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New Chamber Of Commerce Ad Has Racial Undertones, Union Alleges

Source: The Huffington Post | Full News Feed

Nov 04, 2009

Summary

A new Chamber of Commerce ad attacking Democratic-led efforts to pass health care legislation includes a storyline that union critics of the group say is rife with racial undertones.

In the new spot, titled "Millions," the business lobby goes after health reform by arguing that it could "wipe out even more jobs" than those lost so far. But the group does so in a peculiar and perhaps controversial way.

The scenario of a distraught boss forced to fire an employee is illustrated by a white worker being summoned to the office as a black co-worker looks on.

An official with the AFL-CIO, who saw the ad air on Wednesday morning, argued that it was a perpetuation of the stereotype that minorities have a leg up on their colleagues because of affirmative-action policies. It gets at the heart of concerns raised by labor leaders like the AFL-CIO's president, Richard Trumka, who fretted during the 2008 presidential campaign that Barack Obama's candidacy would spur racial unrest within work forces.

"This is the same old right wing dog whistle politics," said Eddie Vale, spoke

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