Washington vs. The Chamber The battle for free enterprise continues

The Obama administration is engaged in a pitched battle with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the stakes couldn’t be higher: the hearts and minds of the American people, and the future of our country.

The Chamber supported the bank bailout and the stimulus package, and went along with the nominees proposed by the new administration. However, the Democrats then proposed legislation that included a massive health care bill, a cap-and-trade proposal to reduce carbon emissions and a bill creating a new agency designed to protect consumers. Although the Chamber agreed in principle with each of these initiatives, it did express concerns with some of their provisions.

That’s when the gloves came off and the White House started an all-out attack. Declaring that the Chamber did not really speak for America’s businesses, it tried to drive a wedge between the Chamber and its membership. Its public relations machine went into overdrive, emphasizing that the Chamber spends millions of dollars to advance its agenda (presumably for some self-serving purpose).