Obama: GOPers Blocking DISCLOSE Act Are ‘People With Something To Hide’
In this weekend’s YouTube address, President Obama promoted the DISCLOSE Act, the set of proposed campaign finance reforms to require disclosure of corporate political spending that takes place as a result of the Citizens United decision. He also lambasted Republicans for filibustering it in the Senate.
“You would think that making these reforms would be a matter of common sense. You’d think that reducing corporate and even foreign influence over our elections wouldn’t be a partisan issue,” said Obama. “But the Republican leaders in Congress said no. In fact, they used their power to block the issue from even coming up for a vote. This can only mean that the leaders of the other party want to keep the public in the dark. They don’t want you to know which interests are paying for the ads. The only people who don’t want to disclose the truth are people with something to hide.”
GOPer Djou Pushes Spending Cuts
In this weekend’s Republican address, Rep. Charles Djou (R-HI) blasted the Democrats on fiscal issues, and promoted Republican proposals to cut spending.
“Led by Congressmen Paul Ryan and Jeb Hensarling, Republicans on the House Budget Committee – a panel on which I serve – have identified more than $1.3 trillion in Washington spending we can cut right now,” said Djou. “From canceling unspent ‘stimulus’ funds and TARP bailout money to freezing government pay and government hiring, these common-sense proposals recognize that what our economy needs is more private sector jobs, not more public sector programs. Of course, this is just a start. Much more needs to be done to make sure Washington has gone on its last spending spree, but these are steps we can take right now to demonstrate to taxpayers at home and allies abroad that America is serious about getting its fiscal house in order.”
RNC Closes July With Just $5 Million On Hand
The Washington Post reported last night: “The Republican National Committee spent twice as much as it raised in July, leaving the committee with just over $5 million on hand with less than three months left before the 2010 midterm elections. In a report filed with the Federal Election Commission this evening, the RNC showed $5.5 million raised and more than $11 million spent — including $1.5 million in transfers to state party committees — last month. The committee ended July with $5.3 million in the bank and $2.2 million in debt. The Democratic National Committee raised and spent $11.6 million in July, including nearly $4 million in transfers to state parties. The DNC ended the period with $10.8 million. The DNC had $3.5 million in debt.”
Chamber Emerges As Formidable Political Force
The Associated Press reports: “At times subtle, at times loud, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending record amounts on lobbying and in election battlegrounds, elbowing into the nation’s politics in unprecedented ways for the business community. The country’s largest business lobby has pledged to spend $75 million in this year’s elections. That’s on top of a lobbying effort that already has cost the organization nearly $190 million since Barack Obama became president in January 2009. Those numbers alone, together with what chamber officials say is a network of online backers that can amplify the pro-business message, give the group clout as a virtual third party and a powerful voice in what laws are made and who’s elected to write them.”
Israelis, Palestinians Warn Of Fragility Of Talks
The AFP reports: “Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to restart US-brokered direct peace talks, but politicians on both sides warned on Saturday that the process will be stillborn if the Jewish state fails to halt West Bank settlement building. Amid widespread international support for the revived Middle East peace process, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the opportunity ‘must not be wasted’ and Germany called for rapid results.”
U.S. Mortgage Relief Effort Is Falling Short of Its Goal
The New York Times reports: “The Obama administration’s mortgage relief program, originally intended to shield three million households from foreclosure, now looks as if it will permanently help as few as one-sixth of that number. While millions say they need help avoiding foreclosure and many struggling households applied, data released Friday showed the dropout rate from the Making Home Affordable Program was very high: 96,000 trial modifications were canceled by lenders in July. The number of canceled trials now exceeds 616,000. Those numbers are leading some housing experts to call the program, which modestly rewards lenders for modifying mortgages, a failure. But administration officials say that many households were helped even if their modifications were only temporary.”
