U.S. Chamber of Commerce lays out 2010 political strategy

January 15, 2010

Washington Post

Frank Ahrens

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will be actively involved in midterm House and Senate races and even in upcoming judiciary picks, the group's president said Tuesday, while adding that he "gets along fine" with the White House, despite recent clashes over health-care reform.

"There are people from the administration in this building every day," Chamber president and chief executive Thomas J. Donohue said. "We've never made it personal."

A clash between the White House and the Chamber has been brewing for several months as the two sides have fought over the shape of health-care reform. The Chamber was not invited to President Obama's December jobs summit, a snub widely noticed in the business community.

Donohue repeatedly made the point on Tuesday: The Chamber does not get involved in presidential politics. Congressional races, however, are another matter. The GOP is hoping to pick off wobbly Democrats in the midterm elections this year by hammering them on the nation's 10 percent unemployment rate, support for higher taxes on businesses and rising debt, and the Chamber will sponsor efforts aimed at "voter education," Donohue said.

Still, he couldn't resist tossing a barb at the White House, calling Monday's meeting between Obama and union leaders a "seance."

A White House spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

Donohue's remarks came after the Chamber's annual State of American Business address, held at the group's headquarters in Washington.

In his speech, Donohue proposed an effort to create 20 million jobs over the next 10 years. He said jobs could be created by doubling U.S. exports, rebuilding infrastructure, investing in green energy -- including nuclear -- expanding credit and holding down taxes.

He urged Obama to keep current tax rates in place for the foreseeable future, gravely warning that increases could cause a double-dip recession "or worse."

On energy, Donohue said nuclear power needs to be part of the nation's energy-producing mix. He said he has spoken to many in the environmental movement and senses a thaw in their longtime opposition to nuclear plants, which produce much lower emissions than coal-fired power plants.

Donohue's speech included plenty of red meat for pro-business, free-market fans, including the assertion that health-care-reform legislation as it exists in the House and Senate is a prescription for "an eventual government takeover of American health care."

He pushed for the United States to conclude trade pacts with other countries, noting that European rivals are on their way to doing so. If the United States does not pass a pending trade agreement with South Korea, for instance, 350,000 U.S. workers could lose their jobs, he said.

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