Much like how Sarah Palin advised Christine O’Donnell to “speak through Fox News,” News Corp. is increasingly speaking through pro-corporate groups political groups. Following their $1 million contribution to the Republican Governors Association, the parent company of Fox News is donating $1 million to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As detailed in PFAW’s report After Citizens United: A Look into the Pro-Corporate Players in American Politics, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is planning to spend $75 million in targeted races in the 2010 election.
The Chamber’s sizeable political budget comes after the trade association spent $144 million to lobby Congress in order to fight greater business oversight, Wall Street Reform, Health Care Reform, workers’ rights, and the DISCLOSE Act. So far, the Chamber is airing ads in ten high-profile Senate races to buttress pro-corporate candidates, and attack their opponents for supporting progressive legislation such as Health Care Reform. In all ten races, the Chamber is working to elect Republicans, in hopes of intensifying the obstructionist tactics of the Senate Republicans. This $1 million contribution is another sign that Fox News is not just the biggest cheerleader of the Republican agenda in the media, but is also openly financing the election of more Republican candidates.