Angry member groups shun US Chamber of Commerce

[Joanne98]

Source: Politico

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is under fire from some local chambers over its hard-hitting $75 million ad campaign to elect a Republican House, with dozens of hometown groups distancing themselves from the effort and a handful even quitting the national group in protest.

“We were getting pounded. We felt here, in Central Pennsylvania, that the ads they were running were not professional ads,” said David Wise, president of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, which is considering dropping its national membership. “This was not a unifying event. It was divisive.”


More than 40 local chambers issued statements during the midterms distancing themselves from the U.S. Chamber’s campaign — including nearly every major local Chamber in Iowa and New Hampshire, key states in the presidential campaign.

Other chambers plan to take the extraordinary step of ending their affiliation with the U.S. Chamber, including The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Its leaders reported being inundated with angry — and sometimes profanity-laced — telephone calls from people objecting to the U.S. Chamber-backed ads.





Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46049.html

[ElsewheresDaughter]

1. Glad to see that our angry phone calls and letters had some impact

[Celtic Raven]

2. Wish I could see as much responsiveness

when I make phone calls & write to my Congress members and the WH.

[Ichingcarpenter]

3. Local Chambers of Commerce need to change their name

to something else in order to differentiate themselves from the national branch.

The Public doesn't know there is a difference and consider them two peas in a pod.

nominated it

[Historic NY]

6. Anytown Business Association

[safeinOhio]

4. The Chamber is

the Republican "Acorn", only it has real money and power.

[Historic NY]

5. K&R

[midnight]

8. Touche!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

10. Yuppers "The Chamber is the Republican's ACORN"

[aquart]

7. A "handful" had guts.

The rest? Lip service.

[Downwinder]

9. I won't shop anywhere that displays a Chamber sticker and tell them so.

Last week five businesses dropped their memberships. If I can get one a day, I'll be happy.

[sofa king]

11. I think I've got half of my town's business owners dropping the Chamber.

"Why would you, as a struggling business owner, pay money to a group that diverts your payment into the campaigns of a set of politicians who never support your own interests?"

Turns out you only have to ask that question once to get a business owner to throw their next donation appeal straight into the trash. All of you should try it.

[harun]

13. +1

[OlympicBrian]

12. Yummy K&R