“The real goal of the disclosure proponents is to harass, intimidate and silence those with whom they disagree. We continue to believe that one’s political activities should play no role in whether or not you get or keep a federal contract, and we encourage the administration to leave this bad idea right where it is.”

That from Blair Latoff Holmes, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, quoted in the NY Times, January 19, on an executive order being considered by President Obama that would require federal contractors to disclose political contributions:

According to an analysis by Center for Responsible Politics at OpenSecrets.org.

“The hundreds of billions of dollars the federal government spends each year on defense are part of the reason defense aerospace firms make millions of dollars in campaign contributions, a majority of which has gone to Republicans since 1989.”

How sad that it has come to this. The once reputable U.S. Chamber of Commerce insults the intelligence of the American people by publicly stating that disclosure of campaign contributions by big defense contractors doing business with the federal government amounts to harassment and intimidation.

No, my friends, it simply amounts to transparency and accountability – foundational elements of our democratic system.

Dark Money Subverts Democracy – Americans Have A Right to Know!

For more:

An Appeal to President Obama: Help Shine a Light on Dark Money in Politics at TDV.

Book Review at DemocracyJournal.Org – The Influence Machine: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Capture of American Life by Alyssa Katz.