconstitutional to ban issue-related advertising close to an >> election. >> >> As a result of that ruling, the chamber was able to spend $1 >> million on so-called issue ads in the final days of the >> Massachusetts Senate race in January to help elect Scott Brown, the >> state's first Republican senator in decades. >> >> As ominous music played in the background of one of the ads, a >> moderator intoned: "Washington politicians continue to fail us. >> More spending and fewer jobs. Scott Brown . . . supports measures >> that hold spending and cut taxes. . . . Call Scott Brown. Thank him." >> >> Powerful as the effect of such advertising could be, the chamber >> and its allies expect the next big expansion of influence will come >> in street-level organizing and voter turnout operations. >> >> Miller, a former chief of staff to a GOP lawmaker and co-owner of a >> restaurant in Washington's tony Georgetown section, built up the >> chamber's grass-roots organization in 2008 and expanded it in 2009 >> with the help of consulting firms. >> >> Studying magazine subscriptions, voter registration and consumer >> buying habits, the consultants built a list of potential allies in >> 122 key congressional districts. >> >> Individuals were invited to join the Friends of the U.S. Chamber >> initiative and were promised updates and special insights on >> Washington. They were then "activated," asked to write letters or >> call Congress on a particular issue or get involved in events in >> the districts. >> >> Miller said the so-called activation rate was "roughly equivalent" >> to the rate claimed by Organizing for America, the network known as >> Obama for America during the presidential campaign, which has twice >> as many members. >> >> The chamber has also given its staff, especially senior leaders, >> incentives to push fundraising. They are now working, in effect, on >> a commission system: the more money they bring in, the more they >> are compensated. >> >> Leaning right >> >> Officially, the chamber is a bipartisan nonprofit organization, but >> over the last decade it has tilted decidedly toward the >> Republicans. During 2008, 86% of the spending by the chamber's >> political action committee went to Republicans. Far more was spent >> on issue ads, most supporting GOP candidates. >> >> The chamber says it represents 3 million companies that pay dues to >> the national chamber or a local affiliate, though internal >> documents suggest the organization's treasury is filled in >> substantial part by contributions from a couple dozen major >> corporations most affected by Washington policymakers. >> >> Tax records from 2008 show that 19 companies or individuals paid >> between $1 million and $15.3 million, providing a third of the >> chamber's total revenue that year. Because the chamber is a >> nonprofit, it must disclose donations, but not necessarily the >> identity of the donors. >> >> The chamber insists that those donors remain anonymous. >> >> Some labor-backed organizations, such as Working America, which has >> 3 million nonunion members nationwide, have also declined to >> release details of its donors, which suggests a rocky road for >> legislation to require more transparency. >> >> tom.hamburger@ latimes.com >> >> Kim Geiger of the Washington bureau contributed to this report. >> >> >> >>
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