Chamber targets anti-business candidates

With the nation's economy increasingly becoming a volatile issue in the presidential campaign, the president of the United States Chamber of Commerce is about to issue one very tough promise to spend millions of dollars against candidates deemed to be anti-business. (Are you listening John Edwards?)

Actually, are you listening, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee?

Tom Donohue tells The Times' Tom Hamburger no more Mr. Now and Then Nice Guy.

"We plan to build a grass-roots business organization so strong that when it bites you in the butt, you bleed," Donohue threatens. But how does he really feel? Donohue plans to outline exactly how hard the chamber will bite at a Washington news conference Tuesday, as a nice lighter change of pace from, say, New Hampshire politics.

Hamburger's entire exclusive story is available by clicking here.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[R Davis]

It's clearly time that the government moves to stop this kind of lobbying and promises of attacks! Tom Donohue's coarse threats are anathema to a democratic country.

[Palooza]

So, which part of Edward's message is wrong or untrue. Corporate lobbyists DO impart a disproportionate amount of influence on Congress and the Presidency. They DO provide massive amounts of campaign funds to essentially buy access and legislation. This does SUBVERT democracy. It IS a major problem.

So I guess the Chamber of Congress is anti-democracy, anti-will of the people, and pro-buying as many politicians as possible. Don't forget ENRON people or Jack Abramoff -- corporate corruption and greed run rampant despite the Chamber of Commerce's attempt to propagandize these very facts.