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Judd Legum Profile picture
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5 Oct, 12 tweets, 7 min read
1. While you were sleeping, the @USChamber executed one of the most brazenly hypocritical policy reversals in modern political history

It reveals the true nature of the organization

Follow along if interested

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
@USChamber 2. For months, the @USChamber has enthusiastically promoted the bipartisan infrastructure legislation

It called the bill "a once-in-a-generation opportunity."

The Chamber plastered Facebook with paid ads supporting it

It was ALL IN

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
3. For better or worse, Pelosi pushed for a vote on the infrastructure bill last week.

That's exactly what the @USChamber wanted

A group of progressives, however, would not support the bill w/o a deal on the larger reconciliation package.

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
4. Pelosi knew that, but pushed for a vote anyway because she thought that it would attract GOP support.

But that plan was thwarted when the House GOP whipped their caucus against the bill

The vote was pulled.

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
5. In response, the @USChamber HARSHLY CRITICIZED the House GOP for opposing the infrastructure bill as part of a political strategy

"It’s not the substance that people are disagreeing with here. People decided to play politics"

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
6. Then on Monday, the House GOP booted the U.S. Chamber from its strategy calls

Yes, the Chamber — a purportedly non-partisan organization representing BUSINESS — has been participating in strategy calls to advance the agenda of the House GOP leadership

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
7. This, apparently, was too much for the @USChamber to bear.

Hours later, the @USChamber sent a memo to its board announcing it would NO LONGER SUPPORT THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
8. So the @USChamber, which called the infrastructure bill "a once-in-a-generation opportunity" that should not be opposed as part of a larger political strategy NOW OPPOSES THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL AS PART OF A POLITICAL STRATEGY

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
9. This was all due to the fact that the House GOP got upset. It makes it clear that the @USChamber's true loyalty is to the Republican Party and not the interests of the businesses it purportedly represents.

It's stunning.

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
10. Now, the @USChamber is gaslighting. It released a statement claiming it still supports infrastructure "as a stand-alone bill unlinked" to reconciliation.

But, as the Chamber's memo acknowledged, that's not reality

The only support is theoretical

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
11. This is an important moment for America's largest companies. Will they continue to pay millions in dues for an organization that will subordinate the interests of its members to the whims of GOP leadership?

Why?

popular.info/p/trouble-in-c…
12. If you've made it this far in the thread, I think you'll really like my newsletter.

It's like my tweets but with full sentences, punctuation, and lots of independent accountability journalism.

Sign up for free --> popular.info/subscribe

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More from @JuddLegum

Judd Legum Profile picture
7 Oct
1. Far-right extremists have been on the rise in America and now have an alarming influence on U.S. politics

A key source of funding for this movement: @ATT

Follow along if interested

popular.info/p/how-at-and-t…
@ATT 2. We knew that @ATT was a key source of funding for @OANN, a right-wing propaganda network that promotes unhinged conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, COVID, etc

Court records obtained by @Reuters reveal @ATT is the only reason @OANN exists

popular.info/p/how-at-and-t…
3. AT&T is responsible for 90% OF @OANN's REVENUE

A lawyer for @OANN testified in court that, if @ATT stopped doing business with the network "the company would go out of business tomorrow"

popular.info/p/how-at-and-t…
Read 12 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
6 Oct
1. One thing you'll hear about a lot between now and November 2022 is the purported "crime wave" sweeping the United States.

One thing that is lacking from this discussion is FACTS

Follow this thread for lots of facts.

popular.info/p/the-truth-ab…
2. For example, @SenTomCotton wrote a piece in @BreitbartNews titled "Democrats’ Criminal-Leniency Policies Sparked an Undeniable Crime Wave"

The piece is festooned with images of people committing property crimes.

FACT: Property crime was DOWN in 2020

popular.info/p/the-truth-ab… ImageImage
@SenTomCotton @BreitbartNews 3. What about violent crime? Violent crime was up about 5% in 2020. But it is still WAY BELOW the levels we saw in the 1990s or even the early part of this century.

Does 2020's increase in violent crime constitute a "crime wave"

We report, you decide.

popular.info/p/the-truth-ab… Image
Read 13 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
4 Oct
"A Democratic super PAC headed by a former president of Planned Parenthood is set to unleash ads targeting Dallas-based AT&T for backing Texas lawmakers who sponsored the new state law that effectively outlaws abortion after six weeks."

cnbc.com/2021/10/04/tex…
These ads reflect campaign finance reporting from popular.info, which identified @ATT as a top donor to the sponsors of Texas' abortion ban

popular.info/p/these-corpor…
@ATT .@ATT told CNBC that "AT&T’s employee political action committees have never based contribution decisions on a legislator’s positions on the issue of abortion" and the company "has never taken a position on the issue of abortion"
Read 7 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
4 Oct
1. The mail matters.

It may or may not matter to you but it matters to millions of people.

Particularly those in rural areas, the elderly and the disabled.

And, because of Louis DeJoy, the postal service is about to get much worse

popular.info/p/whats-really…
2. Starting this month first-class mail will TAKE UP TO FIVE DAYS TO ARRIVE AT ITS DESTINATION

This means delayed medication, missed court dates, late bills.

It's largely due to a decision to reduce the use of planes and rely on ground transportation

popular.info/p/whats-really…
3. DeJoy says the severe degradation of first-class mail delivery is necessary to SAVE MONEY.

But even by DeJoy's own estimates, it will save just $169.5 million annually.

That's 1/4 OF ONE PERCENT of the USPS' total operating expenses (82 billion)

popular.info/p/whats-really…
Read 11 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
30 Sep
1. Corporations are trying to have it both ways

This week @Walmart endorsed the climate provisions of the reconciliation bill calling it the kind of "bold domestic action" we need "now"

Walmart's CEO is leading an aggressive campaign to kill the bill

popular.info/p/walmart-call…
@Walmart 2. @GM explicitly endorsed the Build Back Better plan, saying it was a "once-in-a-generation opportunity for our nation

Then @GM CEO @mtbarra announced she would be the next leader of the @BizRoundtable, which is spending millions to kill the bill

popular.info/p/walmart-call…
3. @Apple endorsed the climate provisions of the reconciliation bill. But CEO @tim_cook is on the board of the @BizRoundtable, which is doing everything possible to sink the legislation

Apple has ignored repeated requests for comment

popular.info/p/walmart-call…
Read 6 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
29 Sep
This statement where Manchin says he's opposed the reconciliation bill does not discuss any specific policies because the policies he's opposing are extremely popular -- in West Virginia and around the country
Manchin calls the tax proposals "vengeful"

OK, let's get specific. What's vengeful?

Closing tax loopholes for private equity managers?

A 3% surtax on income over $5 million?

Increasing the top tax bracket from 37% to 39.6%?
That's really the crux of it. Manchin is opposing this bill on behalf of corporations and the wealthy, who don't want to pay more taxes

Manchin claims to be concerned about the deficit, but if you increase revenue, the deficit doesn't have to increase
Read 4 tweets

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