Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the Citizens United case has aimed a dagger at the heart of American democracy. So I rise today in support of the DISCLOSE Act, to stop that dagger aimed at our heart. Our Nation is unique in world history in that it was founded not on nationality or royal bloodlines but on an idea--a simple yet revolutionary idea--that the country's people are in charge. As was so often the case, Abraham Lincoln said it better than anyone--that the United States is a ``government of the people, by the people, for the people.'' What that means is we, the elected officials, work for the people. They elect us. They are in charge. But this idea, this vision, this government by and for the people cannot survive if our elections are not open, fair, and free. The government is not by or for the people if corporations and even foreign corporations and giant government contractors are able to hijack the electoral process to run millions of dollars of attack ads against any candidate or any legislator who dares to put the public interest ahead of a company's interest. Our Constitution, through the first amendment, puts the highest protection on political speech, recognizing how important it is that citizens be able to debate the merits of candidates and the merits of ideas.…”