"Into the Lion's Den"

The title of this article was the first thing to catch my attention. It read "Into the Lion's Den: Emanuel to Speak at Chamber of Commerce Dinner". One can see that a definite dramatization factor was employed by the media in its analogy comparing the Chamber of Commerce Dinner to a "lion's den". But I have to say that the media tactic worked since it caught my attention and did get me to read the article. Not only was I curious as to what the term "lion's den" applied to, but I also wanted to know more about the conflicts between the White House and U.S. Chamber of Commerce leaders.
The article basically addressed the fact that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce leaders have long been engaged in a bitter war of words with the White House over the current health care reform and climate change legislation. However, the two parties will now finally have a chance to hear each other out and potentially work together in areas where there is agreement, such as creating jobs. According to the article, "White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, will speak to some of the White House's fiercest critics at a dinner for the Chamber's board of directors on Nov. 4, journeying into the lion's den in an ongoing feud with the pro-business lobby over government spending and growth".
After reading a little about the ongoing feud and disagreements between the White House and Chamber, I think it will be interesting to read about the outcome of the dinner and to find out whether or not anything was actually accomplished. For instance, the article stated that "the White House has criticized the Chamber for its opposition to current efforts at health insurance reform and climate change legislation, singling it out for trying in a well-funded ad campaign to "weaken" and "kill" White House efforts". Also, Emanuel stated that "a series of Chamber ads were "scaring the shit out of me," according to an account in "The Thumpin'," a book about the 2006 elections". Both these comments seem a little extreme to me, but then again, I am very unfamiliar with the ongoing feud and debate. Maybe the media has just added a bit of sensationalism by selecting the more harsh comments in order to make the disagreements between the two parties seem a little more heated than they actually are. I definitely want to read more about the ongoing feud between the White House and Chamber of Commerce after reading this article to see if it really is as heated as the article portrays or if the media is just employing dramatization and sensationalism factors in order to draw reader's attention.