PRESS RELEASES from Public Citizen
December 7, 2012
Obama Inc.

Statement of Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

Contact: Angela Bradbery; Jake Parent; for broadcast media, Barbara Holzer

Last week, Public Citizen called on President Barack Obama to refuse to accept corporate funding for his inauguration, as he did in 2009. More than 30,000 people have signed a petition to Obama urging the same.

Today’s decision by President Obama to accept corporate funding for inaugural festivities is deeply disappointing. The American people have a right to expect something other than an inauguration brought to them by Bank of America.

That the corporate-funded inaugural festivities will fall on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, is not just ironic given President Obama’s stated support for a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision holding that corporations can spend unlimited amounts on elections, it undermines the case for corporate-free elections.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee has stated that it will not accept funds from lobbyists, foreign corporations, TARP recipients that have not repaid their government loans or others that do not pass its vetting process. But every corporation’s donations create a conflict of interest, because they all have business before the government in one way or the other. The problem with donations from lobbyists is that they expect something in return for their contribution. The situation is exactly the same with corporate contributors, virtually all of whom employ lobbyists.

November 28, 2012

President Obama Should Refuse Corporate Contributions for Inauguration

Corporate Funding Tarnishes Celebration of Democracy, Opens Avenues for Corruption


WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Barack Obama should once again refuse to accept corporate funding for his inauguration and thus avoid both real and perceived corruption, Public Citizen urged in a letter to the president today.

The letter follows published reports indicating that Obama’s advisors are recommending he consider accepting corporate contributions to pay for the upcoming inauguration festivities. In 2009, Obama chose not to accept such donations for the festivities surrounding his first inauguration.

The letter, from Public Citizen President Robert Weissman, calls corporate donations to the inauguration “a patently horrible idea.”

“There is no way for the American people to see major corporate names associated with the inauguration and not assume those corporations are paying for a lot more than the inauguration festivities,” Weissman said.

Noting that the inauguration will be on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, Weissman says, “It would be more than a bitter irony to have corporations sponsor or fund the inauguration on the anniversary of Citizens United; it would undermine the case for corporate-free elections.”

The letter also recommends establishing a basic nonpartisan framework for what constitutes an appropriate public outlay for the inauguration – well in advance of the next presidential election – and then calibrating public inauguration festivities to that funding commitment.

“Some element of our democracy, at least, should be corporate-free,” Weissman said.

To read the full text of the letter, visit http://www.citizen.org/documents/obama-second-term-inauguration-weissman-letter.pdf.

For information on Public Citzen's petition drive to keep corporate sponsorship out of the inauguration process, please visit http://pubc.it/OinuAG.

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Presidential Candidate Gary Bauer congratulated Governor Scott Walker for his win in Wisconsin's recall election, calling it "another sign that taxpayers will award office holders ready to do the hard work of reigning in out-of-control government spending."

Bauer, the chairman of the Campaign for Working Families,  made the following statement:

"I congratulate Governor Scott Walker for his hard-fought victory tonight, and most especially for having the courage of his convictions to fight the good fight. But the victory in Wisconsin is not Scott Walker's alone.  It is a victory for the hard-working taxpayers of Wisconsin, who foot the bill year after year.  It is a victory for common sense over powerful special interests.  It is a victory that taxpayers in every state can celebrate.  It is a victory, yes, even for some union members.

"Since Gov. Walker's reforms were enacted, tens of thousands of state employees have opted to keep more of the money they earn rather than let the public employees union siphon off their hard-earned dollars.  In other words, once given the choice, more than half of the public employees union's members decided that they didn't need the union.  These reforms will pay real dividends for the taxpayers of Wisconsin.  They are the real winners tonight.

"The recall election is a sign of good things to come.  The power of the Big Labor bosses has finally been checked, not just in Wisconsin, but also in scores of other states across the country.  More governors, legislators and taxpayers will be inspired to stand up against the liberal labor unions and do what is truly in the best interests of their communities.  Wisconsin's 10 Electoral College votes are now in play, and the anti-tax, small government movement that swept the country in 2010 is about to sweep Barack Obama out of office in 154 days!"

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1drYR)