Think Progress' Faiz Shakir on US Chamber of Commerce Foreign Funding
Keith Olbermann talked to Think Progress' Faiz Shakir about his recent article on the US Chamber of Commerce.
GRAPHIC: How The Chamber Gets Its Foreign Money:
After consulting with the Chamber of Commerce’s chief lobbyist Bruce Josten, the New York Times and the Washington Post publish articles today largely dismissing concerns about the Chamber’s foreign sources of funding as a means to raise money to air political attack ads. Both the Times and the Post articles fail to appreciate the scope of the Chamber’s foreign sources of funding, focusing instead too narrowly on independently-run, foreign-based “AmChams.” [...]
In fact, as ThinkProgress has noted, “AmChams” are only a small piece of the puzzle. Most of the Chamber’s foreign sources of funds come from large multi-national corporations which are headquartered abroad, like BP and Siemens. Direct contributions from foreign firms also are accepted under the auspices of the Chamber’s “Business Councils” located in various foreign countries. [...]
Neither the Times nor the Post appear to have pressed the Chamber to answer two critical questions:
1) How many foreign sources of funding does the Chamber have? The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent received this statement from a Chamber spokeswoman: “[Of] the Chamber’s 300,000 members, a relative handful are non-U.S. based companies.” How many is a “relatively handful,” and how much do they contribute?
2) Are the foreign funds being directed into the same general account that is used to pay for partisan attack ads? Again, the Post’s Greg Sargent pressed on this point. The Chamber, which is running more than $10 million in political advertising just this week (the largest expenditure in one week by an outside group), said, “We are not obligated to discuss our internal accounting procedures.”
Go read the whole article for the graphic and more.
Faiz Shakir also did a great job reminding everyone of Karl Rove's past after his carping about being put on an "enemies list" this weekend.
This really is "the biggest story". Because if they manage to return Republican control to Congress, they will do whatever they can to ensure the CU decision becomes permanent, at which point, Rove will finally get his "permanent Republican majority".
* There are two types of Republicans: millionaires and suckers.
"Mugsy's Rap Sheet": Recording history for those who seek to rewrite it.
a link on open thread twice in the last few days calling it the biggest story of the week and there were not too many responses. Are enough of us paying attention? I'm also concerned about the polling and the electronic voting machines.
They will get their 1,000 year Reich after all . CU was the last nail in the coffin I'm afraid . The Repugs will probably get control of the Senate at least , Obama ( and the Dems ) will be pretty much done for , the Repugs will continue to obstruct and sabotage for the next two years and do all they can to insure that things get worse so that the ignorant stupid shits in this country will blame the Democrats and Obama just as they are doing now and will vote the Repugs back in to the White House . Game over .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
The "US Chamber of Commerce" has made its name into an oxymoron.
They should be named the "International Chamber of Corruption"
That is what we used to call foreign influence - corruption.
Ah, the good ol' daze.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
The Highway Patrol chopper comin' up over the ridge
Man sleeps by a campfire under the bridge
The shelter line stretchin' around the corner
Welcome to the New World Order
Rage Against the Machine, "The Ghost Of Tom Joad"
time to get wize, the cause of all of this? unrestrained monopoly Capitalism. the right wing knows their adversary, Socialism, which is why Beck and his ilk attack constantly; when will the left get honest with the American people?
You got it . Most people in this country don't even know what socialism means , to them it's just another word like Commie , or Nazi , it's bad because Beck , Limbaugh , Hannity and the swine at Fox tell them so . Like Bush Sr. said proudly announced some years ago " it's the New World order " , this is not going to be pretty .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
KKKarl Raove was astounded that Obama would suggest that foreign money would be spent by these organizations. It is against the law don't you know. KKKarl is an asshole to the core. maybe his mindless lemmings believe him but get real. So Corporation XXX from Oman gives $10,000,000 to the Chamber of Commerce or KKKarl Rove's American Crossroads organization. Then KKKarl's organization or the Chamber of Commerce can spend that $$$ on office furniture or paper for its printers or to pay the phone bill etc etc. Then they can take the money that they would have spent on these things and buy ads against progressives. Of course KKKarl would never put it that simply so that his lemmings would understand.
Karl is squealing like a stuck pig, which means Obama and Biden have hit a nerve ... time to redouble their efforts.
I agree completely , jump on this one and don't let up .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
Why is this piece of shit KKKarl Rove still free? Why is he not rotting in a prison cell...WHY, WHY?!
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds--Bob Marley
with this unamerican thug?
there was a time when a man who had outed a cia agent would have been considered a traitor and shunned by his peers, that is if he had any peers left after he had used the most vile smear campaigns in modern memory to thwart the democratic process
I've recently realized that the chamber of commerce is too the Companies/Corporations... what the Unions are too the individuals.
They're both basically a protection racket... one protecting the individual, the other protecting the oligarchies
I've worked union and non-union jobs throughout my life, I much prefer the unionized ones.
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You want to see some back-door ($$$) "THE FAMILY" whose founder and Goodwill guy Abraham Vereide, had a disdain for unions, and some of the Affiliated Organizations are...
Three Swallows Foundation, Wilberforce Foundation, International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, Canadian Fellowship Foundation, Christians in Parliament, Jerusalem Summit, Trees for the Future, National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, Cornerstone Development Ltd., World Concern, Project Mercy, Timothy Trust, Associacion Dessarrollo en Democracia, Southeast DC Partners, World Vision, Trinity Forum and Academy, Youth with a Mission, Prison Fellowship International, CS Lewis Institute, Christian Embassy, McLean Bible Church, The Falls Church, Officers’ Christian Fellowship... Many people really believe they're the chosen ones. :-/
Study the symptoms not the virus...
Answer : no . Nation wide I would bet that less than 10 % even know about CU , let alone what it means . It looks like we are SOL , done , slowly but surely this country is going to become a hell hole . Ever heard of a country called Moldova ? It's the poorest country in EU , a former Soviet Republic , the only one that remained Communist , I went there one time ( long story ) and spent a few weeks . It was the saddest place I have ever seen , that visit and what I witnessed changed me , what once was a vacation destination for the Russians and one of the most beautiful Republics looked like a post World war two hell hole . Every day , people side by side on the main streets for as far as you can see , all ages , one man with a few used nuts and bolts laid out on an old blanket , women with just a couple hand fulls of sun flower seeds in little cups made of news paper , a woman with a couple of eggs and a quart of milk from her hen and goat , a man with one small fish that he'd caught the day before , all trying to sell anything they could to make even a few cents , these people were every where . You would half expect to see this kind of poverty in Africa , these were white Europeans who look pretty much like Americans ( my only point being that it was a shock ) . I remember one old babushka in her old Soviet style quilted coat sitting on a couple of apple crates beside a Sanican ( out house ) in front of the train station in Chisinau , it was cold and wet , a heavy drizzle , she sat there motionless , in a blank stare , no expression on her face , it was her job to collect payment to use the sanican , the public toilet was absolutely disgusting , a trough of stagnate water and waste . We walked by her and then I turned around , walked back to her and handed her five dollars American , her expression didn't change she just looked up at me and quietly said "God bless you" in English , man , I wanted to cry , she had this soft sweet voice , I'll never forget her . My host got pissed off at me , was probably the Moldovan version of a Republican, five dollars there was a lot of money , the average monthly income there was twenty five dollars . Anyway you get the picture but here's the deal , what really mad me sick , you drive out a ways to the edge of the city and there is this nice wrought iron fence that goes for who knows how long surrounding this literal city within a city , it's where the connected , the crime bosses , the rich and the politicians live , completely isolated , could see the mansions all over the hill sides and all the lights , it was beautiful , man , what a contrast ! It was shocking . Evidently that's the country the morons voting Republican want and in time we may well get it , the fools will be in for a shock when they eventually find themselves stuck living outside of that fenced in and gated city in a city and looking in .
Insanity , it is what it is , there is no understanding it .
Waaa, why is everybody being so mean to poor Karl for his bottomless bad faith?
"Exclusive: Foreign funded US Chamber of Commerce Running Partisan Attack Ads"
by Lee Fang/think progress.org
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/05/foreign-c...
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