The Influence Machine: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Capture of American Life
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.17 (926 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0812993284 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-09-16 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
How Democracy Became Derailed - Author Katz contends that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the most influential organization in American politics, outside the Republican and Democratic parties. Her book describes how that group has greatly distorted American democracy from that which our forefathers intended - by overwhelming the wishes of voters with vast sums of money provided representatives supporting their goals, and threats of opposition directe. Excellent, well documented, Chamber is evil The difference between bias and point of view is an important distinction which too many people don't understand. Bias is when your beliefs overwhelm the evidence. Point of view, if supported by evidence and logic, is perfectly legitimate. That is the case with this book and anyone who accuses Ms. Katz of bias is wrong. It is an excellent book, extremely well documented. The Chamber is biased, using its tremendous powe. Undermining the government for fun and profit The twin tactics of fear and secrecy are the success of the US Chamber of Commerce. Threatening elected officials with massive attack ad campaigns keeps them in line – the Republican line. Offering ironclad secrecy to firms with an agenda is immensely profitable. The chamber has morphed from representing business large and small to representing itself. It is the lobby with the biggest war chest, the most tentacle
She lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the former editor of The New York World, an accountability journalism project at Columbia Journalism School, and has written for The American Prospect, Salon, Mother Jones, The Next American City, and other publications. Alyssa Katz is the author of Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us and is a member of th
An illuminating history and groundbreaking investigation tracing how a single trade organization turned itself into the most dangerous political weapon in America When Americans hear the words “Chamber of Commerce,” many still think of the local business associations that spruce up Main Streets and sponsor Little League teams around the country. The Chamber was originally founded to give big business a voice during the long—and now almost inconceivable—period in American history that saw the rise of workers’ rights, consumer protections, and environmental awareness as national priorities. The Influence Machine tells this history as a series of gripping narratives that take us into the backrooms of Washington, where the battles over how our country is run and regulated are fought, and then out into the world, where we see how the Chamber’s campaigns play out in real lives. Through its propaganda, lobbying, and campaign cash, the Chamber has created a right-wing monster that even it struggles to control, a conservative movement that is destabilizing American democracy as never before. The Chamber, through its veiled corporate sponsors, can take credit for some of the most disturbing trends in American life: the reversal of environmental protections, the destruction of unions and worker protections, the rise of virulent antigovernment ideology, the e
“Important and probing a valuable and a sobering contribution to the study of power in American society Alyssa Katz has assembled a work of synthesis and insight. She illustrates with several examples of how the organization has managed to influence courts, strong-arm Congress, cripple federal agencies, and sway the public with ‘voter education’ ads—and, more recently, it has exported cutthroat American business practices abroad.”—Publishers Weekly. The chamber has, she argues, effectively countered the influence of labor unions and contributed to the widening economic divide in American society. Chamber of Commerce’s evolution into a many-armed behemoth. Those points are made forcefully and backed up impressively.”—Los Angeles Times “An urgent look at the ‘political assault