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Obama Turns Up Heat Over Campaign Spending Decision
New York Times ^ | January 23, 2010 | Sheryl Gay Stolberg

Posted on 01/23/2010 5:45:11 PM PST by reaganaut1

President Obama took aim at the Supreme Court on Saturday, saying the justices had “handed a huge victory to the special interests and their lobbyists” with last week’s 5-to-4 decision to lift restrictions on campaign spending by corporations and unions.

The decision will have major political implications for this year’s midterm elections. After it was announced, Mr. Obama immediately instructed his advisers to work with Congress on legislation that would restore some of the limits the court lifted. But in his weekly address on Saturday, he sharply stepped up his criticism of the high court.

“This ruling strikes at our democracy itself,” Mr. Obama said, adding: “I can’t think of anything more devastating to the public interest. The last thing we need to do is hand more influence to the lobbyists in Washington, or more power to the special interests to tip the outcome of elections.”

How much the administration can do about the ruling remains unclear, although Mr. Obama said he had instructed his advisers to work with Congress on a “forceful, bipartisan response.”

That process got under way Friday, a White House official said, when Norm Eisen, Mr. Obama’s special counsel for ethics and government reform, met with two leading Democrats — Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York and Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland — to begin talks on how Congress might proceed.

The sharply divided decision overturned parts of a 2002 law — known as the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, after the two senators who sponsored it — that severely restricted political advertising paid for by corporations and unions in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before general elections.

The five justices who sided with the majority characterized it as a victory for the First Amendment

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
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To: max americana
How did the “wise latina” vote?

UNwisely.
21 posted on 01/23/2010 6:01:40 PM PST by LostInBayport (2010 - The Second American Revolution. The first shot was fired 1/19/2010 -- here in Massachusetts!)
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To: reaganaut1

I’d say with this court ruling it will be an entertaining election year. Might not be a good idea to be anti-business when business can spend whatever they want against you.


22 posted on 01/23/2010 6:04:13 PM PST by kjam22
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To: Question Liberal Authority

Is it necessary to post that sort of wild-eyed radical rhetoric? What are you trying to do - inflame the masses?


23 posted on 01/23/2010 6:05:01 PM PST by Homer_J_Simpson ("Every nation has the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
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To: eyedigress
The obambat can't tell the difference between the public intrest and his own interest.
This is arrogance at its highest point!!!!!
Hey barry, you are not this country!!!!! This country is not you!!!!!
24 posted on 01/23/2010 6:10:54 PM PST by oldenuff2no (I'm a VET and damn proud of it!!! I did not fight for a socialist America!!!!!!!)
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To: 4Liberty

LOL!


25 posted on 01/23/2010 6:11:03 PM PST by homegroan ((keeping track of this crap is a full-time job...and I just punched in))
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To: MarkAccord

The Face of Mental Instability!


26 posted on 01/23/2010 6:14:41 PM PST by True Republican Patriot (May GOD Continue to BLESS Our Great President George W. Bush!!)
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To: oldenuff2no

Watch the process close. The agenda gets introduced then fails, 5 years down it gets introduced again. This cycle of agenda will not stop. It is meant to do away with freedom on a very grand scale. It’s been going on for some time.


27 posted on 01/23/2010 6:19:26 PM PST by eyedigress ( now.)
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To: reaganaut1

I am soooo proud of our president taking a
stand against this corporate take-over of
political campaigns. I know he and his Demo
politician friends will do the right thing
and refuse corporate campaign donations just
to demonstrate how wrong-headed this Supreme
Court decision is.


28 posted on 01/23/2010 6:28:59 PM PST by Sivad (NorCal Red Turf)
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To: reaganaut1

Apparently Obama thinks that Freedom stuff is a b17ch.


29 posted on 01/23/2010 6:39:46 PM PST by gitmo (FR vs DU: n4mage vs DUmage)
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To: reaganaut1

Do you think he knows that both the ACLU and the AFL-CIO filed amicus briefs in support of striking down McCain-Feingold?


30 posted on 01/23/2010 6:41:48 PM PST by Gee Wally
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To: reaganaut1
After it was announced, Mr. Obama immediately instructed his advisers to work with Congress on legislation that would restore some of the limits the court lifted.

Can't get around the First Amendment, Bozo.

The Justices ought to start their own unprecedented campaign of speeches explaining how freedom and free speech work. The First Amendment protects ALL political speech, period. Doesn't matter who says it or what is said or how much it costs to say it. You don't like it, counter it. They can't get that.

31 posted on 01/23/2010 6:45:24 PM PST by Defiant (The absence of bias appears to be bias to those who are biased.)
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To: reaganaut1

Ubama and the rats want to nationalize corporations (”Government Motors”) and force them to fire their CEOs; Ubama and the rats want to nationalize the banks and have even taken steps to nationalize the student loan business; Ubama and the rats want to dictate salary structures and compensation plans to financial institutions; Ubama and the rats want to nationalize corporations that provide health care insurance; some rats have even talked openly about nationalizing the oil companies. On and on it goes...

No wonder Ubama and the rats are upset that the corporations are no longer defenseless.
I hope they fight back like hell.


32 posted on 01/23/2010 6:58:56 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: reaganaut1

I say If he or they don’t like it, I like it! No matter what it is!


33 posted on 01/23/2010 7:26:10 PM PST by ronnie raygun (Leaders who refuse to lead will be lead by the people)
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To: Free America52

No, he doesn’t like a level playing field.

He has always benefited from preferential treatment and real competition must scare the hell out of him. Losing crushes his self-image.


34 posted on 01/23/2010 7:57:51 PM PST by SatinDoll (NO Foreign Nationals as our President!!)
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To: Free America52

No, he doesn’t like a level playing field.

He has always benefited from preferential treatment and real competition must scare the hell out of him. Losing crushes his self-image.


35 posted on 01/23/2010 7:57:58 PM PST by SatinDoll (NO Foreign Nationals as our President!!)
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To: MarkAccord

He prefers Limousines.


36 posted on 01/23/2010 8:04:31 PM PST by Diggity
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To: Diggity

"GO AHEAD...MAKE MY DAY"
37 posted on 01/23/2010 8:27:55 PM PST by az.b1bbomberfxr
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To: montag813

nor those that paid for his Harvard Law School years


38 posted on 01/23/2010 9:00:27 PM PST by klimeckg ("The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.")
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To: reaganaut1

This will make it just that much harder for Obama to emulate Hugo Chavez and nationalize companies.


39 posted on 01/23/2010 9:01:31 PM PST by Mike Darancette (Obama's only 2012 hope; lose one or both houses of Congress in 2010.)
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To: MarkAccord

40 posted on 01/23/2010 9:04:43 PM PST by klimeckg ("The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.")
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