Blurry, Yet Clear
The Wall Street Journal has a story today about how blurred the battle lines could be over major issues in the new Congress because neither the Democratic caucus nor the business community are unified. There are many fault lines on energy, for example, where some industries strongly favor cap-and-trade or carbon taxes while other oppose them. Energy and climate change also divide the Democrats, mainly along geographical lines, with coal states against new regulations pitted against more progressive states pushing alternative fuels. Another area -- the business community widely supports significant business tax breaks as part of the stimulus bill but many Democrats are not convinced. Of course, the biggest conflict between Democrats and business will be over card check. Bruce Josten also predicts a "rather titanic" struggle if Democrats try to push through card check.
And yet in the end the goal should be apparent, as another Josten quote makes clear: "What's the chamber's mission? It's to create an environment for the business community to grow and create jobs. If I'm Barack Obama, the president-elect, I desperately want the same outcome."
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