Chamber of Commerce Won’t Push for Health Repeal

[Emit]

Republicans in Congress shouldn’t look to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to support a repeal of the health-care overhaul, the group’s chief executive said today.

In an interview with Wall Street Journal reporters and editors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue criticized the health care legislation as a “very, very expensive” and disruptive change to the nation’s health-care delivery system. A companion bill that completes the overhaul legislation cleared the House last night and is expected to cross the final hurdles in the Senate this week.

But Donohue made it clear the chamber won’t be spending any of its substantial war chest on a campaign, favored by Republicans, to repeal the legislation. The Washington-based chamber, which represents three million businesses of all sizes, spent heavily in an unsuccessful effort to kill the health bill. Minutes after Democrats won passage in the House Sunday night, the chamber issued a statement calling the vote “a wrong and unfortunate decision that ignores the will of the American people.”

But once the bill becomes law, Donohue said, “If people want to try and repeal, let them. We’re not going to spend any capital on that.” Instead, he said the chamber will push for changes to the bill when it enters the regulatory stage, always a key pressure point.

~snip~

The chamber already is laying plans for the election season. “Through the largest issue advocacy and voter education program in our history, we will encourage citizens to hold their elected officials accountable when they choose a new Congress this November,” Donohue said in the statement.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/03/22/chamber-wont-push-for-health-repeal/

[bluestateguy]

1. They pissed away millions in a failed effort to kill the bill

They know that a repeal campaign would be even more costly--and fail.

[Emit]

2. And they're building up a tremendous war chest for upcoming elections

[w4rma]

3. This is the nastiest group of them all. They get too much funding from their members, many of whom

don't understand how insidious this group is and what they mean when they fund "pro-business" legislation/legislators.