We have been calling on Barack Obama to take the gloves off, disappointed more often than not. Could Campaign Finance Reform be the point of change?
President Barack Obama warned Republicans Monday not to block a campaign finance bill he said would stop foreign interests and big business from deluging US elections with piles of cash.
Obama spoke out in support of a bill that responds to a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that critics fear will open the floodgates for millions of dollars in special interest money to taint looming congressional elections.
"Big corporations — even foreign-controlled ones — are now allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money on American elections," Obama said.
"They can buy millions of dollars worth of TV ads — and worst of all, they don’t even have to reveal who’s actually paying for the ads."
The Senate was expected to debate the bill, already passed by the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, with Republicans, who may benefit most from the status quo, expected to oppose it.
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in January held that corporations could dip freely into their general funds to finance campaign ads either in support or against a particular political candidate.
The ruling is expected to result in an even more intense barrage of campaign ads than usual in the run-up to mid-term congressional elections later this year, and in Obama’s 2012 reelection race.
"Imagine the power this will give special interests over politicians," Obama said in his remarks in the White House Rose Garden.
"Corporate lobbyists will be able to tell members of Congress if they don’t vote the right way, they will face an onslaught of negative ads in their next campaign."
The bill, known as the Disclose Act, would require any political organization to make their donors public and ban foreign controlled corporations and government contractors from making political donations.
Senator Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, however said the bill could infringe constitutional guarantees of free speech and was a distraction from efforts to revive the US economy… [emphasis added]
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I certainly hope he means it this time. We may not win this fight, because Mitch “One Bought Bitch” McConnell and the Republicans will likely goose-step in unison to support their corporate masters. But this is a fight worth losing. If the Republicans block it, we must make them block it again, and again, and again, and again, screaming bloody murder each time they do to expose the Republican party as the corporate shills they are.
4 Responses to “Obama: A Line in the Sand?”
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What a great tool for the Dems to use against the Republicans. Each time we make them defend their position,that’s more votes for us. Love it!
Thanks, Tim.
The problem with a line in the sand is that sand shifts and new lines are drawn, typically not in favor of the original line drawn. We need a line in stone at this point.
Obama and Clinton have this in common: They are both very eloquent public speakers. The difference, for me at least, is that I knew Clinton was a slimy politician from the word ‘go’. I voted against Clinton for both terms, and I have no regrets for my votes for Perot and Dole, respectively.
Obama is getting that way with me. Tell me what I want to hear, and to hell with the rest. I will say this in Obama’s defense, however. Obama has no real control over Congress. That being said, he has not used his ‘bully pulpit’ to the maximum advantage, even for a centrist.
No one has any level of control over the Jellyfish Jackasses at this point, just re-enforcing my knick-name for them. As President, Obama has responsibilities to the party. He needs to take control and use his influence, or lack thereof, to get agendas passed. To not make compromises, and to get the job done. There is little to no excuse for no Energy Policy. Hell, he could write one from the White House. There is little to no excuse why unemployment insurance extensions took weeks to get through. These are the little things that Obama does not do correctly that makes the big things that much harder.
Get with the Program, Barack. You are the ‘Man in Command’, be that man or step the f*** aside for someone that will be. And much to the disappointment of those reading, that ‘Man in Command’ may be a woman from Alaska that is more than willing to do what it takes, no matter how wrong that is.
I really don’t think that those up on the Hill understand what is at stake here. More than their jobs, it could mean the jobs of those that might try to come behind them. But, apparently being bipartisan is the most important thing. Well, they are going to go down on that ship as Captain. Idiots. (I would apologize, were I actually sorry, but I believe in ‘No Idiot Left in Charge’. While the other side may be completely wrong, at least they aren’t idiots and are forwarding their own causes. There are few that can argue that point. We may be at the point of draining the Jellyfish Jackass swamp BEFORE running out the Nazis. You cannot change the world, or even the US with Jellyfish Jackasses. Sorry, TC.)
Otis, I understand your frustration, but I still prefer Obama to McCain.