An American Lion

Pardon me while I nibble on this

I consider myself the loyal opposition to the Obama Administration. I think that I'm the only person honestly opposing the war strategies and some of the domestic agenda items that have surfaced as of late. I'm certainly not going to carry water for anyone.  I'm probably making too much out of the privacy issue. I am loyal to the country, and I don't mind President Obama. He doesn't bother me at all. He's not the issue.

The issue is the administration that he runs right now. Their policies are what I, loyally, oppose. I've had to tone down my over-the-top rhetoric at times. Sure, I like the "f" word--who doesn't? It really doesn't work anymore, at least not for me.

When I hear of the efforts of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, I wonder if they are really a loyal opposition:

With President Barack Obama bidding to overhaul the health-care system, tighten bank oversight and make industries pay for their greenhouse-gas emissions, some trade-association chiefs have decided to compromise with the party in power.

Not Thomas Donohue. On many of Mr. Obama's priorities, the president and chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is working to defeat the administration—delighting some members, causing some to quit and sparking a furious reaction from the White House and left-wing activists. In the process, he has made the Chamber one of Mr. Obama's most visible opponents.

On climate change, Mr. Donohue's group says warmer temperatures could help by reducing deaths related to cold weather.

On health care, a Chamber ad says Democrats' approach will kill jobs and slow growth.

On financial regulation, one ad says the administration's plan will hurt small businesses, "even the small butcher"—a line that prompted Mr. Obama to denounce the Chamber from the presidential podium this month.

Now, Mr. Donohue aims to spend $20 million annually for several years advocating free-market policies such as open trade and less regulation, taking aim at much of the Democrats' agenda. The public-relations campaign is the biggest undertaking in the Chamber's 100-year history.

A question hanging over all this is whether Mr. Donohue's aggressive stance will work better than compromise. The Chamber, which says it has 300,000 dues-paying members, has become a political target in Washington's partisan atmosphere. Though Mr. Donohue has strong supporters, a vocal minority of companies, including Apple Inc. and Nike Inc., have recently quit the Chamber or its board.

I don't agree with the Chamber's stance on health care--small businesses need health care reform, and they need it now. They need a system that gets the health care onus off of their backs. I think that someone has to step up and oppose the domestic agenda without becoming insane--yes, Ron Paul supporters, everyone in the room swivelled their heads at you. How you oppose something is where America needs to be brought back into the fold. No, it's not okay to go unhinged, as many on the right do, when the issues are brought up. If you can't argue the merits of health care reform, then why should I listen to you screech about Obama's wife? That doesn't accomplish anything.