The larger story behind this recent Intercept Article is the headline you just read. Let’s talk….
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a representative organization in the United States that lobbies Congress.
The CoC represent the interests of the multinational corporations who use K-Street and J-Street in DC to write rules, regulations, policies and laws as part of their corporate control over U.S. wealth. That’s what the CoC does. That’s the entire purpose of the Chamber of Commerce.
For a long time, the CoC has been in the background of multiple political discussions.
During the Obama administration, the federal Dept of Commerce permitted the private sector U.S. Chamber of Commerce to write U.S. trade language; that is to physically write the words that go into U.S. trade deals with other countries. This was the era of maximum value for the CoC that saw their coffers swell as massive multinational corps realized the CoC was in the business of literally controlling the U.S. capitalist economy.
The arch nemesis of the CoC was President Donald Trump, who threw the CoC out of the room when decisions were being made about trade and economic policy. This was the era of minimum value for the CoC, when corporations were no longer getting to influence the policy.
In desperate response the CoC turned to their purchased politicians in Congress, specifically to their #1 ally Mitch McConnell, and asked or help in overcoming the problem that Trump and his America First agenda represented.
As MAGA (America First) economic and trade influence in Congress increased, the CoC had trouble because President Trump could target any Republican CoC beneficiaries that undermined the economic policy. That could result in a career ending primary challenge. For the first time in decades, the Republican wing of the UniParty had a tough time supporting Chamber President Tom Donohue in his demands for influence.
What happened next was stunning.