Tommy Thompson’s health “reforms” are ones we already have.

The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel has an odd headlineit just published about the Wisconsin Senate race: “Thompson wins business support, criticizes Baldwin on jobs record.” The “business” group that article is referring to is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a powerful corporate front group based in Washington, D.C.

It’s ironic that Thompson would tout its support while criticizing Baldwin’s record on jobs. The Chamber has been responsible for pioneering the political push for every “free trade” agreement and tax break for outsourcing that’s out there. Here’s a small rundown:

• The Chamber Pushed For And Celebrated NAFTA: The Chamber spearheaded the push for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying that it would help the U.S. “stay competitive” with Europe and Asia. It later celebrated the agreement during its fifteenth anniversary, saying it has had “remarkable results.” In 2005, the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute estimated that Wisconsin was one of the ten states hit hardest by NAFTA, and lost at least 25,000 jobs as a result of the agreement.
• The Chamber Led The Charge For New “Free Trade” Agreements With Panama, Colombia, And South Korea: The Chamber’s lobbyists were on the front lines of fighting for these job-killing trade deals, and one of its staffers even argued that even though Colombia has more assassinations of union leaders than the rest of the world combined, that it’s a safe country for labor.
• The Chamber Defends Tax Breaks For Outsourcing: Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced a bill to kill tax breaks for moving investment overseas — and to introduce a tax credit to entice companies to bring jobs back to the U.S. –but the Chamber opposed it, and it was killed by a Republican filibuster.

It’s no badge of honor that Thompson received the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It’s nothing more than a corporate front group based in Washington, D.C. that has gone to bat for policies like outsourcing that benefit Big Business but leave ordinary workers out to dry.

But one reason Thompson would seek the Chamber’s endorsement is because it has tons of money. In the 2012 election, it has said it wants to spend over a hundred million dollars — all of it from undisclosed corporate donors — to defeat lawmakers who are devoted to holding corporate America accountable. The Chamber has already run ads with absurd claimslike saying that Baldwin supported the “wildly unpopular public option” (which was actually very popular).
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