Why It's Time to Fight the Chamber of Commerce

The U.S. CHAMBER Infographic: Why it's time to fight the U.S. Chamber of Commerce DOESN'T SPEAK FOR ME What is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a corporate front group. It spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year to sway politicians and it's blocking every attempt to The Chamber gets 55% of its funding from 16 make progress on climate. anonymous Tom Donahue, President & CEO corporate donors $132,000,000 The amount the U.S. Chamber spent on lobbying in 2010. That's more than the second, third and fourth largest lobbying groups combined. Of the $32 million the U.,S. 94% Chamber spent on the 2010 midterm election, 94% went to candidates who are to climate deniers climate deniers. And this isn't the first time the U.S. Chamber has been wrong: ACCESSIBLE World War II McCarthyism Civil Rights Disabled Rights Clean Air ..joined Joseph ...lobbied McCarthy in ..tried to defeat the Clean Air Act The Chamber fought against U.S. involvement perpetuating in WWII. ...opposed the against key planks of the Civil Rights Act. passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. and undermine the Red scare. the EPA. Why take on the Chamber Now? The Chamber is vulnerable. The U.S. Chamber's power comes from a claim that it Number of businesses the U.S. represents 3 million local businesses, but it doesn't. 3,000,000 Chamber claims to represent Businesses like Apple, Nike and Microsoft are leaving their positions within the U.S. Number that the U.S. Chamber actually Chamber, and local chambers represents of commerce in Seattle, New 200,000 York and San Francisco are Number that provide cutting their ties, to, the majority of the U.S. Chamber's funding 16 The Chamber is on the run. Now's the time to turn up the heat. How do we stop the Chamber? By proving that it doesn't STEP 1: speak for American Talk to small businesses. business. When hundreds of local chambers of commerce and thousands of small businesses speak out, the U.S. Chamber will be exposed for what it is: a STEP 2: corporate front group. Get businesses to talk to their local chamber of commerce If it can't claim to "speak for American business," the U.S. Chamber's political power will be greatly weakened. So now's the time. Go to chamber.350.org and help STEP 3: Get local chambers to split with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce businesses across the country declare "The U.S. Chamber Doesn't Speak For Me!" Let's get started: Go to chamber.350.org The U.S. CHAMBER DOESN'T SPEAK FOR ME 350.org Sources: ThinkProgress. http://thinkprogress.org/2010/11/23/uschamber-obama/ Rolling Stone, Jan. 19, 2011. "12 Politicians and Execs Blocking Progress on Global Warming." http://rolingstone.com http://www.fixtheuschamber.org/sites/default/files/a_us_chamber_watch_reportnovember_2010.pdf Mother Jones, 10/14/09 http://motherjones.com/mojo/2009/10/yo-chamber-commerce-you-speakin-me