Monday, October 18, 2010

Local Chamber of Commerce: "We Have No Affiliation with the U.S. Chamber"

At last week's candidate forums, Dan Meyer, president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, took great pains to disassociate the local Chamber from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "We ain't them," he said in effect, reacting to recent investigative reports that the U.S. Chamber was raising and spending millions to defeat Democrats and elect Republicans by using loopholes in the IRS designation called a 501(c)(6). Under those provisions the U.S. Chamber can raise and spend unlimited funds without ever disclosing any of its donors.

According to Think Progress, the Chamber promised to spend an unprecedented $75 million to defeat Democrats and elect Republicans.

While disavowing any connection to the U.S. Chamber, Mr. Meyers did, however, explicitly support "the right" of the U.S. Chamber to spend that kind of unreported money.

Hmmm.

3 comments:

smarter than a democrat said...

There is NOTHING WRONG with what the US Chamber of Commerce is doing. There is NO PROOF that foreign money is being used to promote candidates. NONE. I think Liz Cheney put Howard Dean in his place on this issue on Face the Nation over the weekend. There is no loophole the chamber is jumping through. When it was MoveOn.org doing the same thing it was no problem, but when the tables are turned, you cry foul. Go grab a hanky and get over it. Or more likely, you'll just keep whining.

Anonymous said...

Dumber than a Dem, you are wrong:

http://newmexicoindependent.com/64630/u-s-chamber-of-commerce-foreign-funds-are-mixed-with-political-ad-money

smarter than a democrat said...

Actually, anonymous, I am not wrong. I read the article and these are subsidiaries of US companies abroad. If you read further in the 2nd paragraph you will see how the funds are required to be reported. Again, zero evidence of what Howard Dean claimed. And again, what about the direct foreign donations to Obama's campaign in 2008? Too convenient that it has not been investigated. Direct foreign contributions to his campaign. I guess when you are Machiavellian president that is the way you operate.