The Obama administration is engaged in a pitched battle with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the stakes couldn’t be higher: the hearts and minds of the American people, and the future of our country.

The Chamber supported the bank bailout and the stimulus package, and went along with the nominees proposed by the new administration.  However, the Democrats then proposed legislation that included a massive health care bill, a cap-and-trade proposal to reduce carbon emissions and a bill creating a new agency designed to protect consumers. Although the Chamber agreed in principle with each of these initiatives, it did express concerns with some of their provisions.

That’s when the gloves came off and the White House started an all-out attack.  Declaring that the Chamber did not really speak for America’s businesses, it tried to drive a wedge between the Chamber and its membership.  Its public relations machine went into overdrive, emphasizing that the Chamber spends millions of dollars to advance its agenda (presumably for some self-serving purpose).

What are the extremist views held by the Chamber? Let’s examine some of its objections to Washington’s legislative agenda.  While it supports the idea of healthcare reform, the Chamber points out that the bill being proposed by Sen. Reid and his supporters will increase the costs for everyone who buys health insurance.  It creates a whole new set of taxes, including penalties for employers who don’t provide health insurance or who offer a plan deemed “unaffordable” by the government.  Worst of all, it will cost so much to maintain that it will ruin what’s left of the economy.

The climate change bill currently being pushed through Congress is being touted as the solution to global warming. The Chamber is willing (as many experts are not) to agree that carbon emissions need to be reduced.  However, it proposes that any legislation must “promote new technologies, emphasize efficiency, ensure affordable energy and help create American jobs.” Does that sound radical to you? Meanwhile, the cap-and-trade bill proposed by Congress is an invitation to graft and corruption, and will create new and expensive layers of regulators and bureaucrats.

As for the legislation to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, the Chamber points out that seven federal agencies are currently tasked with consumer protection. A new agency would only create another set of confusing and conflicting regulations, and it’s unclear how many business segments would fall under its jurisdiction.

The Chamber of Commerce is not ashamed of its lobbying efforts, and you’ll understand why when you learn about its current campaign, called “American Free Enterprise – Dream Big.”  Its ambitious goal is to create 20 million jobs during the next decade.  Its website declares, “While government efforts to stimulate the economy are considered useful in the short term, we as Americans believe it’s the free enterprise system that will grow our economy and create jobs over the long term.” Yes, businesses create jobs, not the federal government, which is a secret the government doesn’t want people to learn.

This is the heart of the conflict – not arguments over legislative details, but a basic disagreement about which economic system the country will follow in the future: free enterprise or socialism.  That is what the Obama administration is really opposing in its fight with the Chamber.  It comes down to this: will the American people continue to support the system that has made the United States the greatest country in the world, or will they be fooled into abandoning it in favor of a socialist agenda? I know which side I’m supporting in this battle.

For more information on the Chamber’s American Free Enterprise campaign, go to: https://www.freeenterpriseamerica.com/