His win signals that it’s not just the policies supported by the BRT and the Chamber that are under threat. The business lobby groups and big firms themselves have increasingly become political targets–along with any lawmakers who are seen as working closely with them. ...JiaLynnYang,WaPo
Really, one has to wonder. Brat won, it is said, thanks to his outspoken opposition to “crony capitalism.” Here in Texas –when the rebellion was still very new and no one had ever heard of Palin and the new grass roots movement still knew from grass — some early tea partyers from the left were among the rebels who wanted to organize against corporate America. The turn away from that goal came as the Kochs moved in and the Republican party coopted the tea party movement.
Now we’re witnessing Republican uncertainty, disarray, and fury. It’s probably a golden time for professional hit men in the DC area.
Where there are complications, there are (or will be) fragmentation. The ongoing confusion and changing loyalties within the Republican party get really interesting thanks to Brat’s astonishing win.
The country’s most powerful business lobbying groups already knew they had a problem with the GOP when Tea Party lawmakers nearly forced the country into a massive default of its debt last year.
But with Eric Cantor’s shocking defeat Tuesday night, things for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable just got a whole lot worse.
For one, they lost a major defender of their favored policies–from the beneficial tax treatment of private equity income to immigration reforms favored by the country’s biggest tech companies. But even worse for their prospects, Cantor lost to a challenger who specifically attacked him for his close ties to business — going so far as to single out the BRT and the Chamber.
“The central theme of Brat’s campaign is that Cantor is beholden to business — specifically the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable,” wrote Politico in April.
“If you’re in big business, Eric’s been very good to you, and he gets a lot of donations because of that, right?” Brat said at a local meeting of Republicans in Virginia, according to Politico. “Very powerful. Very good at fundraising because he favors big business. But when you’re favoring artificially big business, someone’s paying the tab for that. Someone’s paying the price for that, and guess who that is? You.” ...JiaLynnYang,WaPo
“Artificially big business” is a nice way of putting it. Democrats should have been singing that tune, loud and clear, right? How many of us understand that the Democratic party is still a Clinton/DLC party that has been open about its unwillingness to actually think and vote progressive.