The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has hired former Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) to participate in a regulatory reform “road show” of speeches, events and media appearances, according to a memo obtained by iWatch News.
“The Chamber’s communications professionals, working closely with our federation and government affairs teams, have done an excellent job educating the public and policymakers about the regulatory overload the nation currently faces, its damaging impact on our economy and jobs, and the urgent need for change,” President Thomas Donohue wrote in a June 2 memo to the Chamber’s board of directors, supporters and friends. “I’m pleased to report that the Chamber has recently enlisted former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card and former Senator Evan Bayh who will carry a bipartisan message on regulatory reform out around the country.”
The memo identifies regulatory reform as the “first among equals” of the eight new initiatives announced by the Chamber last year, and states that regulations “constitute a a confusing and oppressive burden.”
Tom Collamore, the Chamber’s senior vice president for communications, told iWatch News that Bayh and Card will participate in a conference call next week with Chamber supporters, and that an official announcement of the “road show” will come on June 22.
“We don’t see this effort as an ‘us versus them’ issue,” Collamore said. “Having a Democrat of [Bayh’s] stature gives the effort more heft and an important perspective.”
Bayh, who retired from the Senate last year, became a Fox News contributor in March.
When he announced his retirement, Bayh denounced what he saw as “too much partisanship and not enough progress” in Congress, and said his decision was motivated by a belief that he could “best contribute to society in another way: creating jobs by helping grow a business, helping guide an institution of higher learning, or helping run a worthy charitable endeavor.”
(h/t Mother Jones)
