China Makes Its Big Move Into U.S. Politics Through The U.S. Chamber Of Commerce

The nefarious U.S. Chamber of Commerce has turned itself into a funnel for cash from the worst international actors on the planet, actors willing to ante up millions of dollars to get easily manipulatable Republicans into office. As we pointed out, before, China is willing to spend whatever it takes to make John Boehner Speaker and to insert stooges like Ron Johnson and Roy Blunt into the Senate. Yesterday CQPolitics reported that the Chamber has more than doubled its spending on political attack ads since Tuesday. Their foreign-financed attack ads are aimed primarily against Paul Hodes (D-NH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Joe Sestak (D-PA), Robin Carnahan (D-MO), Alexi Giannoulias (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Charlie Crist (I-FL) and in support of Republicans who enthusiastically support trade policies which ship good-paying American jobs to low wage hellholes like China.

This week President Obama warned that the Chamber's use of foreign money in their election strategy is undermining American democracy. "Just this week, we learned that one of the largest groups paying for these ad regularly takes in money from foreign corporations. So groups that receive foreign money are spending huge sums to influence American elections. And they won’t tell you where the money for the ads come from.

"So this isn’t just a threat to Democrats. All Republicans should be concerned. Independents should be concerned. This is a threat to our democracy. The American people deserve to know who’s trying to influence their elections. And if we just stand by and allow the special interests to silence anybody who’s got the guts to stand up to them, our country’s going to be a very different place."

More than a few Democratic candidates, though, obviously not the reactionary Blue Dogs who the U.S. Chamber is also showering with yuans and rubles-- Frank Kratovil (MD), Glenn Nye (VA), Travis Childers (MS), Jim Marshall (GA) &, obviously, Bobby Bright (AL)-- are shouting "foul." And yesterday Joe Sestak went on the attack on one of the worst of the GOP candidates who is aiding and abetting China's economic aggression towards America, Pat Toomey who "admitted that he would side with China at the expense of American workers on a bill aimed at preventing China from manipulating its currency." Sestak pointed to an Associated Press report showing that Toomey "opposes the bipartisan legislation, placing him in radical opposition to every U.S. House member from Pennsylvania." Toomey has long opposed "Buy American" campaigns and in his book, Road To Prosperity, a crazed right-wing screed written for him by a Club For Growth staffer, he calls "buy America language" an "unfortunate tendency."

“Congressman Toomey finally broke his silence but only to let Pennsylvanians know that he continues to favor China over American workers. More and more jobs are being sent overseas every day. Rather than force China to play by the rules, Congressman Toomey wants to take away all safeguards that protect American jobs,” said Sestak spokesman Jonathon Dworkin.

China has been able to flood the market with cheaper goods as a result of its currency manipulation which place American companies and workers at an unfair disadvantage. The bill, which Joe co-sponsored, would allow the U.S. to seek sanctions against China and other countries that manipulate their currency. The measure passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner, 348-79.

Joe Sestak is one of only six candidates for the Senate that Blue America is recommending progressives contribute to.