U.S. Chamber - as stupid as the tea partiers it backed

Yes, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is economically stupid, as well as greedy and clueless. Here's the proof.

Business has already blown several chances. In mid-July, nearly 500 executives (including the chamber’s) wrote a letter to the White House and Congress saying the obvious: default would be ruinous and long-term deficits should be reduced. The Washington Post reported that the signers could not reach agreement on whether Republicans should accept the president’s proposed compromises on taxes, which offered to cut spending in exchange for much smaller revenue increases. As a result, the letter said nothing about revenue. A similar letter was sent two weeks later by the Financial Services Forum, which includes the big banks and investment firms.

Last week, the chamber wrote a letter to the Congressional “supercommittee” demanding that it “address entitlements” — meaning cut the benefits of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — and restructure the tax code. But it said nothing about raising revenues or asking for greater shared sacrifice through higher income and estate taxes for the wealthy.

The chamber, along with the Business Roundtable and others, has urged greater government spending on rebuilding roads, bridges and the power grid. The chamber joined with the A.F.L.-C.I.O. in supporting the creation of an infrastructure bank, one of the White House’s top priorities to help kick-start the economy. We hope they back it up with real lobbying in Republican offices.

That's just part of the Sunday political follies.

Add in that George Pataki is now considering a GOP presidential run. I guess Rudy's busy?

And Al Sharpton shows, or feigns, or a bit of both, penitence over Crown Heights

The NYT, a few weeks late, actually starts looking at Tricky Ricky Perry's shakedown of campaign contributors.