Posted on 10/21/2013 8:51:29 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday likened Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to a tennis player, questioning whether the GOP firebrand has the necessary political agility to keep charging the net.
Cruz has come under fire from fellow congressional Republicans for his refusal to drop efforts to delay or dial back the president’s landmark healthcare law as part of a budget deal. The president of Washington’s largest business lobby appeared to sympathize with the frustration.
“I sort of think about him as a tennis player,” Tom Donohue told reporters Monday.
“You know, if your going to rush the net all the time, you better have a lot of motion to the left and the right, and he hasn’t proved that to me yet,” Donohue said, stressing that he wanted to work with the freshman senator.
Asked whether the business community wouldn’t rather Cruz keep his mouth shut, Donohue said, “that might be one thing we could work on.”
The quip was part of wide ranging remarks Donohue gave during a breakfast hosted by The Christian Science Monitor.
Donohue laid out the Chamber’s post-shutdown priorities, which include tackling entitlement reform, fighting components of the Obama administration’s climate initiative and passing a sweeping immigration bill.
He said the latter effort, which enjoys support from both business groups and labor, presents an opportunity for Washington to move past the ugliness of the budget impasse that took hundreds of thousands of federal workers off the job and shone a light on Congress’ dysfunction.
“There’s still an appetite to get comprehensive immigration reform done this year,” he said. “We’re really hot after it.”
Donohue was noncommittal about the Chamber’s plans for the 2014 midterm elections, when scores of Tea Party congressional incumbents could face challenges from fellow Republicans more aligned with the party establishment.
Still, he said, “you can be sure that we’ll be very vigorous in the House.”
Donohue said there are plenty of opportunities for conservatives to change the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare. But efforts to do away with the bill entirely would not succeed, he said.
He repeatedly urged Congress to reform entitlements as part of ongoing budget talks, warning that federal government outlays would increase by $2.5 trillion over the next decade, if reform is not achieved.
“Who knows if these talks will succeed,” he questioned. “But they damn well better.”
The Chamber is going from THE leader against Obamacare a few years ago to a go along get along ally of Obama. Sadly, they are compromised.
STFU Tom.
Ted Cruz Ping!
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Donohue served for 13 years as president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, the national organization of the trucking industry. Earlier in his career, Donohue was deputy assistant postmaster general of the United States and vice president of development at Fairfield University in Connecticut. He serves on the board of Union Pacific Corporation.
Born in New York City, Donohue earned a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University and a master’s degree in business administration from Adelphi University.
http://www.uschamber.com/about/management/thomas-j-donohue
He used to work for the POST OFFICE! LOL!
We're really hot after that? LOL!!!
That should never be taken up until the unemployment rate reaches 4%. We need to be screaming that from the rooftops. Why on earth should we bring in more illegals when our own people are on the dole?
What the chamber boss is saying is: You’re above your station, bub! Get back in your place!
That’s a problem with being a junior senator or Congressman. It’s an old boy’s club. Almost like a guild. You have to get in, pay your dues and when you’re old and beholden to everybody, then you’ll have the reins of power.
I will tell ANYONE. Your backbiting, backstabbing, condemnations of Ted Cruz gives you no quarter or sympathy with me. If it comes down to disagreements with him, and those like them, and we come to force in a place with weapons, I’ll show you how much I disagree.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Thomas J. Donohue
President & CEO
1615 H St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20062
P (202) 659-6000
F (202) 463-5836
E tdonohue@uschamber.com
Why is the Chamber pushing”immigration reform”?
“Donohue laid out the Chamber’s post-shutdown priorities, which include tackling entitlement reform, fighting components of the Obama administration’s climate initiative and passing a sweeping immigration bill.
Interesting...not a dadgummed thing about 0bama(doesn’t)Care.
Says a lot by saying nothing, IMO...
I can’t hear the word “chamber” without remembering that my grandmother called her porcelain necessary pot a “chamber pot”. - All that bunch of Obama cronies has targeted Ted Cruz for destruction just like they did Sarah Palin. - Keep talking, Ted!! You know what your job is, and who you represent.
Next time we let the OWSers have them.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Thomas J. Donohue
President & CEO
1615 H St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20062
P (202) 659-6000
F (202) 463-5836
E tdonohue@uschamber.com
I have friends who refer to these creatures as The Chamber of Communists.
That's not really accurate. They are the Chamber of FASCISTS. AKA Crony Capitalists. IOW enemies of the USA!!!
Cruz is working to SAVE America and this POS is working to finish us off!
I agree with that totally.
Who cares what this completely irrelevant bozo thinks? When was the last time YOU got an eight-minute standing ovation from Chamber members?
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