Misleading Chamber has GOP backing

When the Supreme Court handed down the Citizens United decision, its Republican supporters claimed the decision does not allow contributions by foreign companies or governments to be spent on American election campaigns. That claim has been exposed in all its hypocritical glory.

The extremely conservative U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a trade association organized as a not-for-profit that can raise and spend unlimited funds, has collected tens, if not hundreds, of million of dollars from foreign corporations and governments. It is spending that money on attack ads against Democrats.

Also, as of Sept. 15, the Chamber had paid for more than 8,000 ads on behalf of Republican Senate candidates alone, according to a study by the Wesleyan Media Project.

The foreign governments in question include the small, oil-rich country of Bahrain, India, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Russia, and many others.

Among the reasons foreign governments seek to defeat Democratic candidates this November is outsourcing.

The Chamber has repeatedly sent out issue alerts attacking Democratic efforts to encourage businesses to hire locally rather than outsourcing American jobs to foreign countries.

The Chamber also has bitterly fought Democrats for opposing unfettered free trade deals.

The Chamber, which has a long history in support of outsourcing, battled tooth and nail this year against legislation which would end tax breaks for U. S. multi-national corporations that ship jobs overseas.

In all these clashes, the Chamber has had the unwavering support of the Republicans in Congress.

So when you vote this election season, remember who fights to send American jobs overseas and who supports keeping American jobs in America.

Tom Bartlett-Svehla

Mundelein