Big business declares war on tea party

Washington Times ^ | MONDAY OCTOBER 28, 2913 | Patrice Hill

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The recent fiscal crisis has opened a major rift between the tea party wing of the Republican Party and business groups that traditionally have backed Republicans, with many business leaders now vowing to get involved more in GOP primaries to try to counter insurgent candidates.

Tea party leaders are defiant, saying they will not change course despite criticism from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable and other top business groups.

But business leaders argue that the scorched-earth tactics used by tea party Republicans during the 16-day shutdown and debate over raising the federal government’s borrowing limit marked the fourth time since the GOP took control of the House in 2011 that tea party adherents precipitated a governmental crisis that zapped consumer and business confidence, raised uncertainty and exerted a major drag on economic growth.

Besides encouraging more business-friendly candidates in primary contests, business groups are rallying behind establishment Republicans such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who is being targeted by tea party activists for brokering a deal to temporarily raise the debt ceiling and reopen the government, while launching a negotiation with Democrats over budget cuts and proposed tax and entitlement reforms.

Business executives agree with many tea party goals such as cutting the deficit and reforming entitlement spending, but they argue that conservative lawmakers have erred in their tactics and wounded the economy by driving the government with increasing frequency into states of crisis and dysfunction — this time for the ultimately unsuccessful cause of trying to force President Obama to cancel his health care law.

[PuzzledInTX]

It looks like all the big Insurance companies are members or the Business Roundtable as well as all the big banks.

[Resolute Conservative]

GM too?

[Tzimisce]

They fight us harder than they ever fight Liberal Democrats

[Excellence]

Comments at site are not sympathetic to big business.

[Qbert]

Anybody with at least half a brain should know that the 16-day shutdown likely meant that government workers were pumping out fewer regulations during that time. In case this is news to anybody (apparently it is to the Chamber of Commerce): excessive regulations drive up prices for consumers and dramatically hurt small businesses. The Chamber used to care about that sort of thing...