Category Archives: conservatives

Scott Brown campaigns in Worcester MA, Obama campaigns for Martha Coakley, Barack Obama heckled, January 17, 2010, Red Sox’s Schilling stumps for GOP Senate hopeful, Doug Flutie, Ayla Brown

While Obama was campaigning for Martha Coakley in Boston this afternoon, January 17, 2010, Scott Brown was campaigning in Worcester, MA.

From the Boston Herald.

“Energized Brown mocks desperate Dems”

“GOP upstart state Sen. Scott Brown took aim at Democratic opponent Attorney General Martha Coakley’s presidential bailout this afternoon, telling a packed hall of rowdy supporters he would stay connected to them and not embrace Washington, D.C. insiders.

“They put in a distress call to Washington, and the next thing you know, Air Force One is landing at Logan,” Brown said of President Obama’s Boston visit today. “The party bosses gave the president some bad information. This Senate seat belongs to no one person and no one political party, it belongs to the people of Massachusetts.”

Brown, bolstered by a last-minute campaign surge in the polls, reminded the crowd of over 2,000 people that he is their candidate.

“I’m Scott Brown, I’m from Wrentham, I drive a truck and I’m asking for your vote,” he said. Then he referenced Obama’s come-from-behind presidential campaign. “After all, who ever heard of a guy from Wrentham getting elected to the U.S. Senate? But as the president might remember, upsets like that have been known to happen.”

Brown was serenaded by his daughter, former “American Idol” semi-finalist Ayla Brown, backslapped by Red Sox [team stats] ace pitcher Curt Schilling [stats], and pumped up by former “Cheers” know-it-all John Ratzenberger during the electric rally.”

Read more:
Boston Herald report

“Barack Obama was heckled at his Bush-bash Coakley rally in Boston today… for about 3 minutes.”

American Research Group poll, Scott Brown leads Martha Coakley, MA Senate race, January 15, 2010, Brown 94% Republicans, Coakley 71% Democrats

From American Research Group, January 15, 2010. Scott Brown leads Martha Coakley in the MA Senate race 48% to 45%.

“January 15, 2010 – Massachusetts US Senate

Massachusetts US Senate
1/14/2010 Brown Coakley Kennedy Undecided
 
Likely voters 48% 45% 2% 5%
 
Registration:        
Democrats (44%) 20% 71% 1% 8%
Republicans (20%) 94% 1% 5%
Unenrolled/
Other (36%)
58% 37% 4% 1%
 
Sex:        
Men (47%) 54% 39% 2% 5%
Women (53%) 44% 50% 2% 4%
 
Age:        
18-49 (43%) 52% 42% 2% 4%
50 plus (57%) 46% 47% 1% 6%

Republican Scott Brown leads Democrat Martha Coakley 48% to 45% in the special Massachusetts US Senate race to replace Senator Ted Kennedy in a telephone survey conducted January 12-14 among 600 likely voters in Massachusetts saying they will definitely vote in the special election on January 19. 

Brown leads Coakley 94% to 1% among registered Republicans and he leads 58% to 37% among unenrolled voters. Coakley leads Brown 71% to 20% among registered Democrats. A total of 8% of Democrats and 5% of Republicans remain undecided.

Brown leads 54% to 39% among men while Coakley leads 50% to 44% among women.

Brown leads 52% to 42% among likely voters age 18 to 49 and Coakley leads 47% to 46% among voters 50 and older.

A total of 9% of likely voters say they have already voted by absentee ballot, with Brown leading Coakley 58% to 42%.”

Read more:

http://www.americanresearchgroup.com/

Scott Brown, Martha Coakley, campaigning, Saturday, January 16, 2010, WBZ TV video, Coakley Losing 1 in 5 Dems, Coakley counting on union muscle, Brown leads in absentee voting 58 to 42, Scott Brown criminal complaint

MA senate race news, Saturday, January 16, 2010.

Scott Brown and Martha Coakley campaigning Saturday, January 16, 2010

From Fox News Boston.

“Coakley counts on union muscle to win Senate race”

“Democrat Martha Coakley is counting on union muscle to help her win Tuesday’s U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts.

She kicked off the final weekend of campaigning Saturday with a stop at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall in Boston to encourage a group of canvassers.”

Read more:

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/politics/state_politics/coakley-counts-on-union-muscle-to-win-senate-race-25-apx

From Gateway Pundit.

“Brown Leads Coakley 58-42 in Absentee Ballots– Coakley Losing 1 in 5 Dems to Brown …BIG UPDATE: BROWN PRESS CONFERENCE- PRESSING CHARGES AGAINST DEM PARTY”

“One in five democrats in Massachusetts is going with Scott Brown.

And, there’s more bad news for democrat Martha Coakley…
Scott Brown is leading in the absentee voting 58-42. 9% of registered voters said they have already cast a ballot.
Real Clear Politics reported:

Coakley loses one-in-five Democrats to Brown, while the Republican state senator has 94 percent of Republicans behind him. Brown has a commanding 58-37 advantage among “unenrolled” voters, mainly independents and those who prefer not to register affiliation with the major parties.”

“Dan Winslow, counsel for the Scott Brown for U.S. Senate campaign, will hold a media availability to announce the filing of a criminal complaint against the Massachusetts Democratic Party regarding a recent mailing paid for and sent by the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Winslow will make a statement and take reporters’ questions at MassGOP Headquarters in Boston TODAY at 4:00 PM.”

Read more:

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/

Duty, MA Senate race, Scott Brown, Massachusetts National Guard, Lt. Colonel, Judge Advocate Generals, JAG, Army Commendation Medal, meritorious service in homeland security, MA state senator, Help elect Scott Brown

Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.”…Robert E. Lee

I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty;
I woke, and found that life was Duty.
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, sad heart, courageously,
And thou shalt find thy dream to be
A noonday light and truth to thee…Ellen Stugis Hooper

I was discussing politics, the internet and news reporting during the past several years with an older friend of mine yesterday. The word and concept of duty came up and I was instantly reminded of one of my favorte quotes spoken by Kathryn Hepburn in the movie “Rooster Cogburn”, one of my favorite movies.

Scott Brown is running for US Senator from MA. Scott Brown is a fine example of living a life of duty.
From the Scott Brown for US Senate website.
“Senator Brown is a proud member of the Massachusetts National Guard, where he has served for nearly three decades and currently holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. Brown was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. His career in public service began as selectman in Wrentham. He then went on to serve three terms as a State Representative and won his current State Senate seat in a special election in 2004. He is currently in his third Senate term.
 
In 2004, Senator Brown received the  Public Servant of the Year Award from the United Chamber of Commerce for his leadership in reforming the state’s sex offender laws and protecting the rights of victims. He has also been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) for his work in creating an environment that encourages job growth and expansion in Massachusetts.”

We all have important duties to fulfill. Certainly, voting is one of them. We must do more than simply voting ourselves. We must stay involved, stay informed and encourage others to do the same. We must help elect Scott Brown for the good of the country and the good of the citizens of MA.
Six degrees of separation

“Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. ”

Contact everyone you know, ask them to do the same and contact people in MA. Urge them to vote for Scott Brown. Let them know we are beside them.

Obama campaigns in MA, Obama to stump for endangered Massachusetts Democrat, Martha Coakley, Suffolk poll shows Scott Brown ahead of Coakley

From MSNBC, January 15, 2010.

“Obama to stump for endangered Mass. Dem
Poll shows GOP candidate up; race could tip Democrats’ 60-vote majority”

“BOSTON – His health care bill at stake, President Barack Obama plans a trip to Massachusetts to campaign for endangered Senate Democratic candidate Martha Coakley amid release of a poll showing an edge for the Republican Party in the race to fill a Senate seat Democrats have held for over a half-century.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that Obama would appear at an event for Coakley in Boston on Sunday.

A Suffolk University survey released late Thursday showed that Brown, a Republican state senator, with 50 percent of the vote in the race to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in this overwhelmingly Democratic state.

Coakley had 46 percent. That amounted to a statistical tie since it was within the poll’s 4.4 percentage point margin of error, but it was far different from a 15-point lead that Coakley, the Massachusetts attorney general, enjoyed in a Boston Globe survey released over the weekend.”

Read more:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34876791/ns/politics-more_politics/

“President Obama: Support Martha Coakley for U.S. Senate”

View this report from News 7 in Boston

Will Obama’s visit to MA help Martha Coakley or hurt her?

Scott Brown, MA senate race poll, January 15, 2010, Suffolk University 7News poll, Poll shocker Scott Brown surges ahead in Senate race, Opposition to Democratic health care reform

From the Boston herald, January 15, 2010.

“Poll shocker: Scott Brown surges ahead in Senate race”

“Riding a wave of opposition to Democratic health-care reform, GOP upstart Scott Brown is leading in the U.S. Senate race, raising the odds of a historic upset that would reverberate all the way to the White House, a new poll shows.

Although Brown’s 4-point lead over Democrat Martha Coakley is within the Suffolk University/7News survey’s margin of error, the underdog’s position at the top of the results stunned even pollster David Paleologos.

“It’s a Brown-out,” said Paleologos, director of Suffolk’s Political Research Center. “It’s a massive change in the political landscape.”

The poll shows Brown, a state senator from Wrentham, besting Coakley, the state’s attorney general, by 50 percent to 46 percent, the first major survey to show Brown in the lead. Unenrolled long-shot Joseph L. Kennedy, an information technology executive with no relation to the famous family, gets 3 percent of the vote. Only 1 percent of voters were undecided.

Paleologos said bellweather models show high numbers of independent voters turning out on election day, which benefits Brown, who has 65 percent of that bloc compared to Coakley’s 30 percent. Kennedy earns just 3 percent of the independent vote, and 1 percent are undecided.

Given the 4.4-point margin of error, the poll shows Coakley could win the race, Paleologos said. But if Brown’s momentum holds, he is poised to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy – and to halt health-care reform, the issue the late senator dubbed “the cause of my life.”

Yet even in the bluest state, it appears Kennedy’s quest for universal health care has fallen out of favor, with 51 percent of voters saying they oppose the “national near-universal health-care package” and 61 percent saying they believe the government cannot afford to pay for it.

The poll, conducted Monday through Wednesday, surveyed 500 registered likely voters who knew the date of Tuesday’s election. It shows Brown leading all regions of the state except Suffolk County.

“Either Brown’s momentum accelerates and his lead widens, or this becomes a wake-up call for Coakley to become the ‘Comeback Kid’ this weekend,” Paleologos said.

And with 99 percent having made up their minds, voters may be hard to persuade.

The poll surveyed a carefully partitioned electorate meant to match voter turnout: 39 percent Democrat, 15 percent Republican and 45 percent unenrolled.”

Read more:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1225720&format=text

 

Scott Brown ahead in Poll, January 15, 2010, Suffolk University Poll, News 7 Boston

Martha Coakley Takes Money From Health Insurance Lobbyists, MA Republican Party ad video, Coakley ties to drug companies, Coakley fundraiser Washington DC, Health care lobbyists, Martha Coakley smear campaign, Health Care Bill

The MA Republican Party has a new video out accusing Martha Coakley of taking money from health insurance lobbyists.

“Martha Coakley says she holds health insurers accountable, then one day later, takes money from the very same health insurance lobbyists at a Washington fundraiser.”

Was this a fair portrayal of Coakley’s ties to lobbyists and drug companies?

You decide.

From the Washington Examiner, January 8, 2010.

“Coakley in trouble? Pharma and HMO lobbyists to the rescue”

“With Democrat Martha Coakley in trouble in the Massachusetts special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat, Democrats could lose vote No. 60 for President Obama’s health-care bill. In response, an army of lobbyists for drug companies, health insurance companies, and hospitals has teamed up to throw a high-dollar Capitol Hill fundraiser for Coakley next Tuesday night. The invitation is here.

Of the 22 names on the host committee–meaning they raised $10,000 or more for Coakley–17 are federally registered lobbyists, 15 of whom have health-care clients. Of the other five hosts, one is married to a lobbyist, one was a lobbyist in Pennsylvania, another is a lawyer at a lobbying firm, and another is a corporate CEO. Oh, and of course, there’s also the political action commitee for Boston Scientific Corporation.

All the leading drug companies have lobbyists on Coakley’s host committee: Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Astra-Zeneca, and more. On the insurance side of things, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, HealthSouth, and United Health all are represented on the host committee.”

“Here are some of Coakley fundraiser hosts with some of their current health care clients:

Thomas Boggs, Patton Boggs: Bristol-Myers Squibb
Chuck Brain, Capitol Hill Strategies: Amgen, BIO, Merck, PhRMA
Susan Brophy, Glover Park Group: Blue Cross, Pfizer
Steven Champlin, Duberstein Group: AHIP, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis
Licy Do Canto, Raben Group: Amgen
Gerald Cassidy, Cassidy & Associates: U. Mass Memorial Health Care
David Castagnetti, Mehlman, Vogel, Castagnetti: Abbot Labs, AHIP, Astra-Zenaca, General Electric, Humana, Merck, PhRMA.
Steven Elmendorf, Elmendorf Strategies: Medicines Company, PhRMA, United Health
Shannon Finley, Capitol Counsel: Amgen, Astra-Zeneca, Blue Cross, GE, PhRMA, Sanofi-Aventis.
Heather Podesta, Heather Podesta & Partners: Cigna, Eli Lilly, HealthSouth
Tony Podesta, Podesta Group: Amgen, GE, Merck, Novartis.
Robert Raben, Raben Group: Amgen, GE. ”

Read more:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Coakley-in-trouble-Pharma-and-HMO-lobbyists-to-the-rescue-81067542.html

“Fox News Reports On Martha Coakley’s “Controversial” DC Fundraiser With Health Care Lobbyists”

“It won’t be the first time but Martha Coakley smeared Scott Brown tonight outside of her big Washington DC lobbyist fundraiser.

Martha Coakley is a smear merchant.
She already tried to tie Republican Scott Brown to Rush Limbaugh even though the two have never met.

Now tonight Martha Coakley tried to tie Scott Brown to “extreme right groups” who she says are pouring money into Massachusetts. She says this despite the fact that Brown raised over $1.3 million, mostly in small donations, in an online money bomb yesterday. And, she had the gall to say this outside of her Washington DC lobbyist fundraiser where 22 big-time lobbyists from drug, health care and insurance companies met tonight to help bail her campaign out.

Brian Maloney has more on Coakley’s big money fundraiser tonight.

As if Martha Coakleys support from the corrupt establishment wasnt already clear enough, now comes word that a coalition of sleazebag industry lobbyists have teamed up with Bay State Democrats for an eleventh-hour bailout of her faltering campaign.

Many of those involved in this hastily-organized rescue attempt have no Bay State ties, their only allegiance is to piggish K Street – Beltway lobbying firms.”

Boston Craigslist ad, Stop the Tea Baggers, Grassroots Campaigns, Left wing Democrats insult Americans, Obama campaigns, NPR, Learn to speak Tea bag, Glenn Beck and other talking heads

The Democrat party has done a good job of revealing their real agenda. From ramming an unwanted Health Care Bill down our throats to insults from Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and others. Recently NPR, an increasingly liberal radio outlet, insulted millions of concerned Americans and then acknowledging the insult, refused to apologize.
NPR insults concerned Americans

 
“Learn To Speak Tea Bag.”
“But what happens when the so-called “humor” crosses the line? It’s one thing to make fun of someone, but trying to discredit an entire movement of frustrated Americans and doing it with taxpayer money is something entirely different. How much longer are we going to continue to fund left-wing propaganda with OUR money? Just look at the NPR web site for their latest “humor” directed at the hundreds of thousands of “Tea Party” activists across the country.”
NPR, Learn To Speak Tea Bag

NPR admits Tea Bag animation doesn’t fit with NPR values, but gives no apology.

 
NPR Ombudsman, Alicia C. Shepard
“That said, there are problems with the Tea Bag animation. Chief among them is it doesn’t fit with NPR values, one of which is a belief in civility and civil discourse.
No apology from NPR
““There will be no apology and Fiore’s cartoon is staying up,”  said Ellen Weiss, senior vice president for news.”
No apology from NPR for insulting average Americans

The “Tea Bagger” insult from NPR was no fluke or anomaly.

From a Boston Craigslist ad posted January 8, 2010.

“Stop the Tea- Baggers! Direct a Progressive Campaign Office
Date: 2010-01-08, 7:38PM EST
Reply to: see below
WHOSE AGENDA WILL WIN IN 2010? YOU DECIDE.
Change takes work. After the 2008 Election, we know what’s possible when millions of people commit themselves to creating the world they want to see – but we also know that one election is only the beginning. Across the country, the struggle for human rights, marriage equality, and reproductive rights continues. To counter the hysteria and lies of Glenn Beck and other talking heads, progressives need to get organized and get activated – and we don’t have a moment to lose!!


 
We’re hiring Directors to run 32 Canvass Offices across the United States.
Qualified candidates are:

Committed to and motivated by progressive politics and social change.
Leaders, with the ability to think strategically and motivate a team.
Goal-oriented, excellent communicators, team players.
Experience in hiring, training and supervising staff or volunteers is preferred. Previous field or canvassing experience is a plus.
Job Description:

Recruitment: Build a team of 15-50 canvassers by recruiting from within the local community and developing your strongest staff into leadership positions within the office and in the field.

Canvassing: Get on the Frontlines of some of the most crucial campaigns of our time! Work on the ground bringing progressive change to America!

Hours: 80-100 hours/week


 
Locations:
Grassroots Campaigns is immediately hiring in Boston as well as the following locations: CA, CO, DC, IL, MA, MN, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, WA.”

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/npo/1543898173.html

Citizen Wells comments

Notice the insult:

“Stop the Tea- Baggers”

Orwellian spin:

“To counter the hysteria and lies of Glenn Beck and other talking heads”

From the Grassroots Campaigns website

“Grassroots Campaigns (GCI) is an independent organization that does strategic consulting, fundraising, and field organizing for good causes and candidates. We specialize in building and running face-to-face outreach operations in neighborhoods and in high-traffic public venues to build support for groups, issues, and campaigns.
GCI was founded in December of 2003, and by April of 2004 had opened offices in 40 cities throughout the country. By July 2004, we had over 2,000 staff knocking on doors and talking to voters on behalf of the Democratic National Committee. With continued work on behalf of MoveOn PAC in October, we added a volunteer force of 50,000 individuals canvassing their neighborhoods in 17 of the most hotly contested swing states of the 2004 Presidential Election. Since 2004, we’ve continued to partner with groups and campaigns to advance good issues, raise money for progressive causes, help take back Congress, and build activism at the grassroots level.”

“Since its founding in December of 2003, GCI has partnered with a wide variety of groups and campaigns. We’re best known for working with MoveOn Political Action to pioneer innovative get out the vote strategies in the 2004, 2006 and 2008 elections, as well as raising millions of dollars in small donor contributions for the Democratic National Committee.”

“In the two years leading up to the 2008 election, GCI staff worked to organize MoveOn’s most active members into nearly 200 Councils nationwide. These Councils tool a lead role in MoveOn’s massive election recruitment effort to boost the Obama Campaign. Councils organized canvasses, held call parties to recruit volunteers in battleground states and volunteered directly with the Obama Campaign. Councils working with GCI staff took an especially leading roll in enabling the call party program, which culminated in over 7,480 house parties where volunteers made 2.14 million calls, recruiting over 90,000 volunteers for Obama in swing states.”

http://grassrootscampaigns.com

It is obvious from the above that Grassroots Campaigns is closely affiliated with the Democrat party and exhibits the same disdain for hard working, concerned Americans. The Craigslist ad reveals a priority for the Boston area.

Scott Brown, Catholic Families for America endorsement, CFA, January 13, 2010, Voters of conscience, Not Kennedy seat, People’s seat

Catholic Families for America, CFA, has endorsed Scott Brown for the MA senate seat.

From the Christian News Wire, January 13, 2010.

“Catholic Families for America Endorses Scott Brown for Massachusetts Senate Seat”

“CFA Executive Director: “For voters of conscience in Massachusetts, the choice is clear: Scott Brown is a traditional values public servant who would bring a refreshing voice of common sense to the U. S. Senate. We applaud him for reminding the political class in Washington that this is not ‘the Kennedy seat — it’s the people’s seat.'””

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 /Christian Newswire/ — Dr. Kevin Roberts, executive director of the Catholic grassroots advocacy group, Catholic Families for America (CFA), announced the organization’s endorsement of Scott Brown in next Tuesday’s special election for the U.S. Senate.



“”Scott would be such an upgrade on every major issue from the late Teddy Kennedy,” Roberts said. “Furthermore, his opponent, who espouses the same anti-life, anti-family, anti-values agenda that made Kennedy such a tragic figure to the Church, should give Catholic, Christian, and values voters an easy choice next Tuesday.””

“”Our republic cannot withstand a long period of liberal, anti-family super-majorities in Congress,” Roberts explained. “If Scott Brown surprises the pundits next week, then we know that the end is near for the abject failures of Pelosi, Reid, and Obama.””

Read more:

http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/5497512674.html

I love this response Scott Brown gave during the recent MA Senate Debate.

The Citizen Wells blog enthusiastically
endorses Scott Brown for the MA senate seat.

US Chamber of Commerce, Obama, Chamber pledges to stop Obama agenda, Play big role in November elections, President Thomas Donohue, Health care legislation, Fiscal insolvency, Valerie Jarrett

“Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.”…George Bernard Shaw

Those who can’t do, won’t do, have never successfully run a business and hate business are part of the Obama Administration…Citizen Wells

 

From USA Today, January 12, 2010.

“U.S. Chamber pledges to stop Obama agenda, play big role in Nov. elections”

“U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue attacked President Obama’s domestic agenda Tuesday, criticizing Democratic efforts on climate change, health care and oversight of the nation’s financial system.

And he pledged to use the chamber’s might in November’s elections to take on the president’s allies in Congress.”

“The chamber will carry out “the largest, most aggressive” campaign in its 100-year history as it works to influence the outcome of mid-term congressional elections and stop legislation it views as harmful to the economy, he said. “As Americans choose a new House and senators this fall,” Donohue added, “the chamber will highlight lawmakers and candidates who support a pro-jobs agenda and hold accountable those who don’t.””

Read more:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2010/01/us-chamber-pledges-to-stop-obama-agenda-play-big-role-in-nov-elections.html

Apparently Obama and US Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue are not good buddies. Of course, the Obama Administration, a model of business acumen and job creation, has it’s answer to the US Chamber of Commerce in the Business Roundtable. Valerie Jarrett is the president’s liaison to the corporate world. You remember Jarrett.

“I was in the process of reporting more on Valerie Jarrett and her past ties to corruption in Chicago and I will do so. For now, Michelle Malkin does an excellent job in this video of exposing the truth about Obama and Jarrett and their motives for getting the Olympics for Chicago.”…Valerie Jarrett, corrupt slumlord Obama friend

From the LA Times, October 25, 2009.

“White House confronts the U.S. Chamber of Commerce”

“WASHINGTON — The Obama White House, stepping in where other Democrats feared to tread, has launched a potentially risky fight with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — attempting to bypass the nation’s most powerful business organization and develop independent ties to corporate America.

In recent weeks, President Obama, his Energy secretary and one of his other most senior advisors have begun criticizing the chamber publicly, casting it as a profligate lobbying organization at odds with its members in opposing the administration on such issues as consumer protection and climate change.

At the same time, the administration has been meeting privately with prominent corporate leaders — more than 60 of them since June — in an effort to develop its own pipeline to the business community.
The White House also has gone out of its way to cultivate another corporate group, the Business Roundtable, which is much smaller than the chamber but represents chief executives of many of the nation’s largest corporations.

“Our strategy is to reach out directly to the business community,” said Valerie Jarrett, the president’s liaison to the corporate world. “This is a shift. Previously, the chamber had served as the sole intermediary for business. That’s not our approach.”

Jarrett praised the Business Roundtable, saying that it brings member CEOs to White House meetings in addition to Washington lobbyists.

In an indirect dig at the chamber, Jarrett said the roundtable meetings were more substantive and valuable because they included not just a trade association leader but someone who actually runs a business.

The White House role in criticizing the chamber has, predictably, riled Republicans. But it also has made some Democrats nervous.”

Read more:

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/25/nation/na-chamber25

Here are some exerpts from the speech of US Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue, January 12, 2010.

“Think for a moment about the nation’s job creators—the men and women who run our small and large businesses—as well as those who lead our universities, our health care facilities and the many other institutions that employ our workforce. If you were in their shoes today, would you jump quickly into new investments and hiring? Or would you wait for some clarity, and some common sense, to take hold first?

Most of these job creators would like nothing more than to keep their workers employed, create new jobs, and bring some hope and relief to families struggling without a paycheck. But when they look at what’s going on in Washington, in the states, and around the world, what do they see?

They see massive tax increases on the horizon—not just the expiration of the tax cuts passed over the last decade, but also hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes.

They see health care legislation that contains a burdensome mandate on employers and virtually no meaningful reforms to improve quality or control costs.

They see a climate change bill and potential EPA regulations that could significantly raise energy prices and impose new layers of bureaucracy on their organizations.

They see financial services legislation moving forward that could choke off their access to capital at a time when lending is already very tight.

America’s job creators also see a renewed push by unions to pass card check and many other measures to control the workplace.

They see the trial bar working with their allies in Congress and with many state attorneys general to expand opportunities for new litigation.

They see the rise of trade isolationism at home and abroad that could threaten their export markets—and now, renewed fears about terrorism.

And our job creators see the federal government planning to expand the national debt by at least $9 trillion over the next decade—more debt than has been piled up in all previous years since George Washington. They see many states going broke as well. What will the impact be on their companies and employees?

These are the uncertainties that job creators are wrestling with—uncertainties that call into question how quick or strong our economic recovery will be. And no one is paying a higher price than the American worker.

Over seven million Americans have lost their jobs since the recession began. Ten percent of the workforce is unemployed—a number that soars beyond 17 percent when you add those who have stopped looking for jobs and the millions of part-time workers who want to work full-time.”

Read more:

http://www.uschamber.com/press/speeches/2010/100112_sab

By the way, the Chamber of Commerce of a major NC city, was my first business account assigned to me when I was young. It was a pleasure to present this article.