The White House, Chamber Of Commerce Attempt Rapprochement

[onehandle]

WASHINGTON -- The relationship between the Obama White House and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has always been too complicated to define as simply acrimonious.

The two parties have collaborated on some major items, notably the bank bailout and the stimulus package. And while the head-butting has been more noticeable and severe -- from Valerie Jarrett calling the business lobby's "free enterprise" campaign "regrettable" to the Chamber spending millions of dollars attacking Democrats in the 2010 cycle -- it's always been coupled with formal efforts at rapprochement.

"People in this administration talk to ," White House senior adviser David Axelrod told the Huffington Post in an interview last week. "People in the administration talk to other members of the board. We have good relations with some members; some are hostile. But what we need to do is pursue a pro-growth agenda. We may differ on some issues and they will make their political decisions in the future. But we are going to work individually with businesses wherever we can to help grow jobs and prosperity."

On Wednesday, the intricacies and oddities of the relationship were on full display. For the second time in as many weeks, a member of the Obama cabinet met with Chamber officials. It was not to discuss the sharp elbows thrown during the campaign, when the White House, in no uncertain terms, accused the Chamber of subverting the democratic process by refusing to reveal its donors. Rather, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner met with the group's board of directors to "discuss the state of the economy, jobs, and administration priorities 'for supporting the competitiveness of American businesses'."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/the-white-house-and-the-c_n_784737.html

[Demeter]

1. RICO Them

[joeybee12]

2. Ok, do I rec for thanking you for bringing this to our attention, or unrec

for shwoing that Team Obama has learned squat?

[Vincardog]

3. Team Obama has learned squat? I disagree he is the best GOP president we have had in decades

[Safetykitten]

4. I think there may be a bigger plan, so let's not rush to judgement.

[budkin]

5. Geithner is part of the damn problem... he needs to go

[ProSense]

6. That photo and title is disgusting.

The notion that the President is going to blacklist anyone and not talk to them is ridiculous.

[onehandle]

8. Talk to HuffPo. nt

[ProSense]

9. Here, more perspective

It's regulation writing time and the Chamber is sucking up to the administration.

Chamber Softens Rhetoric But Will Fight Obama Regulations

9:55 a.m. | Updated The U.S. Chamber of Commerce appears ready to hit the reset button on its stormy relationship with the White House even as its leaders vow to begin a new battle against what they call excessive regulation by President Obama’s government.

In a speech Wednesday morning, Tom Donohue, the chamber’s president and chief executive, declared himself ready and willing to work with Mr. Obama despite a two-year war of words that culminated in especially heated rhetoric during the midterm elections.

“This is not personal with us,” Mr. Donohue said in the speech at the chamber’s annual board meeting. “It’s about representing our members and advancing ideas that we think are essential to expand our economy, compete in the world, and create American jobs.”

<...>

Chamber takes victory lap, warns of Obama regulatory 'tide'

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue took a short victory lap Wednesday, telling his board of directors he was “proud” of how midterm voters responded to the Chamber's election arguments.

The Chamber pumped millions into midterm campaign ads critical of Democratic leadership in Washington and endorsed scores of House Republican candidates. Its decisions were vindicated when the GOP decisively won back the House majority, gaining 60 seats with several races outstanding.

“We spoke about the dangers of a bigger, more intrusive government, about the essential role of free enterprise to the American Dream and about the overriding challenge of creating 20 million jobs over the next 10 years,” Donohue said Wednesday. “The American people responded in a historic way.”

<...>

Donohue: US Chamber won't seek Obama's defeat

WASHINGTON – Despite mounting an aggressive attack on many Obama administration policies, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday the giant trade association has no intention of working against President Barack Obama's re-election 21012.

"It is not in our interests to get into presidential politics," Chamber President Thomas Donohue told reporters after addressing the chamber's board of directors and decrying what he called a "regulatory tsunami" faced by American business. He specifically cited signature Obama initiatives such as the new health care overhaul and financial regulations law.

"We have never seen anything of this scale before," he said of the rules under consideration. "It defies all logic and common sense."

<...>

[Mass]

10. lol, I love the last title.

We wont fight Obama, just make sure he cant do anything by campaigning for a Republican congress. Yep. That is clear. But there is nothing new there and I would assume the White House is aware of that.

And Sam Stein is an idiot, but there is nothing new there either.

[Cosmocat]

11. "it's not in our interests to get into presidential politics?"

is that a friggen joke?

These jackwagons just spent 100s of millions dollars in ads that directly and indirectly portrayed this president and his policies as nothing short of all out communism, while engaging in an all out assault on the president's party ...

Sorry, chuckles, you are neck deep in presidential politics ...

That aside, as with everything else that the wingers and MSM advance that has absolutely NO historical foundation ... This whole thing that this president and admint have been the most anti-business ever ... I get hit by that from some of my republican friends, and I say, "as opposed to TR trust busting and Jackson breaking up the banks?" The obligatory BS occurs, but it all boils down to the right wing being scorched earth and painting themselves as victims to justify it to themselves, their sheeple and the folks who aren't paying attention ...

[ProfessionalLeftist]

7. The US CoC needs to be shut down. It's nothing but a corprat welfare

propaganda arm for big business - which strongarms the gov't to do their bidding - all else be damned.