Towards the end of December, we began receiving word that the Republican establishment and outside groups like Karl Rove's American Crossroads and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce were beginning to aggressively target conservative challengers for defeat, while grooming centrist, status quo Republican incumbents for the 2014 midterms. Why? A major component includes an all-out effort to make it easier to pass amnesty.
Breitbart: The Chamber of Commerce plans to spend at least $50 million to wage war against conservative and Tea Party candidates during the 2014 midterm elections while Rove's American Crossroads is reloading as well. They hope that "a less restive Republican caucus" will pave the way for initiatives like immigration reform. The Chamber of Commerce has indicated it may also pressure incumbent Republicans in moderate districts who are not on board with amnesty to get their support.Well, Donohue delivered today...
The Journal reports that during the most recent budget battle, House Speaker John Boehner's allies engaged in hardball tactics that may have been a trial run for the immigration battle. They worked behind the scenes to "end internal dissent," strong-arming "GOP committee chairmen who had voted against the House leadership in prior fiscal battles" by making it clear that opposing Boehner on the budget deal may jeopardize their committee posts. Boehner trashed conservatives and conservative groups after the budget deal, and conservative talk radio host Mark Levin said Boehner was strategically doing that to lay the groundwork for the looming amnesty battle. One of the main reasons that the Republican establishment wanted a budget deal was the clear the legislative calendar in the early part of next year for amnesty.
Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donahue has already pledged to get involved in Republican primaries, and a Chamber of Commerce spokesperson, Scott Reed, denigrated conservatives by saying his organization's mantra will be, "No fools on our ticket." The Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Congress earlier this year saying that a "failure to act" on amnesty is "not an option" and indicated one of the main reasons it decided to play in Republican primaries was because the group was frustrated by resistance to amnesty, which would lead to an influx of foreign workers that will lower the wages of working class Americans.
USAToday: The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce pledged Wednesday to ramp up the group's lobbying on immigration legislation and to play a bigger role in electing pro-business candidates in November's midterm congressional elections.Related links: U.S. Chamber of Commerce will oppose tea party candidates
The nation's largest business-lobbying group "will pull out the stops" to encourage Congress to pass a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, chamber president Tom Donohue said during his annual "State of American Business" speech.
Donohue said the group is prepared to spend heavily to ensure lawmakers pass pro-business measures in an election year when it's often hard to enact any laws, much less controversial bills such as immigration.
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Levin went nuclear tonight on Donohue, saying the crony corporatist Chamber of Commerce leader "has officially declared war on we the taxpayers!”
"These people do not believe in free market capitalism. They want to be subsidized by the working people of this country. They want Wall Street subsidized. They want big companies subsidized. We believe in capitalism, hard work, honest work, without government interference, without government subsidies, without government coersion. The United States Chamber of Commerce under this buffoon, Thomas Donohue, does not. They do not. They see government as an opportunity to rake us over. That's right. And he has declared war on us..."
"This Thomas Donohue and the United States Chamber of Commerce have bought one Republican after another, and Democrats too, and including the Republican leadership, including John Boehner, including Eric Cantor, including Mitch McConnell..."
"These people aren't pushing for legalization of illegal aliens because they're concerned about illegal aliens. They're pushing it, because they're concerned about their own power positions in Washington and their own bank accounts. It's that simple."
Lining pockets with cheaper labor at the detriment of the American worker, and thus the economy, is so stereotypical of these Big Government Republicans...yet, it's a stereotype that they seem quite comfortable with apparently. And the Democrats certainly don't mind them taking the lead under this persona. Lose-lose.
Related links: Ruling Class gearing up for another amnesty push
Chamber of Commerce Declares 2014 the ‘Year of Immigration Reform’