U.S. chamber’s ads ignite storm

Recent political advertising by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in support of Republican Cathy McMorris has once again dragged the Spokane regional chamber kicking and screaming into Washington state politics.

Though the local chamber does not endorse political candidates, its parent organization does. When the U.S. chamber backed the Republican in two mailings last week, it did so over the objections of the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The local chamber, as well as the Seattle and Tacoma chambers and the Association of Washington Business, had already protested the “surreptitious” funding by the U.S. chamber of negative ads against Deborah Senn, the Democratic candidate for attorney general.

“We don’t like what the U.S. chamber has done,” said Rich Hadley, president and CEO of the Spokane chamber. “We think it is unconscionable.”

It was also pretty awkward for the local chamber, which was once chaired by Don Barbieri, McMorris’ opponent in the 5th Congressional District race. Last Monday, the local chamber’s board of trustees met “to address displeasure with the tactics taken by the USCOC.” As it did after the Senn ads ran in September, the local chamber sent a letter to U.S. Chamber President Tom Donohue, criticizing his organization’s meddling in Washington politics. The Spokane chamber’s membership resolved to continue efforts to meet with Donohue in person.

“The USCOC has once again placed local chambers in an awkward position with recent mailings you may have received,” Hadley wrote chamber members this week. “This recent action is particularly troubling because it concerns candidates of the 5th Congressional District and U.S. Senate races – all friends of our chamber. Again we were not consulted in this process.”

On Friday, Stephen Barbieri, the candidate’s son and press secretary, said the local chamber’s effort was too little, too late.

“They should have separated themselves earlier and in a stronger manner,” he said.

Nevertheless, he said the Barbieri campaign realizes there is a difference between the local and national chambers, “just like there is a difference between Don and Cathy when it comes to improving our local economy.” Stephen Barbieri said his father intends to debate McMorris about these differences at a debate next Friday sponsored by the Spokane chamber.

By then, the chamber’s membership will have met on Monday about what further action should be taken, “and whether we should continue being a member of the U.S. chamber,” Hadley said. “That would be the ultimate decision we could make.”

The Spokane chamber also has been dragged into party politics through negative campaigning financed by the Republican National Campaign Committee.

The NRCC has been running television ads and “robocalls” accusing Barbieri of supporting a gasoline tax increase while chairman of the local chamber in 2002. In fact, the chamber did support Referendum 51, which sought a 9-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase, but the decision to do so was made by the chamber’s board. The chamber has consistently supported measures to improve Spokane roads for the past six years, Hadley said.

“To distinguish that vote as something Don did uniquely is inconsistent,” he said.

In fact, McMorris voted to approve a 5-cent-per-gallon gas tax hike in 2003 to fund transportation.

Whether the Spokane chamber and other state business groups can succeed in ending U.S. chamber involvement in Washington politics remains to be seen. But if Donahue’s response to their earlier efforts is any indication, they shouldn’t hold their breath.

“Based on our research, we believe the voter education ads conducted in Washington were justified,” Donahue wrote Hadley on Oct. 1. “We stand behind them.”