Chamber of Commerce inflates its membership numbers from 200,000 to 3 million.
Chamber of Commerce inflates its membership numbers from 200,000 to 3 million.
The Chamber of Commerce regularly brags that it has more than 3 million members. But as Mother Jones reports today, its actual number is closer to 200,000. The 2.7 million jump occurred in February 1997, right around the time current president Tom Donohue came in. Basically, what the Chamber is doing is counting the memberships of 2,800 state and local chambers around the country. Mother Jones explains how misleading this tactic is:
Apparently, the Chamber’s claim to “represent” the 3 million individual members of local chambers is solely based on the fact that those local chambers are members of the national group—even though many of those chambers’ individual members do not have a direct relationship with the national body. To get an idea of the tenuousness of this connection, consider the American Highway Users Alliance. Like the Chamber, the AHUA has worked to undermine climate legislation, and counts the American Automobile Association as a member, which itself has 51 million members. The AHUA has never pretended to speak for those 51 million drivers.
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When you lie, lie big. People are gullible.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:08 pmLies damn lies and statistics
October 13th, 2009 at 4:13 pmSounds like the TEA baggers gatherings to me.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:14 pmHmmm,
How many employees do the companies pulling out of membership have?
By the same logic, here’s the math…
Nat’l CofC: 3,000,000 members
October 13th, 2009 at 4:16 pmPulled out: 2,999,999
_________________________
Total members: 1 (Tom Donahue)
Drudge will have an wrongly dated jpg out soon to prove they have three mil members.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:17 pmObviously, they’ve learned “the math” from Karl Rove.
Trying to create some imaginary clout.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:22 pmWell they do need alot of help to destroy the country and the world.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:25 pmDonohue has given the Chamber and American business an even worse image than it deserves–and that wasn’t a walk in the park!
October 13th, 2009 at 4:28 pmtee hee.
they no doubt all attended the 912 rally too…
October 13th, 2009 at 4:28 pmAnother sleazy organization that must survive by lying.
Notice how anything to do with the goppers has a growth of pond scum?
October 13th, 2009 at 4:59 pmDespite the odds, the GOoPers continue to grow increasingly inept, and dishonest, when it comes to simple arithmetic.
October 13th, 2009 at 5:04 pmRepublicans are very good at inflating things.
They learned it while dating.
October 13th, 2009 at 5:06 pmThe conservatives inflating numbers. That would never happen. I mean you could knock me over with a feather.
In fact, the CofC is underestimating its membership by at least 300% and the Tea Bagger marches are underestimating their numbers similarly. After all, they don’t like getting attention.
Right ???????
/NARF!
October 13th, 2009 at 5:09 pmIt’s much like the tactic some Christians use to “prove” that America is a Christian nation(TM). They count as Christians all the Catholics, JW’s, Unitarians, Nondenominations and Mormons, thus showing that, under that metric, the US is, indeed, about 80% “Christian”.
Yet these same groups, under other circumstances, have no hesitation in portraying Catholics, JW’s, Mormons, Unitarians, and Nondenominatinals as Antichrist, Spawn of Satan(TM), and unchristian.
It’s all about your definition at the moment.
October 13th, 2009 at 5:41 pmIf Glenn Beck can say that his 9/12 crowd was upward of 2 million, why can’t the Chamber tell tall tales as well?
The R’s just don’t like to hear the truth. They are used to lying and having folks believe them.
October 13th, 2009 at 5:45 pmSounds like the GOP! LOL! ;)
October 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pmThen we have those “millions” of tea baggers! LOL! ;)
October 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pmInteresting random factoid: 10 MAJOR businesses/companies actually contribute 90% of the revenue . . . membership “dues” based on size, and the Board is headed by Coal, Mining, Finance,Energy, Tech interests with only ONE member selected from the LOCAL Chamber Chapters to represent the unaffiliated “local” Chambers
. . . check Board Membership: http://www.uschamber.com/about/board/all.htm and see the “usual suspects” – Carlye, IBM, AT&T, Massey Energy, Deloitte LLP, Accenture, Pfizer Inc., The Charles Schwab Corporation, etc. . . all looking out for us little business folk.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:54 pmThe under-endowed always find a way to over-estimate.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:52 pm.
Figures…
… The Chamber of Commerce lies about issues like Global Climate Change and their membership numbers.
.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:39 am.
That’s like saying I have TEN FEET…
… Why not? I have TEN TOES.
.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:41 amTeabaggers, birthers, deathers, climate deniers don’t seem too good with that socialist concept called math and apparently figure nobody else will notice if they add a few extra zero’s now and again.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:32 pmThank you for your sharing.!
October 17th, 2009 at 10:55 amIt now looks like my grand kids will Nikes for Christmas this year! gögüs estetigi
October 19th, 2009 at 7:16 am