Mother Jones has a biting article today covering the news that former Indiana senator Evan Bayh will now be receiving a fat pay check to serve as a lobbyist for the US Chamber of Commerce. Andy Kroll writes,The Chamber’s hiring of Bayh, a big name in Washington circles, will only help its efforts to delay or kill new regulatory legislation in Congress. Indeed, Donohue’s memo touts how the Chamber has filed legal briefs to challenge the validity of President Obama’s health care reform bill; successfully delayed a new Securities and Exchange Commission rule on giving shareholders a say on corporate directors; unveiled plans to undermine the clout of the fledgling Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; and delayed a rule forcing companies to disclose when they use conflict minerals from the Congo in their products. Bayh and Card, the memo says, will help the Chamber push this pro-corporate agenda in Washington and beyond.
In the lead up to the 2012 election, the Chamber is increasing its efforts to push a Big Polluter agenda that includes everything from gutting the Clean Air Act to making it easier for companies to use conflict minerals from the Congo. We’ll need to up our efforts, as well. Looks like its time to sign up some more businesses and local chambers in Indiana to say, “The US Chamber Doesn’t Speak for Me.”
