Business Lobby to Get Behind Judicial Bids (the rich go anti-abortion)

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-judges6jan06.story
THE NATION
Business Lobby to Get Behind Judicial Bids
An industry group's plan to spend millions promoting conservative nominees brings a new dimension to the divisive confirmation battles.
By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten
Times Staff Writers

January 6, 2005

WASHINGTON — A powerful business lobby is preparing a multimillion-dollar campaign to aid the White House in its quest to win approval for conservative judges, a move that could transform the ideological battles over the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court.

The new effort on behalf of some of the nation's biggest manufacturers will increase the cost, visibility and intensity of an already divisive confirmation process, one that has been dominated by social issues.

The shift puts the business lobby on the same side as social conservatives. The corporate world has long shied away from such controversial issues as abortion, but enthusiastically supports the Bush administration's campaign to rein in what it considers frivolous lawsuits against businesses and physicians.

The strategy's engineer is former Michigan Gov. John Engler, a longtime friend of President Bush who recently took the helm of the National Assn. of Manufacturers.
<snip>

"I believe that a sizable percentage of NAM's membership would be stunned to learn that NAM's leadership has decided to join the right wing's effort to eliminate a constitutional right to privacy, to strong civil rights protection and a woman's right to reproductive freedom," Neas said.<snip>

Lynn Rhinehart, associate general counsel of the AFL-CIO, said the involvement of major corporations meant labor might have to spend more time and money this year blocking those nominees perceived "to be hostile to the interests of working people." From labor's point of view, a judicial branch dominated by pro-business judges could close off a last recourse for workers who feel harmed by regulatory and legislative decisions.<snip>

[Romulus]

1. so it begins . . .

the complete takoeover of our country by the corporate-fascist alliance. And people here at DU were pooh-poohed by "mainstreamers" for the "BUSH=HITLER" warning they tried to raise. Where's the foil now? :tinfoilhat:

[displacedtexan]

2. Engler... Why am I not surprised?

What a colossal jerk!

The Motts are probably big funders in this cabal, too!