What Barack Obama Said about the Supreme Court Before it Mattered

The Supreme Court says corporations are people, and corporate spending on political campaigns is the same as free speech. Here's what Barack Obama said in Audacity of Hope, when he was halfway between a community organizer and president:

I've never been entirely comfortable with the term "special interest," which lumps together ExxonMobil and bricklayers, the pharmaceutical lobby and the parents of special-ed kids. Most political scientists would probably disagree with me, but to my mind there's a difference between a corporate lobby whose clout is based on money alone, and a group of like-minded individuals - whether they be textile workers, gun aficionados, veterans, or family farmers - coming together to promote their interests; between those who use their economic power to magnify their political influence far beyond what their numbers might justify, and those who are simply seeking to pool their votes to sway their representatives. The former subvert the very idea of democracy. The latter are its essence.

The Audacity of Hope, p. 116 in my paperback Three Rivers edition.

He had it right back then. We need to help him remember it now.

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UPDATE: In his new weekly address, Obama called the Supreme Court decision "devastating to the public interest." The old quote suggests that this more than a short-term political populist swing. It's real.

 

 

 

Comments

[freelyb]

11:57 AM on 01/23/2010

Obama said a lot of things about a lot of things. What has transpired since is still somewhat of a complex composite of external and internal influences that have undermined his stated intent. Hopefully, we are now at the point where the rubber will meet the road. I still have my doubts.

[tompoe]

10:37 AM on 01/23/2010

Thank you, Supreme Court. Osama Bin Ladin thanks you. He now has a direct voice through his corporation, to influence directly, the election of our representatives. China thanks you. Money from China can now be channeled through corporations to influence directly, the election of our representatives. A few billion dollars might just be the ticket to controlling every level of government in the United States.

We should all reach out, and express our thanks, but, unfortunately, our voices will be drowned out by corporations. If we're looking for a job, we will need to conform to what corporations are looking for in their employees. Watch what bumper stickers you put on your bumper. It might keep you from getting a job.

[aspiecelia]

10:37 AM on 01/23/2010

He wrote the above yet he made deals with the biggest special interest groups in the country to the detriment of healthcare reform. That is just as wrong as the decision the supreme court made.

[unfoxworthy]

10:19 AM on 01/23/2010

I'm amazed that the Supreme Court court not make the same rudimentary differentiation!
I wonder why they were so short-sighted on this issue [in the instant case]?
Corruption? At the top of OUR govt? Could it be?
Yep.
...now they've CERTIFIED IT!
Let's take it to the streets, ALL the Main Streets...and tell them what WE think of them, these people who can't hold these simple truths to be self evident!

[davidly]

10:11 AM on 01/23/2010

To your Orwell reference: Not that I'm the first to have noticed, but back when I saw that Walgreens had stores literally within a block of anywhere you could stand in my neighborhood, leaving in its wake multi-generational mom and pop shops who'd lost traction amidst the gentrification and changing demographics, it solidified my feeling that Capitalism would eventually prove to be no different in effect than the Stalinism we were warned about. In other words, Big Brother is Big Brother, whether incorporated or implemented, the result is the same.

As far as the president's realness is concerned, there is a difference between stating the obvious in print, or in a press conference or speech, and actually using one's authority and position to make a difference on behalf of the special interest that is the have nots, financially speaking. So far I have seen a lot of Pulpit, but almost no Bully.

[Goofy1969]

08:27 AM on 01/23/2010

I think the President more than remembers this. He made a strong statement the day of the decision and rammed it home this morning in his weekly TV address. Thank you so much for posting this and referencing "The Audacity of Hope", It amazes me that more people who follow politics have not read this important book, not because it gives Obama a free ride, but because it will become clear that his policies as President are the same as they were as the Jnr senator from Illinois back in 2006.

Obama has heard the voters in the last week and has come out fighting. Yes it's only a few days and action needs to follow words but at least he is making the right first moves which is more than I can say for most in the house or senate.

[Eric Lotke]

09:18 AM on 01/23/2010

Thanks! I just read the address and went back to update my post, and I see that you already took care of it. Obama called the Supreme Court decision "devastating to the public interest." The old quote suggests that this more than a short-term political populist swing. It's real.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-vows-continue-standing-special-interests-behalf-amer