Chamber Uses Google Ads To Fight "Liberal Left-Wing Extremist Groups"

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is firing back at its critics, and it's turning to Google for an assist.

The massive business lobby, under siege from the White House for opposing various efforts to reform the nation's health care and regulatory system, has made a tactical Google ad purchase to raise money and disseminate its message.

Type in "Chamber of Commerce" into the search engine and the first result you get is: "US Chamber Fights Back."

Click on that link and you're directed to a new site with the title, "Help Stop Attacks on the U.S. Chamber," that solicits financial donations.

"Liberal left-wing extremist groups and their leftist allies continue their attacks on us -- because we are fighting for YOU!," the site reads. "Don't let them muzzle us. Stand up for free speech by making a contribution below."

The playing-the-victim website, combined with the Google ad purchase, is just one stage in a broader effort the Chamber is undertaking to combat its critics. The group also sued the performance artist troupe, the Yes Men, for hoisting a prank press conference, in which they pretended to be Chamber officials announcing a new, sensible approach to climate change.

The Chamber has also adopted a more aggressive media presence: dispatching its executive vice president of government affairs, Bruce Josten, to appear on "Fox News Sunday" and having its CEO Tom Donohue do a 75 minutes sit-down interview with Politico.

UPDATE: This is not, it should be noted, the first time a group or individual has used Google ads to capitalize off of a round of bad press. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made a strategic ad purchase of her own, right around the time that she resigned from office. As Google spokesman Galen Panger explains:

Rapid-response is a classic use-case of Google AdWords. It only takes a few minutes to put up an ad online, so you can get your message in front of a national audience at the moment they're searching for your group or issue. When people click on the ad, you can then give them an option to participate, whether through signing a petition or donating.

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[John Cheney]

09:54 PM on 01/01/2010

Todays Chamber of Commerce seems to be comprised of the following kinds of people; You know them well. They're the Real Estate Developers and agents who still want to over build desert cities that even now can't supply enough water to sevice their current populations, but they insist on having private golf courses, and want tax dollars to pay for any water conservation requirements.
I myself am one of those idgits proud to be "stuck in the 60's" (or maybe the early, pre-disco 70's), but these are people still stuck in a hazy nonrealistic portrait of what someone convinced them of how beautiful the 50's were.
After their true membership numbers were exposed, that they are listened to at all I find simply amazing!

[ljblinddog]

11:59 AM on 11/19/2009

You don't have to be a left wing extremist to disagree with the Chamber of Congress, I mean Commerce.

[Tim303]

12:48 AM on 10/28/2009

Bankers, bar stewards, and stuntmen.

[Icantbelieveher]

10:48 PM on 10/27/2009

How're those 3 million members working for you -- I mean 300,000! Yeah, I can see how the old man might get confused!

[sej100]

07:48 PM on 10/27/2009

All lies, suddenly free speech is raised. When progressives or liberals raise their voices, they sent their protests to zones miles away from the media and cameras. Seems free speech is only defended for the greedy, the GOP no longer grand anything but

[MissVirginiaVoter]

05:36 PM on 10/27/2009

The nerve of them saying "Help us protect Free Speech..." YOU LIE! All they want to protect is big business profits!

[Icantbelieveher]

10:46 PM on 10/27/2009

Exactly! The want to protect their right to lie to us and protect their profits! The only time they even think about 95% of the people is when they are trying to figure out how to fleece us for more $$$$$$$$!

[CarmanK]

04:47 PM on 10/27/2009

The US Chamber has been lying about its membership numbers for years. So it comes as no surprise that they would try to fight back. Truth is the only leveler in this case. And the chamber is exposed like its many other repugs party arms. At least the sun has been shining in some places in the US.

[proudloudlib]

04:33 PM on 10/27/2009

Man, that is one angry looking old white dude.

[aspizon]

04:09 PM on 10/27/2009

The CoC, at the national level, has become an anachronism. There is far to much variation in interests among businesses to get consensus to the extent the CoC claims to have. It's simply a high=priced lobby group for a select clientele.

[Welib]

03:34 PM on 10/27/2009

Liars!

[17ladyslippers]

03:04 PM on 10/27/2009

Stick a fork in them - done.

[HST]

03:03 PM on 10/27/2009

I'll make a donation -to the Yes Men legal defense fund.

The Chamber of Commerce: fighting against Democrats, environmental, worker protection and educational legislation since 1903.

[RevBookburn]

10:16 PM on 10/27/2009

Total agreement with all of that. Yes, let's support the Yes Men. The Chamber continues to be rock bottom.

[EndTheEcho]

03:02 PM on 10/27/2009

The Chamber of Commerce has never fought for me. Instead, their policy initiatives have been all about fighting what I stand for.

Granted, I am not a business owner, but neither are most Americans they are purporting to fight for.

[zest]

04:40 PM on 10/27/2009

But you spend money and do business with business owners so that makes you part of the equation; the part that the Chamber of Commerce is working against.

[manyamile]

02:10 PM on 11/05/2009

i am a business owner and never felt they represented my interests either.
they have a very skewed outdated idea of who owns small businesses and what our principles, issues and priorities are.

[manyamile]

03:01 PM on 10/27/2009

Chammber may have served a purpose , once upon a time, but in today's business world, the chamber is flailling and floating belly up in a useless backwater. their main purpose, as far as I can figure, aside from the posturing and cocktailing, is
opposing legislation that might benefit workers, the environment, or progress.
you know, the angry old banker sort of mentality which was shed by most people who live in the real world, who want to meet todays challenges with vigor and courage, years or even decades ago.

[zest]

04:41 PM on 10/27/2009

The Chamber of Commerce is just trying to justify itself of its exagerated importance to preserve its unjustified influence.

[LesleyAnne]

02:26 PM on 10/27/2009

Look at this picture! He's the poster boy for the angry white man. It's not only the Obama administration and the so-called liberal left wing extremist groups that have broken with the Chamber, but many companies are dropping their memberships because of the Chamber's views on the environment and other issues. They are fighting to hold onto the upper hand that they've enjoyed for so many years, but like everything else, those days are coming to an end because they no longer suit the best interests of the country.

[Genep34]

02:53 PM on 10/27/2009

Well said - he is indeed the poster boy - though some others could be on the poster as well.