The U.S. Chamber in the news - October 30

Control of Senate may hinge on Ohio race
Much of the $27 million in outside money flowing into Ohio has come from conservative and business interest groups seeking to elect Josh Mandel, the 35-year-old state treasurer dubbed the "boy wonder" by Republican Governor John Kasich.
Mandel's major supporters include Republican strategist Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS, which has spent $4.6 million on advertising in the race, plus the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has spent $4.3 million and the National Federation of Independent Business ($1 million), according to federal regulatory filings. [Chicago Tribune]

US banks can't ignore shareholder activism
Two years ago, when the US Chamber of Commerce was faced with a modest proposal to give shareholders a non-binding vote on executive pay, it reacted as if it were The Communist Manifesto. [Financial Times]

Nursing Home Lawsuits & The US Chamber of Commerce
Unfortunately, there are times when large business interests--like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--pursue policies that unfairly harm society as a whole. For example, the Chamber is at the front lines of the fight against virtually all "regulations" that might force companies to take certain steps to act fairly and safely. In many cases these regulations do nothing more than ensure fair quality standards to keep consumers--like nursing home residents--safe from dangerous practices. All of this, it is argue, is unfair public meddling with private business. However, at the same time, when the recent recession hit, many of those same big interests were the first parties with their hand held out asking for government support to help them out of the hole. Apparently, government action is great when it helps them but it is awful when it helps others. This sort of hypocrisy is at the root of so much Chamber conduct. [Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog]

Can Your Employer Tell You How You Should Vote?
The US Chamber of Commerce, a lobbying association that represents companies like Dow Chemical and Prudential Financial,  is distributing payroll stuffers, posters, and postcards for businesses to turn out employees and sway their votes. A political mailer being distributed in Massachusetts reads “Defeat U.S. Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren.”  [Article 3]