"The chamber’s increasingly aggressive role — including record spending in the midterm elections that supports Republicans more than 90 percent of the time — has made it a target of critics, including a few local chamber affiliates who fear it has become too partisan and hard-nosed in its fund-raising."
So reports a headline story in the New York Times today about the Chamber of Commerce's increasingly secretive and partisan fundraising and lobbying efforts. The Chamber, once an institution that supported small and family businesses, increasingly does the bidding of a few large corporations, and in the first part of our GRITtv Digs investigation, Harry Hanbury starts to open up the Chamber's secrets for you.
Want to see more investigations like this from us? We need to raise $10,000 to get the second part of The Loaded Chamber on air before the election! You can support us here!
Very Very good. I am looking forward to seeing the next segment
By David E. Jay on October 22nd, 2010 at 1:42 pm
as one of the little people amidst all this money and power I’m looking forward to seeing the possibilituies directing the chamber of commerce for the good of the population of america. instead of the corparate politico fatcats. I think your on to something with this exposee series.
By steve y. leibowitz on October 23rd, 2010 at 8:55 am
This is very frustrating. I have a blank white area and then what I can choose to show in this area; but nothing that says “press here”, or “play”, or any instructions on how to get what I want to play to actually play. Being as technicly incapable as I am, I hope you tell me what to press so I can watch Laura Flanders, or at least hear her.
By ron cohen on October 24th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
really well-produced and easily understandable. it makes me furious what happened under the “citizens united” decision; this election cycle has been turned inside out by the chamber and the big boys. republicans like to say, “well, whatever party is being challenged always challenges the money.” but we’re not talking about the same kind of game anymore… thank you for this report! i posted it on facebook and hope that lots of people will share it.
By laura in oregon on October 25th, 2010 at 3:55 am
Hoping to view Secret Money now.
By Tom Courbat on October 25th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Ohhhh, foreign money. How soon we forget about John Huang and Charlie Tre. You libs are all alike…anti-capitalist.
By Richard on October 25th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
The US Chamber of Commerce like so many other agencies, has been taken over by special interests and it’s activities reflect this basic truth which afflicts our entire nation. Don’t look for shame by exposing them, they’re beyond shame. We have lost our Republic; the machinery is fascistic and the oil is money.
By Doubtom on October 26th, 2010 at 12:42 am
POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM FOREIGN CORPORATIONS:
Russian gas company Gazprom gives political money to the Republican Attorney General of Virginia according to comments 88, 177, 225 etc. by “Snapple” on:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/10/cuccinelli-goes-fishing-again/comment-page-2/#comments
“Chamber Of Commerce Receives At Least $885,000 From Over 80 Foreign Companies That May Be Used to Attack Democrats”:
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/10/13/chamber-of-commerce-receives-at-least-885000-from-over-80-foreign-companies-that-may-be-used-to-attack-democrats/
and
http://www.thinkprogress.org/2010/10/13/chamber-foreign-funded-media/
Most of the contributions are from India, but there are also contributions from Canada, Switzerland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, France, Bahrain, Dubai and Singapore. They are making contributions because they want to move American jobs to their countries.
POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES:
“Video proof David Koch, the polluting billionaire, pulls the strings of the Tea Party extremists”
http://climateprogress.org/2010/10/14/video-proof-david-koch-the-polluting-billionaire-pulls-the-strings-of-the-tea-party-extremists/
The Koch brothers own Koch Oil Company.
http://climateprogress.org/2010/10/20/koch-big-oil-chamber-glenn-beck-plot-2010-election/
The source of the video of David Koch [oil billionaire] running the Tea Party is Taki Oldham [http://astroturfwars.org/].
From:
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/10/25/toxic-brew/
“Oldham infiltrated some of the movement’s key organising events, including the 2009 Defending the Dream summit, convened by a group called Americans for Prosperity. The film shows David Koch addressing the summit. “Five years ago,” he explains, “my brother Charles and I provided the funds to start Americans for Prosperity. It’s beyond my wildest dreams how AFP has grown into this enormous organisation.””
From: info@1sky.org:
“ Big Oil, Dirty Coal, and their allies have spent more than $990 million to influence the politics of the 111th Congress and to elect a whole slate of climate deniers and shills for big polluters this November.”
“Beck, who owns a media company worth more than $32 million dollars and an experimental Mercedes Benz, essentially told his working class viewers to give their wages back to their employers.”
http://climateprogress.org/2010/10/20/koch-big-oil-chamber-glenn-beck-plot-2010-election
By Asteroid Miner on October 26th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
[...] Related VideoThe Loaded Chamber: The Watchdog Doesn't BiteThe Loaded Chamber: Secret Money [...]
By GRITtv » Blog Archive » The Loaded Chamber: Foreign Money on October 29th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
[...] the first two parts of our investigative series, The Loaded Chamber, we met the faces behind the U.S. Chamber of [...]
By GRITtv » Blog Archive » The Loaded Chamber, Tax Liens, Mamachas del Ring, and Lee Camp on October 29th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
[...] GRITtv » Blog Archive » The Loaded Chamber: Secret Money [...]
By News/Journalism/Politics for Friday, October 29, 2010 | Earlystart10's Blog on October 29th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
[...] Grit TV “The chamber’s increasingly aggressive role — including record spending in the midterm elections that supports Republicans more than 90 percent of the time — has made it a target of critics, including a few local chamber affiliates who fear it has become too partisan and hard-nosed in its fund-raising.” [...]
By Grit Tv’s The Loaded Chamber Pts 1, 2 & 3 | The Fifth Column on October 30th, 2010 at 2:16 am
I see you blocked my earlier comment. Don’t know why. I lauded your series on this subject.
I just thought to be fair you ought to report that there has been foreign intervention in a big, continuoyus way in our politics and society since 1971 when Nixon allowed massive foreign investment in this country and Barron Rothschild and his partner George Soros formed the Inter-Alpha Group to take over the world’s investment banks. They now control 70% of the world’s wealth.
Also, there is massive Chinese money coming into our process and not just from their front group Walmart.
And there is Saudi money paying Bill Clinton’s bills while he goes around. And don’t forget Al Gore who is really British and not American and makes his money on cap & trade from his home and office in London.
IN other words, foreign money coming into our process (along with foreign spies and espionage) has been coming into our processes since Nixon began the collapse of the U.S. economy with his Southern Strategy which continues to be the strategy of the Republican Party. The only change over the last 40 years has been that the Democrats have also reached out (or been reached) for foreign handouts.
I simply asked you to be fair in your reporting and not act as if what the Chamber is doing is anything new. For 40 years we have had foreign oligarchs running Wall St. and our political parties. And that is a fact. I hope you aren’t so partisan that you will ignore this fact.
By shadowknows on October 30th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Oh, Laura, I just looked at your list of contributors. I now understand why you won’t report on George Soros. I guess you really are partisan. So I doubt that you will allow my remarks herein. Sad.
By shadowknows on October 30th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Why are you deleting my comments. I offered nothing but praise for your series on the Chamber???
By shadowknows on October 30th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
I still am not sure why you are blocking my comments, but I must advise you that this blog is not the only place where I interact with you Laura. You actually know me. Blocking me on your blog is not simply a mistake, it is a blunder. I have great respect for your work (although I wish you would be more careful about where and from whom you raise money) so I have been insulted and hurt that you are blocking my comments.
By shadowknows on October 30th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
[...] In other words the U.S. Chamber has emerged as the biggest force standing in the way of meaningful climate legislation and in so doing they do not represent real American business interests. They represent only a handful of big business interests. Get this straight. The U.S. Chamber IS NOT your friendly local chamber of commerce. It is a different animal entirely. (See these videos for more). [...]
By Design Activists Needed | Metropolis POV | Metropolis Magazine on May 5th, 2011 at 11:30 am