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REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS
Good old Chamber of Commerce
Thursday, October 14, 2010 7:48 AM
NIKI2
Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...
Quote:The largest attack campaign against Democrats this fall is being waged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a trade association organized as a 501(c)(6) that can raise and spend unlimited funds without ever disclosing any of its donors. The Chamber has promised to spend an unprecedented $75 million to defeat candidates like Jack Conway, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Jerry Brown, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), and Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA). As of Sept. 15th, the Chamber had aired more than 8,000 ads on behalf of GOP Senate candidates alone, according to a study from the Wesleyan Media Project. The Chamber's spending has dwarfed every other issue group and most political party candidate committee spending. The Chamber funds its political attack campaign out of its general account, which solicits foreign funding. And while the Chamber will likely assert it has internal controls, foreign money is fungible, permitting the Chamber to run its unprecedented attack campaign. According to legal experts, the Chamber is likely skirting longstanding campaign finance law that bans the involvement of foreign corporations in American elections. In recent years, the Chamber has become very aggressive with its fundraising, opening offices abroad and helping to found foreign chapters (known as Business Councils or "AmChams"). While many of these foreign operations include American businesses with interests overseas, the Chamber has also spearheaded an effort to raise money from foreign corporations, including ones controlled by foreign governments. These foreign members of the Chamber send money either directly to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, or the foreign members fund their local Chamber, which in turn, transfers dues payments back to the Chamber's H Street office in Washington DC. These funds are commingled to the Chamber's 501(c)(6) account which is the vehicle for the attack ads:Quote:The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has created a large presence in the small, oil-rich country of Bahrain. In 2006, the Chamber created a local affiliate called the "U.S.-Bahrain Business Council" (USBBC), an organization to help businesses in Bahrain take advantage of the Chamber's "network of government and business relationships in the US and worldwide." As the USBBC's bylaws state, it is not an actual separate entity, rather it is simply an office of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's 501(c)(6) trade association. Many of the USBBC's board members are Bahrainian, including Aluminum Bahrain, Gulf Air, Midal Cables, the Nass Group, Bahrain Maritime & Mercantile International, the Bahrain Petroleum Company (state-owned), Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company, and First Leasing Bank. With each of these foreign board members to the USBBC contributing at least $10,000 annually, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce raises well over $100,000 a year in money from foreign businesses through its operation in Bahrain. Notably, the membership form provided by the USBBC directs applicants to send or wire their money directly to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The membership form also explicitly states that the foreign-owned firms are welcomed. Many of the groups lobbying goals advocate changing American policy to help businesses in India. Under the manufacturing policy goal, USIBC boasts that it "can play a helpful role in guiding U.S. companies to India, while supporting various policy initiatives that will enhance India's reputation as a major manufacturing and investment hub." Previously, it has been reported that foreign firms like BP, Shell Oil, and Siemens are active members of the Chamber. But on a larger scale, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce appears to rely heavily on fundraising from firms all over the world, including China, India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Russia, and many other places. Of course, because the Chamber successfully lobbied to kill campaign finance reforms aimed at establishing transparency, the Chamber does not have to reveal any of the funding for its ad campaigns. Dues-paying members of the Chamber could potentially be sending additional funds this year to help air more attack ads against Democrats.News Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, gave an extra $1 million to the Chamber for its election season attack campaign. There are many reasons foreign corporations are seeking to defeat Democratic candidates this November. The Chamber has repeatedly sent out issue alerts attacking Democratic efforts to encourage businesses to hire locally rather than outsource to foreign counties. The Chamber has also bitterly fought Democrats for opposing unfettered free trade deals.
Quote:The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has created a large presence in the small, oil-rich country of Bahrain. In 2006, the Chamber created a local affiliate called the "U.S.-Bahrain Business Council" (USBBC), an organization to help businesses in Bahrain take advantage of the Chamber's "network of government and business relationships in the US and worldwide." As the USBBC's bylaws state, it is not an actual separate entity, rather it is simply an office of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's 501(c)(6) trade association. Many of the USBBC's board members are Bahrainian, including Aluminum Bahrain, Gulf Air, Midal Cables, the Nass Group, Bahrain Maritime & Mercantile International, the Bahrain Petroleum Company (state-owned), Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company, and First Leasing Bank. With each of these foreign board members to the USBBC contributing at least $10,000 annually, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce raises well over $100,000 a year in money from foreign businesses through its operation in Bahrain. Notably, the membership form provided by the USBBC directs applicants to send or wire their money directly to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The membership form also explicitly states that the foreign-owned firms are welcomed. Many of the groups lobbying goals advocate changing American policy to help businesses in India. Under the manufacturing policy goal, USIBC boasts that it "can play a helpful role in guiding U.S. companies to India, while supporting various policy initiatives that will enhance India's reputation as a major manufacturing and investment hub." Previously, it has been reported that foreign firms like BP, Shell Oil, and Siemens are active members of the Chamber. But on a larger scale, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce appears to rely heavily on fundraising from firms all over the world, including China, India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Russia, and many other places. Of course, because the Chamber successfully lobbied to kill campaign finance reforms aimed at establishing transparency, the Chamber does not have to reveal any of the funding for its ad campaigns. Dues-paying members of the Chamber could potentially be sending additional funds this year to help air more attack ads against Democrats.
Quote:4G Identity Solutions Hyderabad, India $7,500 A2Z Maintenance & Eng. Gurgaon, India $7,500 Amarchand Mangaldas Mumbai, India $15,000 Apollo Hospitals Chennai, India $7,500 Arshiya International Mumbai, India $15,000 Astonfield Management Mumbai, India $7,500 AXA Group Paris, France $7,500 Avantha Group India $7,500 Avasarala Technologies Bangalore, India $7,500 AZB & Partners Mumbai, India $15,000 Azure Power New Delhi, India $7,500 Bharat Forge Pune, India $15,000 Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP Toronto, Canada $7,500 Brookfield Asset Management Toronto, Canada $7,500 Cameco Corporation Saskatoon, Canada $7,500 Credit Suisse Zürich, Switzerland $15,000 Devas Multimedia Bangalore, India $15,000 DSK Legal Bombay, India $7,500 Dua Associates Hyderabad, India $15,000 Educomp Solutions Ltd Delhi, India $7,500 Essar Group Mumbai, India $7,500 Fox Mandal Little India $7,500 GMR Bangalore, India $15,000 Hindalco Group, The Mumbai, India $15,000 Hinduja Group, The London, UK $15,000 Hindustan Construction Company Mumbai, India $15,000 HSBC London, UK $15,000 ICICI Bank Mumbia, India $7,500 Infosys Bangalore, India $15,000 Infotech Enterprises Hyderabad, India $7,500 International SOS Assistance Singapore $7,500 Ireo Management Gurgoan, India $15,000 ITC Group Kolkata, India $15,000 J. Sagar Associates Mumbai, India $15,000 J.B.Boda Insurance Mumbai, India $7,500 J.M. Baxi & Co. Mumbai, India $15,000 Jagran Prakashan Kanpur, India $7,500 Jindal Power New Delhi, India $15,000 Jubilant Organosys Noida, India $7,500 Kimaya Energy New Delhi, India $15,000 Kotak Mahindra Mumbai, India $7,500 KPIT Cummins Pune, India $7,500 KPMG Amstelveen, Netherlands $15,000 Lahmeyer International Frankfurt, Germany $7,500 Larsen & Toubro Mumbai, India $15,000 Leela Hotels Bengaluru, India $7,500 Linklaters LLP London, UK $7,500 Luthra & Luthra New Delhi, India $15,000 Macquarie Capital Sydney, Australia $15,000 Majmudar & Company Mumbai, India $7,500 NIIT Technologies Delhi, India $15,000 Nishith Desai Associates Mumbai, India $15,000 Novartis Basel, Switzerland $15,000 Oberoi Group Dehli,India $7,500 Patni Americas Mumbai, India $15,000 Punj Lloyd Gurgaon, India $15,000 QuEST Global Singapore $7,500 Ranbaxy, Inc. Gurgaon, India $7,500 Reliance Industries Mumbai, India $15,000 Reliance Communications Navi Mumbai, India $7,500 Rolta Mumbai, India $7,500 Sanofi-Aventis Paris, France $7,500 SKP Crossborder Consulting Mumbai, India $7,500 SNC Lavalin Montreal, Canada $7,500 State Bank of India Mumbai, India $15,000 Sun Life Financial Toronto, Canada $7,500 Tata Group Mumbai, India $15,000 Tatva Legal India $15,000 Urenco Investments Slough, UK $7,500 Trilegal India $7,500 Walchandnagar Industries Mumbai, India $7,500 Welspun Mumbai, India $7,500 Wipro Bangalore, India $15,000 TAIB Bank* Dubai $20,000 Aluminum Bahrain B.S.C Kingdom of Bahrain $10,000 Bahrain Financial Harbour Holding Company Kingdom of Bahrain $10,000 Gulf Air Kingdom of Bahrain $10,000 Midal Cables Kingdom of Bahrain $10,000 The Nass Group Kingdom of Bahrain $10,000 Bahrain Maritime & Mercantile International Kingdom of Bahrain $5,000 The Bahrain Petroleum Company Kingdom of Bahrain $5,000 First Leasing Bank Kingdom of Bahrain $5,000 Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company Kingdom of Bahrain $5,000 Total: $885,000
Friday, October 15, 2010 5:01 AM
Friday, October 15, 2010 3:54 PM
DREAMTROVE
Sunday, October 17, 2010 9:02 AM
GEEZER
Keep the Shiny side up
Quote: Another '70s project, in the wake of Watergate, was campaign finance reform -- government regulating the quantity, timing and content of speech about government. But political purity has been elusive, and today, as usual, there is, from the usual people, high anxiety about "too much" money being spent on politics. That is, what the improvers consider too much political speech, the dissemination of which is what most campaign contributions finance. Total spending, by all parties, campaigns and issue-advocacy groups, concerning every office from county clerks to U.S. senators, may reach a record $4.2 billion in this two-year cycle. That is about what Americans spend in one year on yogurt but less than they spend on candy in two Halloween seasons. Procter & Gamble spent $8.6 billion on advertising in its most recent fiscal year. ... Desperation drives politicians to talk about process rather than policy. Obama, who is understandably reluctant to talk about what people are concerned about, the economy, is instead talking about the political process. He is in a terrific lather of insinuation, suggesting that torrents of foreign money are pouring into U.S. campaigns. He recently said: "Just this week, we learned that one of the largest groups paying for these ads regularly takes in money from foreign corporations. So groups that receive foreign money are spending huge sums to influence American elections." It takes a perverse craftsmanship to write something that slippery. Consider: "Just this week, we learned. . . ." That is a fib. The fact that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- this is what he is talking about but for some reason is reluctant to say so -- receives membership dues from multinational corporations, some of them foreign-owned, is not something Obama suddenly "learned." It is about as secret as the location of the chamber's headquarters, a leisurely three-minute walk from the White House. "Regularly takes in money from foreign corporations." Obama cites no evidence to refute the chamber's contention that it sequesters such funds -- less than one-twentieth of 1 percent of its budget -- from the money it devotes to political advocacy. The AFL-CIO, which spends heavily in support of Democratic candidates, also receives money from associated labor entities abroad, but Obama has not expressed angst about this. "So groups that receive foreign money are spending huge sums to influence American elections." The "so" is a Nixonian touch. It dishonestly implies what Obama prudently flinches from charging -- that the "huge sums" are foreign money.
Sunday, October 17, 2010 9:23 AM
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