"Counter-programming the U.S. Chamber of Commerce"

[Clio the Leo]

<snip long passage about Obama working to bury the hatchet with the Chamber of Commerce after the mid-terms>

In addition, the White House has been working behind the scenes to boost an outside group of corporate executives, known as Business Forward, to help set it up as a kind of rival organization to the Chamber of Commerce. The idea is, according to senior Democratic strategists, that the executives who make up Business Forward can stand up and support the president's agenda -- serving as a counterweight to Chamber opposition in order to show that the business community is not unilaterally anti-Obama.

In fact, Jim Messina, deputy chief of staff at the White House, briefed leaders of Business Forward on Obama's agenda at a meeting in Washington on Monday. The group is made up of executives from several major corporations, including AT&T, Ford, Facebook, Microsoft, Fidelity, Hilton Worldwide, Visa, Wal-Mart, McDonald's and Time Warner (the parent company of CNN).

Documents from the event obtained by CNN noted that "17 of America's most respected companies are working with Business Forward to encourage thousands of business executives, small business owners, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to get engaged in the policymaking process."

The documents added that over the next three months, the group plans to "host panels in Washington and around the country on consumer financial protection, trade and exports, cybersecurity and IP, health care and childhood obesity," all of which could be an opportunity to drum up support for some of Obama's signature issues.

Officials familiar with the inner workings of Business Forward said they're also using Washington lobbyists to help enlist support for Obama's initiatives, despite the administration's efforts to foster a very hands-off relationship with the lobbying community. Attendees at Monday's meeting with Messina included powerhouse lobbyists like Manuel Ortiz, who lobbies for Visa, Verizon, and AT&T among other corporations, and Broderick Johnson, who lobbies for big clients like Microsoft and Comcast among others.

A senior administration official stressed that Messina's appearance at Business Forward was part of the White House's regular outreach to the business community and he was merely "providing information about our agenda" and was not allowing lobbyists to help formulate policy.

Meanwhile, a senior Chamber official scoffed at the idea that Business Forward will be able to rise to any sort of rival to the Chamber. "It's a joke," said the official. "We've been here 100 years."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/11/19/obama.chamber.commerce/index.html

"It's a joke," said the old white men, "we've controlled the Presidency for over 200 years!" :)

[WhiteTara]

1. Oh how I would love to see him hoisted

on his own petard! The list of companies Obama has gathered are really not to be trifled with. Facebook? Gosh that could bury the c of c right there!

[Tippy]

2. K&R...