Chamber of Commerce prez Tom Donohue to GOP reps who don't (!) vote to raise debt ceiling: 'We'll get rid of you.'; CoC calls remark 'lighthearted'

Capitol Hill GOP freshman weren't amused by Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donohue's remarks at  an Atlanta Rotary Club dinner Monday when he threatened to “get rid of” new representatives who refused to vote for raising the debt ceiling, reports Marin Cogin of Politico.

A Chamber spokesman passed the comments off as lighthearted, in the context of “pleasant and humorous banter” between Donohue and his audience at night.

Freshman Rep. Steve Southerland (R-Fla.) said he was “extremely disappointed, but no longer surprised by the U.S. Chamber’s failure to understand the challenges facing our small businesses. As far as I am concerned, their leadership forfeited its position as a voice for small business when it became comfortably entrenched in Washington’s status quo.”
     “The U.S. Chamber’s national leadership would benefit from listening to their local chapters and member businesses about the brokenness of Washington. Regardless of inside-the-beltway threats, I am more committed than ever to doing exactly what our small business owners and hardworking families have sent me here to do,” Southerland said.

Donohue’s comments were made during a Q&A when he revealed that the Chamber had a message for the freshmen who voted against raising the debt ceiling: “We’ll get rid of you.”

Although CoC spokesman Dave Natonski claimed that the comment was meant as a joke, he refused to comment when asked whether the Chamber had any plans to target members who vote against a debt ceiling hike in 2012.