The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for crissake people. Come ON!!

[chill_wind]

Can I really, really be the only DUer fed up with this parade?

:banghead: :banghead:



Gitenstein


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8172908&mesg_id=8172908

Nobody gives a shit?

Electioneering shell game

On October 31, 2006, Public Citizen filed a complaint<8> with the IRS asking it to investigate whether the Chamber and "its affiliated Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) failed to report millions in taxable spending from 2000 to 2004 intended to influence state-level attorney general and supreme court races and federal races around the country."<9>

It also asked the IRS to investigate whether Chamber and the ILR, "which are two separate legal entities, combined funds in a shared bank account to hide accurate reporting of investment or interest income for tax avoidance. ... Court records, internal corporate documents and media reports indicate that the Chamber and the ILR engaged in a massive campaign to affect the outcome of state and federal races through direct expenditures and grants made to organizations that carried out the Chamber’s wishes."<9>

Public Citizen reported that
"In 2000, the Chamber claimed it spent $6 million on judicial races and took credit for winning 15 out of 17 state supreme court contests. In 2002, the Chamber said it planned to spend $40 million on political campaigns, divided equally between congressional and state-level attorneys general and judicial races. None of these activities were reported on their tax returns from 2000 to 2003.

"In 2004, the first year since at least 2000 that the Chamber and the ILR reported political expenditures, both organizations appear to have underreported their spending. They reported a combined $18 million, but in a 'President's Update' memo released the day after the November elections, Chamber President Thomas Donohue claimed the group had spent up to $30 million in races around the country.

"The Chamber and ILR also failed to report grants and allocations to outside groups as required by Line 22 of IRS Form 990. Both organizations reported no grants to outside groups from 2000 to 2004. But in a 2005 deposition, a Chamber official acknowledged that the Chamber had partnered with at least six outside groups to advance its agenda to avoid garnering unwanted critical attention. At least two 501(c) organizations, the Washington-based American Taxpayers Alliance and the Columbus-based Citizens for a Strong Ohio, reported receipt of contributions from the U.S. Chamber."

(...)

Opposing "activist judges"

In late May 2005, the Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform President Lisa Rickard announced it was going to "reign in activist attorneys general."<11> At a Chamber-sponsored conference examining the "appropriate role" of a state attorney general, several speakers "complained that 'Spitzerism' has become a dangerous model for ambitious regulators," refering to New York AG Eliot Spitzer.<12>



(...)

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act

In October 2007, the Chamber filed a friend-of-the court filing in a class action lawsuit under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court which originated with a California RICO lawsuit involving Microsoft and Best Buy. The Chamber stated that "RICO is getting out of control as a device against business. It has been used in more than 4,500 cases since 2001, with only 35 of those cases filed by the government."<14> The Supreme Court overturned the appeal and ruled that Microsoft and Best Buy are subject to RICO laws.<15>

(...)

SCHIP veto

The Chamber is among a number of organizations which supported President George W. Bush's October 2007 veto of the SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007) bill.<19> Republicans and "some business groups" such as the Chamber contended SCHIP "should focus on poor children and the expansion a move towards government-run health care. They also worr identification rules in the Democratic SCHIP bill might allow illegal immigrants to obtain government coverage."<20>

(...)

Social Security

The Chamber also has a role in promoting President George W. Bush's plan to privatize Social Security.

(...)

Lobbying spending

The Chamber ranks first in lobbying spending in the past decade, with General Electric ranking second at $161 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.<25>

Political Money Line<26> highlighted in February 2005 that the Chamber and its Institute for Legal Reform reported combined spending of $53.38 million for lobbying the Executive and Legislative branches during 2004. According to the watchdog website, "This is the largest twelve-month amount reported spent by any group."

The Chamber reported spending $20,060,000 in the first six months of 2004 and $8,780,000 in the last six months of 2004. They paid forty-five lobbyists in the last six months of 2004 to lobby on thirty-two issue areas, including "Trade, Small Business, Labor, Healthcare, Defense, Appropriations, Tort Reform and other areas."<27>

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=U.S._Chamber_of_Commerce

[annabanana]

1. the ground troops of the corporate arm of the gop. . . .n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. The corporate arm of the gop who said it would take down any progressive running

for office in '08. x(

[pleah]

2. K&R

[ColbertWatcher]

4. Kick and rec for more attention. n/t

[chill_wind]

5. Thanks. I was expecting instead to be boiled and roasted alive

for calling this out.

[ColbertWatcher]

7. Fuck the chamber.

They're supposed to be helping businesses instead of attacking workers.

They're pathetic.

[BlueJazz]

6. If you ever are not sure who to vote for in an Election, just find out who the...

.. Chamber of Commerce is recommending and vote for the other Person.

The CC are the scumbags of the Universe.


ON EDIT: Our Band used to play for some of their Functions...
I've never met a group of people (like the CC) who have absolutely NO redeeming Qualities.

[tnlefty]

8. K & R

I've begun to despise the Chamber more and more over the years.

[KoKo]

9. Many DU'ers still don't understand the corruption of the US Chamber of Commerce...

They believe every time it's quoted or a spokesperson appears on Fox, CNN or MSNBC..that these are "Small Businesspersons" fighting for their way of life.

It's totally different. They are Repug Supporters..their history is more coercive than even the Labor Unions they love to trash. :-(

[chill_wind]

13. I'm getting that impression. Around the time of the Bailout debates, it felt

like this place was over-run with their dedicated minions.

[1776Forever]

10. And the cherry on the top is they gave Sen Judd Gregg 100% rating in 2006...

Sen. Judd Gregg reportedly considered for Commerce - It's Obama's final Cabinet post without a nominee.

By Peter Nicholas
January 30, 2009

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-commerce30-2009jan30,0,5943171.story

There is no ambiguity about his business record. He received a 100% score from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for his votes in 2006, while earning just 7% from the AFL-CIO.

....

I hope this gets shot down but it doesn't look like it will!

[chill_wind]

12. And now they shall have one of their recent lobbyists giving advice in the DOJ

[chill_wind]

11. Gitenstein lobbied for for the U.S.COC all thru the Bush Admin; see also Mayer Brown Firm

Oh-- and one of his other clients was AT&T.

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=11405

http://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/indus.php?id=11275

Nice firm:

Mayer Brown Lawyer Indicted in Connection with Refco
Posted by Nathan Koppel
December 18, 2007

In a rare case of a lawyer being charged in connection with the alleged wrongs of a client, Chicago lawyer Joseph Collins (pictured) was indicted today on fraud and other charges in connection with the 2005 collapse of Refco. Here’s a copy of the indictment.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Tuesday announced 11 counts against Mayer Brown’s Collins, in connection with legal work he did for Refco, including documenting a series of “round trip loans” between related entities and outside investors that Refco completed to shift bad debt off its books from the late 1990s to 2005. The discovery of the transactions led to one of the swiftest collapses in Wall Street history.

Phillip Bennett, Refco’s former CEO, and others have been indicted in connection with the Refco collapse. “Acting hand-in-hand with Bennett, Collins made affirmative misrepresentations, material omissions, and told deceptive half-truths, all to assist Bennett’s scheme to steal more than $2.4 billion from potential investors,” reads the indictment. Bennett, who is represented by Gary Naftalis of Kramer Levin, is fighting the charges.

Lawyers are rarely charged criminally in connection with a client’s alleged fraud. In the collapse of Enron, no outside lawyers were charged. “There tends to be gray in legal transactions, but to show intent in a white collar prosecution, it needs to be black and white,” says Jenner & Block’s Andrew Weissmann, the former head of the DOJ’s Enron Task Force. “It’s difficult to develop that kind of evidence against lawyers.”

The SEC also filed a civil complaint Tuesday against Collins, alleging that he aided and abetted securities fraud at Refco.

Collins, who has been the head of Mayer Brown’s derivatives group, is now on leave from the firm while the charges are pending, the firm said Tuesday. “Mayer Brown has cooperated fully with authorities investigating activities related to the collapse of Refco,” the firm said in a statement. “Our review of the evidence available to us shows that the firm acted in a professional, competent and ethical manner in its work on behalf of Refco.”

source: Law Blog

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/12/18/mayer-brown-lawyer-indicted-in-connection-with-refco/


Mayer, Brown et al Client List (Open Secrets)

http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/firmsum.php?lname=Mayer%2C+Brown+et+al&year=


One guy from that firm's not enough at the DOJ! Per the LATimes:

Already, one of Gitenstein's colleagues at Mayer Brown, Rajesh De, has joined the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy, the Senate official said.

(,,,)

The Office of Legal Policy is a little-known but enormously powerful unit. It has primary responsibility for advising the administration on judicial selection and helping to shepherd judicial nominees through the Senate. It was established in 1981 as the principal Justice Department office to plan, develop and coordinate the implementation of major policy initiatives of high priority to the department and to the administration.

Senate records compiled first by Public Citizen show that Gitenstein was registered by Mayer Brown to lobby on behalf of the chamber, Merrill Lynch & Co., Ernst & Young and other corporations on issues including accounting standards, securities litigation and wireless regulation.

For the chamber, the disclosure forms show that he concentrated on legal issues that would likely confront any judicial nominees: class-action and other legal reforms, and the question of federal preemption of lawsuits filed in state courts.

These have been the top legal issues pushed by the business lobbies in Washington recently. Justice Department sources said that Gitenstein's nomination was expected in the near future and considered all but assured, in part because he is close to Biden. After leaving Capitol Hill, Gitenstein, like so many others in Washington, moved to a blue-chip lobbying and law firm advising clients on issues that he dealt with as a public employee.

Gitenstein ceased his work for the chamber last summer when he took a leave from his law firm to work for the Obama-Biden campaign.

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-justice5-2009feb05,0,7215699.story?track=rss


Why?? Why why why???