With little more than a month remaining before the elections, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges Americans to find out just who — and what — they’re voting for. The candidates elected this November will determine the course of our economy for decades to come.
Voting is a right and a responsibility, and Americans need to know where the candidates stand. But, too often, the policies up for debate are drowned out by the noise of the campaign. Many of the messages and positions of candidates and incumbents are getting lost in the silly season.
In 2012, the Chamber of Commerce has undertaken our largest effort ever to mobilize voters in support of free enterprise issues and candidates. On our website VoteForJobs2012.com, voters can find a breakdown of the most important races and compare the candidates based on their commitment to job creation. It features How They Voted scorecards for elected officials and details the chamber’s pro-growth policy positions. It also contains the latest polling data, election news and resources, including voter registration forms, absentee ballots and polling locations.
Through all of our political efforts, we are working harder than ever to make sure voters know which candidates have a record of fighting for pro-growth policies that will revitalize our economy and put Americans back to work. And we’re holding lawmakers accountable who have chosen more government over the interests of small businesses, heaping more burdens on the backs of America’s job creators.
The chamber has been the dominant voice across the country in key House and Senate campaigns where there is a clear difference between candidates on economic issues. We don’t get involved in the presidential race, but we do weigh in on presidential policies that are up for debate.
And in 2012, the debate is on big ideas. How do we get our economy back on track after the worst recovery since the Great Depression? How are we going to create jobs for the 20 million Americans who are unemployed, underemployed or who have given up looking for work? How do we tackle our $16 trillion debt, curb spending, reform our entitlements and regain our fiscal footing? How do we restore the government to the size, scope and role the Founding Fathers intended? How do we renew our economic strength at home so that we can reclaim our competitive edge in the world?
These are big questions that beg bold ideas and real solutions. Everyone says the same thing about almost every election — that it’s the most important in our lifetime. But this time, it may actually be true.
— Tom Donohue is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
