President Obama Speaks to the Neo-Con Business Roundtable [00:17:26]

[MrNice100]

President Obama explains that our nation's businesses need the certainty that middle class families won't see their taxes go up at the end of the year, and asks business leaders for their help in supporting an approach to resolving the debt limit crisis without drama or delay. December 5, 2012.

The Business Roundtable played a key role in defeating an anti-trust bill in 1975 and a Ralph Nader plan for a Consumer Protection Agency in 1977. And it helped dilute the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act.

But the Roundtables most significant victory was in blocking labor law reform that sought to strengthen labor law to make it more difficult for companies to intimidate workers who wanted to form unions. The AFL-CIO produced a bill in 1977 that passed the House. But the Roundtable voted to oppose the bill, and through its aggressive lobbying, it prevented the bills Senate supporters from rounding up the 60 votes in the Senate necessary to withstand a filibuster.

In fiscal policy, the Roundtable was responsible for broadening the 1985 tax cuts signed into law by Ronald Reagan, lobbying successfully for sharp reductions in corporate taxes.

[elleng]

1. 'Neo-con' appropriate for business roundtable?

I know they're very pro-'business,' perhaps at the expense of social benefits, but isn't this an over-use of the term neo-con?

[gateley]

2. Thanks -- they cut away on MSNBC when the sound cut out.