HuffPo's New Obsession: Take Down the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Every time the White House has a new enemy, left-wing Web-based media outlets take up the cause to defend the Obama administration.
Earlier this year when CNBC personalities criticized the Obama administration, the Huffington Post and other components of the left-wing noise machine watched every word said on the financial network – an effort that has since petered out. The Huffington Post also asked readers to supply reports to undermine the credibility of the tea party protests that were critical of the Obama administration.
So it should come as no surprise that the Huffington Post is making a call for all hands on deck to aid the White House with its latest feud with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Huffington Post now wants to know who gives money to the Chamber of Commerce.
“Huffington Post wants to find out more about the Chamber's members – help us learn more about who is funding the Chamber by telling us what you know,” an Oct. 26 story on HuffingtonPost.com said. “Though their funding comes from membership dues, those are based on size so larger companies end up contributing most of the Chamber's revenue. These amounts are not made public and HuffPo is wondering whether any companies have adjusted their level of support recently? Send us your tips at tips@huffingtonpost.com.”
The Chamber hasn’t exactly taken the conservative position on everything, being opposed to all of Obama’s policy issues. The Chamber lobbied vociferously for the bank bailout or TARP, which Obama voted for. And, the Chamber was also in favor of immigration reform, which pitted it against many conservatives, as Bruce Josten, executive vice president of government affairs at the Chamber explained to Chris Wallace on the Oct. 25 broadcast of “Fox News Sunday.”
“Well, we certainly didn’t have the run of the town,” Josten said. “There are a number of other Chamber priorities that we worked on, such as comprehensive immigration reform for more than two years – would have been enacted into law.”
The Huffington Post alleged the Chamber has been too secretive by refusing to disclose its donors. However, they have been able to point out associations with a number of corporations based on who sits on the Chamber’s board of directors.
“The group has always refused to disclose its donors or even its taxable spending on political races, once even secretly buying its own newspaper in Madison County, Illinois to help spread its propaganda,” the HuffPo story said. “The Chamber’s board of directors is represented by industry giants such as IBM, AT&T, Massey Energy, Deloitte LLP, 3M, Caterpillar, Accenture, Pfizer Inc. and The Charles Schwab Corporation. So far, the only information it is required to disclose are donors to their political action committee, which includes executives at railroad giant Norfolk Southern, steel-casting company Baycast and State Farm Insurance. According to the US Chamber Institute for Legal Reform's 2007 990 tax form, Donohue earned $3.1 million and the institute spent $35.3 million on program services.”
Why would The Huffington Post want to know who gives money to the Chamber? Perhaps they want to know to try to engineer some sort of boycott against its members, as the left has done with Fox News Channel’s Glenn Beck – to retaliate against a message they may disagree with.
