White House pressured businesses to drop their Chamber membership

The Chamber of Commerce has been quite active in opposing the anti-business policies of the Obama administration. The White House retaliated.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the White House pressured businesses that are members of the Chamber of Commerce to drop their membership:

WASHINGTON -Since taking office nearly two years ago, President Obama has frequently clashed with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a major business group that has plowed millions of dollars into opposing his plans to overhaul the healthcare and impose new regulations on Wall Street.

Obama and his aides have criticized the group publicly. But the administration's campaign to neutralize the group went farther, according to new detail about the dispute.

Over the last year the White House has hosted meetings with business leaders to discuss policy, and in some of those sessions asked that they persuade the Chamber to cancel TV ads aimed at defeating Obama's healthcare plan, said a business lobbyist familiar with the matter.

Illustrating the depth of the dispute, the White House also asked corporate executives to drop their membership in the Chamber, the lobbyist said. Last fall, the Chamber received reports that the White House - including senior advisor Valerie Jarrett - had spoken to some executives about resigning from the Chamber, the business lobbyist said, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid becoming personally entangled in the conflict. A second source said there had been discussions at the Chamber regarding the White House urging resignations.

The Chamber needs corporate membership dues to operate and to run ads that highlight the risks the Obama agenda carries for the free enterprise system.

Welcome to Obama/Chicago style of politics: hardball and bullying.