Dylan Ratigan To Chamber Of Commerce's Tom Donohue: "You Talk Nonsense" (VIDEO)

Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, made an appearance on Morning Meeting with Dylan Ratigan Wednesday to tout the Chamber's "American Free Enterprise" campaign to generate 20 million new jobs over the next decade. Ratigan seemed to be more interested in taking Donohue to the woodshed.

"The government can't do it, the unions can't do it, the trial lawyers can't do it and it's going to have to be done by the private sector," said Donohue, explaining the Chamber's multimillion-dollar campaign. "Let's remind, let's educate, let's promote the idea that a free enterprise system with open capital markets and free trade and the ability to fail and get up and go again and the ability to be very successful is what brought us the greatest economy in the history of the world."

Ratigan asked if Donohue favored idle speculation with taxpayer money and eliminating "the anti-competitive practices that surround the health practice in this country... or are you more in favor of lobbying the government to change rules to the benefit of special interests who can't adapt to a real competitive marketplace?"

(The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent $26,196,000 lobbying so far in 2009.)

"I don't believe that federal money ought to be used for any speculation," said Donohue, "and that the great preponderance is being held in those institutions to insure that they can reach their capital mandates... They are going out and pressing them to create more liquid capital for loans and investments so that small companies and medium-sized companies and, yes, large companies."

Then, the interview became acrimonious. Donohue had no response to Ratigan's assertion that "unless the government and people like you that lobby to the exemptions that allow banks to [speculate with taxpayer money] get out of the way, we will never have fair play again in this country and we'll have job creation by virtue of taxpayer theft, which is ultimately destructive, and I would argue, treasonous to this country."

"Boy, when you get on this show, it's really hard to get four words in without hearing six more," said Donohue at the end.

"Yes, it is," replied Ratigan. "Especially when you talk nonsense."

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Comments

[BlueDog1]

07:25 PM on 10/27/2009

Like Dylan told him ""Especially when you talk nonsense." these people wnat to blame the Unions for this mess. ....................................bust them and run them out of town................

[mdchurch]

09:07 AM on 10/19/2009

I was pumped up watching that one. Things are certainly at a boiling point. The result is lots of steam being released, and rightfully so. I hope the media attacks the White House in response to the WH attacking Fox News.

Our system is in shambles and the people in the financial sector (FED, US Treasury, Goldman Sachs, and probably a few others) are destroying the dollar and striping every cent of wealth and means of wealth creation from the people. This must be stopped.

For anyone familiar with Ron Paul, you already know the rest of the story. If you have seen what this Congressman from Texas has been standing up for and speaking out against, please look him up. He has videos all over the web and he is the only one in Congress that I trust right now.

[BUY AMERICAN]

01:00 PM on 10/16/2009

It's time to add 2 + 2 people!
Tom Donahue is an avid free trader like all of his ilk. Free trade and free market system has failed this nation because of crooks like him and the crooks who sign free trade deals with foreign nations who do not, nor will not, reciprocate! We do NOT have universal health care nor a VAT tax like our trading partners, which means we are handicapped from the get go.
Under the guise of "cheap" goods, the American people have been given a bill of cheap lies. Our standard of living has gone down.
Our founding fathers gave us Section 1 Article 8 in the Constitution to regulate trade but these thieves ignore it.
Everyone has listend to the chant "Pay no attetnion to that man behind the curtain!" too long!
We have given away our independence for get rich quick schemes as all of our sustenance is made by slave labor over seas and will all become clueless "Eloi" walking into the cave entrance to be devoured by the world's wealthiest "Morlocks" unless we stand up against these robber barons!

[thepoliticalcat]

01:06 AM on 10/16/2009

OMG, a REAL journalist? Who is this man? I must know!

[MetalCanuck]

09:25 PM on 10/15/2009

People need to wake up, the government is bought and paid for..BOTH PARTIES!! Clinton, Bush...etc!

[amamomofsons]

11:09 AM on 10/15/2009

The chamber in our town is as corrupt as you can get. We were members in good standing for many years until an opportunity came up where the chamber wanted to purchase products that our company provided. We were told that we were not allowed to even bid on this job because the chamber head always went outside of our county to purchase the products even though our bid was a third less for the same products.It turned out to be cronyism and nepotism.So much for the chamber.... We quit.

[snuggalee]

11:05 AM on 10/15/2009

Just because Donohue was polite, calm and seemingly resolute was no reason for Dylan to back down from being what many here view as being pushy and perhaps over-aggresive.

Rattigan's point is hard core with no getting around it. The US Chamber of Commerce has been fighting passage of the Consumer Protection Agency laws vehemently.... Why? Because banks and financial institutions have been given free reign to run roughshod over our economy with no requirements of responsibility to community balance that affects small businesses, jobs, and benefits anything else except the banks themselves. They don't want to give this up, and will continue to put up its smokescreens they've used like this guy, talking about about that goo goo good BS while they're really only attempting to feed us whatever we want to hear, distract us, and remain in charge so they can continue their irresponsible and as Dyaln stated, practically "Treasonous" actions.
.
Ratigan's only misstep here was perhaps to not describe better how these financial institutions operate and what they are doing to us, but I think the point he made was important and effective.

.

[Stock market]

10:39 AM on 10/15/2009

The wealth gap will widen to levels never before imagined while the middle class ceases. Our politicians need to do more to ensure equality.

good articles; http://bit.ly/1NkbAn

A person making 60,000 pays 20,000 of it in various taxes. A person making a million or more has a tax rate of 30% compared to 90% decades ago.

[Bude]

10:00 AM on 10/15/2009

I can't think of an organization any more corrupt than the US Chamber of Commerce. That's what is known as getting b!tch slapped!

[blueken]

02:10 PM on 10/15/2009

The AMA is right up there. A growing majority of it's members favor a single payer universal health care system, but the AMA fights even a "public option." It does so with the dues paid by it's members.

[sueno]

09:17 AM on 10/15/2009

What a great interview!

[ImissBush]

08:46 AM on 10/15/2009

u gotta lov this guy!!

[Project4NuBostonTeaParty]

06:16 AM on 10/15/2009

There are a lot of predators/parasites in our economic system, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the insurance industry among them.

I appreciate Dylan Ratigan getting after them, no matter how long-winded.

.

[LiamMunny]

05:31 AM on 10/15/2009

I always found Ratigan a bit of a tool on CNBC. Nice to see him asking real, if not long winded, questions for a change.

[Jun58]

04:28 AM on 10/15/2009

I think Ratigan could have brought up the position the Chamber has taken with it's current lobbying and maybe set up the guest before he came down hard on him. And give him a chance to respond. Ratigan demagogues the mic a bit and needs to be more succinct. He could have inferred a lot of his point by asking straight questions. Who needs the harangue? And yes, he will lose guests and future guests with this kind of attack. He asks questions that take longer than 10 minutes to discuss and makes enemies in the process. Notice how none of the "liberal" shows really have substantive discussions with the right and vice versa? No one on the opposition wants to appear on the shows because it becomes a punch fest.

[Johnniedog]

10:24 AM on 10/15/2009

Jun58,
Sorry to inform you of this!! Ratigan is Republican!! DUHHH!
In fact, he was sooo Republican in his first few shows, he had to make an adjustment in his slant to accomodate a more middle-of-the-road audience...for fear of losing his show.

[TN]

03:32 AM on 10/16/2009

I don't care what he is if he loves america and is intelligent and believes in fair play for the middle class.

[HammerRobbie]

04:00 AM on 10/15/2009

brilliant...but how many bridges has Dylan burned? lol!