Kevin Roberts: “Thank you, Mr. President. I come to the floor today to also speak about ObamaCare. But before I do so, I feel the need…”

“Thank you, Mr. President. I come to the floor today to also speak about ObamaCare. But before I do so, I feel the need to address some comments made on the floor of the Senate yesterday that, sadly, I find to be extremely distasteful. Yesterday, two prominent citizens were called unpatriotic merely because they have engaged--legally, I must say--in their First Amendment right to participate in the political process. I was saddened, I was dismayed, and I was discouraged to see the floor of the Senate used as a venue for such campaign-related attacks. In order to further their own agenda, it has become commonplace for my colleagues--especially across the aisle--to suppress the free speech and rights of certain people and organizations. These are simply people with whom they do not agree and who have had the audacity to hold views different from this administration. Make no mistake, this is all part of a coordinated plan. I call it shaping the battlefield to tamp down--maybe that is not the right word; make that suppress--political opponents in the runup to the general election as of this fall. We have seen repeatedly since the Citizens United decision of 2010 Members of this body trying to rein in conservative groups' ability to participate in the political process. This campaign is a direct attack, I believe, on the rights of these organizations.…”