New Chamber index shows conservatives aren’t corporate pawns

By Timothy P. Carney
DC Examiner Columnist

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., had the most conservative voting record in 2008 according to the American Conservative Union (ACU), and was a “taxpayer hero” according to the National Taxpayer’s Union (NTU), but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says his 2008 record was less pro-business than Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton.

Similarly, Texas libertarian GOPer Rep. Ron Paul—the most steadfast congressional opponent of regulation, taxation, and any sort of government intervention in business—scored lower than 90% of Democrats last year on the Chamber’s scorecard.

Liberal Democrats often accuse conservative Republicans of being pawns for Big Business, but the 2008 scorecard for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—the largest lobbying organization in the country and the official Washington voice of business—provides convincing evidence to the contrary. In fact, the policy agenda of big business can be very different from that of limited-government conservatives and libertarians.

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Paul: Bill to tax bonuses an ‘outrage’ and unconstitutional

By David Edwards and Rachel Oswald

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) yet again went against the grain in Congress when he stood up in the House and argued against a proposal that would tax 90 percent of AIG executive bonuses, saying that it was a “disgrace,” a “distraction” and an “outrage” that undermined the Constitution.

“I rise in opposition to this rule and the bill because of the problem — because of the lack of need for this and the disgrace that this has brought upon us,” Paul said. “Yesterday, for instance, the Federal Reserve met and they came out and they announced that they would create new money to the tune of $1.25 trillion.”
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Ron Paul: ‘Get Rid of the Federal Reserve’

By Rick Pedraza, Newsmax

Rep. Ron Paul, in a speech delivered to an enthusiastic crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference, said conservatives “have to be devoted to and willing to stand by and defend the Constitution, and have the position that it is absolutely necessary to get rid of the Federal Reserve system.”

Paul, who ran for president in 2008 championing the Constitution, talked about his bill seeking to abolish the Federal Reserve, which he said is getting bipartisan support in the Congress.
“We’ve gotten ourselves in a mess because the conservative movement, which was designed to bring us back to our roots of limited government, smaller government and more individual liberty, hasn’t happened,” said Paul, R-Texas.
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RPOF Threatens Legal Action Against Republican Liberty Caucus

GOP warns dissident wing
Republicans try to stop ‘Liberty Caucus’

By PETER GUINTA

State Republicans are trying to thwart a move by Ron Paul supporters to take over the party in St. Johns County and the state.

This week, the Republicans sent warning letters to 10 state chapters of the Republican Liberty Caucus — an organization within the party that promotes an agenda much the same as Ron Paul libertarians. The letter warned the caucus the law doesn’t allow them to use the word “Republican” in its name without permission. Read more