Before Donald Trump was for accepting donations from wealthy donors, he was attacking it. But as one Republican said, “If there is one thing that unites both parties up here, it’s money.” Today, we’re launching a new resource called “Right on the Money” to highlight conservative and Republican research, polling and statements from elected officials, thought-leaders and voters about reducing the influence of special interests in Washington.
Right on the Money is a collection of the best statements, polling and research from Republicans and conservatives concerned about the role of money in politics and accountability. It is an ongoing project of Issue One.Below you’ll find a small sample of Right on the Money. To see the full project visit rightonthemoney.io.
President Ronald Reagan: “We must be willing to pay for excellence in government or risk a government run only by people of wealth or by those beholden to special interests.”
Governor Mitt Romney (R-UT): “We’ve really got a mess in the financial system with regard to campaigns right now. We’ve gotta rethink campaign finance.”
“Sweeping Laws”: 78% of Republicans want sweeping laws to rebalance the scales of power in our country.
Work Together: 79% of Republicans want their members of Congress to reach across the aisle and work with the other party to reduce the influence of money in politics.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY): “Why give so much money to both sides? That’s the problem with the system. Big Government and Big Business get in bed together, and the ordinary taxpayer ends up with the short end of the stick while our country is driven deeper into debt.”
Senator John McCain (R-AZ): “What the Supreme Court did [in Citizens United] is a combination of arrogance, naïveté and stupidity the likes of which I have never seen…I promise you, there will be huge scandals…because there’s too much money washing around, too much of it we don’t know who’s behind it and too much corruption associated with that kind of money.”
Senator Barry Goldwater: (R-AZ) “Our nation is facing a crisis of liberty if we do not control campaign expenditures. We must prove that elective office is not for sale. We must convince the public that elected officials are what James Madison intended us to be, agents of the sovereign people, not the hired hands of rich givers…”
Governor John Kasich (R-OH): “I think we need to have more low-dollar efforts here in the country. You know, having a handful of billionaires that can basically, with special interest, they can kind of buy an election is something that bothers me.”
“Mad as hell”: 91% of likely Republican 2016 Iowa caucus-goers that they were unsatisfied or “mad as hell” about the amount of money in politics.
