September 18th, 2010
09:12 AM ET
5 years ago

Obama hammers Republicans on campaign finance

(CNN) - President Obama used his weekly radio and internet address Saturday to target Senate Republicans who are actively opposed to campaign finance legislation that in part requires special interest groups to clearly name themselves in television advertisements they put money behind.

"Now, the special interests want to take Congress back, and return to the days when lobbyists wrote the laws," Obama says in the address. "And a partisan minority in Congress is hoping their defense of these special interests and the status quo will be rewarded with a flood of negative ads against their opponents. It's a power grab, pure and simple."

The legislation is in response to a Supreme Court ruling last year that relaxed disclosure laws among special interest groups. Democrats initially failed to get enough support to bring the bill for a final vote last July.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in response: “In the middle of the worst recession in memory, Americans want us to focus on jobs. But for the second time in four weeks, the President used his weekly address to promote a partisan campaign bill."

"By focusing on that partisan effort to rig the fall elections rather than the stagnant economy, Democrats are proving once again that the jobs they care about most are their own. The President says this bill is about transparency. It’s about transparency, alright: It’s a transparent effort to rig the fall elections," he added.

Filed under: President Obama
soundoff (28 Responses)
  1. Marie MD

    The rethugs are voted in by their constituents but then they worship big corporations and wall street.
    Nothing new here. It's all about the 2% of the population with all the money.

    September 18, 2010 09:17 am at 9:17 am |
  2. Clwyd

    Repulsive Republicans are lying hypocrites!

  3. NVa Native

    Keep hammering President Obama, and use all your hammers. These thugs don't deserve any less.

    September 18, 2010 09:25 am at 9:25 am |
  4. GI Joe

    If anyone is interested in knowing the truth about the radical wing of the GOP plan for several years now, google PNAC and read some of the articles. If it doesn't wake you up, nothing will. Fear is being used to control us for their ultimate goal.

    Have a good week-end.

    September 18, 2010 09:31 am at 9:31 am |
  5. SethC

    Did his teleprompter fall over, or did he really say this. Always have to wonder. He is the poster man for teleprompting. He is told what to say and how to say it. He is a good orator. He likes to hear his own voice. lol, poor man, bless his heart.

    September 18, 2010 09:33 am at 9:33 am |
  6. Truth

    This guy is the worst potus of all time

    September 18, 2010 09:40 am at 9:40 am |
  7. Andy

    You'd think the teanderthals would be up in arms about citizens united – after all it's opening the floodgates for outsiders and corporations to take over local, state and national elections. They want to "take their country back" – just not from the lobbyists and corporations I guess. If this keeps up, average americans won't even have to bother to vote – the corporations will just buy and place their candidates into the positions.

    September 18, 2010 09:48 am at 9:48 am |
  8. save america, vote out republicans

    After listening to the GOP presidential wannabees address the right wing conservative nutjobs yesterday, it is good to see they have their anti police, anti firemen, anti teacher, anti hispanic, anti black, anti health reform, anti social security, anti medicare, anti regulation on wall street, anti regulation for oil drilling, anti muslim group fired up. We went through their McCarthyism in the 1950's, and the sane Americans will soundly defeat it again.

    September 18, 2010 09:56 am at 9:56 am |
  9. KatR

    The President is correct. Most Americans don't realize that we are in the middle of a revolution right now. On one side are We the People and on the other side are corporations who are fighting hard to retain their control over us. They have replaced our democratic republic with a plutocracy. We now have a President who is fighting for We the People and corporate interests are not happy about that. They are attempting to divide and conquer We the People. The question many of us stand with a President trying to save this country and how many of us stand with the old, familiar plutocracy that began under Reagan.

    September 18, 2010 09:57 am at 9:57 am |
  10. Mcknight2008

    Sure we need to focus on JOBS I get that, I like to who's giving these people BIG money who we send to D C to make us a better country maybe the people backing them maybe the same people who got bus in the mess were in I hope they do have enough votes and those who are oppse it must be hiding something.

    September 18, 2010 10:00 am at 10:00 am |
  11. Phoney 86

    I spent $79.95 to get a degree from Beck U. Now I cannot get a job teaching the constitiution and religion. I blame President Obama and Nancy Pelosi.

  12. jim

    Obama and his folks are out their every day playing the game that he's criticizing the republicans over.This is sad.The Dems have by far out raised what the Republicans have and he complains.He goes around and has a $1000 a plate dinner to raise money for his friends and he complains, He has millions of his own money and he complains.He talks about special interest but has no problem taking union money or pac money.He see no problem with the Hollywood elites bankrolling his campaign. Give me a break, Mr HYPOCRITE IN CHIEF.

    September 18, 2010 10:02 am at 10:02 am |
  13. Republicans are Destroying America

    Why would all but two senate republicans vote against helping small businesses? Why do republicans want to eliminate social security, medicare, health reform and regulations on wall street and the big oil industry, yet support unfunded tax cuts for millionaires? Why do republicans want to shut down government?

    September 18, 2010 10:11 am at 10:11 am |
  14. susie

    Why wasn't Obama big on this campaign funding when he was running for President? Where did all his money come from? People are getting tired of this flip-flopping. He talks about raising taxes on people who make over $250,000, yet an article states about how much money is being lost because people who work for him don't pay their taxes!!! Maybe if he goes after them we could lower our deficit.

    September 18, 2010 10:13 am at 10:13 am |
  15. kelly

    Campaign finance reform is another way for this president to take the voters minds off of the real issue which is the sad state of the economy.Unemployment has been nearly 10% for months now and the poverty rate went to 14% in 2009 under his leadership.But instead of talking and showing how he plans to fix that he pulls out this phony argument about campaign finance that will do nothing to help the economy which is still in the tank.

    September 18, 2010 10:17 am at 10:17 am |
  16. Republicans are Destroying America

    Social programs like social security, medicare, and the VA, are a helluva lot better than the conservative party's book burning, anti first amendment, anti 14th amendmen, anti environmentalist crazies that make up the republicanazi party.

    September 18, 2010 10:18 am at 10:18 am |
  17. Independent One

    Coming from an idependent voter the tea party movement certainly doesn't speak for me

    September 18, 2010 10:20 am at 10:20 am |
  18. jay

    The GOP plan is to make the President fail at all cost, so they can regain power.

    September 18, 2010 10:22 am at 10:22 am |
  19. Republicans are Destroying America

    Republicans have voted against every job creation measure in the senate, and since the majority has to have 60 votes, they have stopped all assistance to working Americans. What angers me, is they then blame the president and the democrats for the high unemployment numbers.

    September 18, 2010 10:24 am at 10:24 am |
  20. Death Panel Sarah

    Why does President Obama always give 'common sense' addresses, and then the repubs always come back with some whacko remarks.

    The repubs will dig up some nut job nobody ever heard of to lie to america.

    September 18, 2010 10:32 am at 10:32 am |
  21. Anonymous

    Sure the idiot has nothing to loose and everything to gain. so why not put it all out there. I can not stand this women!

    September 18, 2010 10:36 am at 10:36 am |
  22. Jeff Brown in Jersey

    God Bless you President Obama!

    September 18, 2010 10:37 am at 10:37 am |
  23. USN

    Lead the way obama , tell us where your campaign money came from? I didn't think so .

    September 18, 2010 10:42 am at 10:42 am |
  24. the real ib

    Look who's talking. The demos have constantly used special interest groups to hide behind. Now they want controlls since some of these groups are pointing out Obama's failures and hidden agenda. Hyprocrites.

    September 18, 2010 10:43 am at 10:43 am |
  25. GI Joe

    The truth about GOP support of Corporations (who fund GOP campaigns most) and the wealthy hoarding their money, can Never be called "rigging".

    The blatant lies, hate, fear, violent terminology IS "rigging".

    September 18, 2010 10:45 am at 10:45 am |
1 2