Quotes About Special Interests

#1. Mr. President, the buzz saw that your healthcare bill ran into wasn't lobbyists and special interests it was tens of millions of American's who were saying, 'Stop!'

John Boehner

#2. No, there is no real Left now. If you are just counting heads, there are probably more people involved than in the 1960s, but they are atomized, committed to different special interests - gay rights, environmental rights, this, that. They don't coalesce into a movement that can really do things.

Noam Chomsky

#3. Most presidents have been controlled by forces that control money and special interests. When Donald Trump refused their money, he refused their control. This made him dangerous.

Louis Farrakhan

#4. When I have to choose between voting for the people or the special interests, I always stick with the special interests. They remember. The people forget.

Henry F. Ashurst

#5. Cliches about supporting the troops are designed to distract from failed policies, policies promoted by powerful special interests that benefit from war, anything to steer the discussion away from the real reasons the war in Iraq will not end anytime soon.

Ron Paul

#6. I'm not going to rule out running for a second term. But, I think you have to be psychologically prepared to walk away from the job after four years. It's the only way that you cannot be influenced by those special interests.

Dick Murphy

#7. It would be deplorable if the special interests had the power to silence those voices in the media that they find uncomfortable.

Stieg Larsson

#8. This year, we are going to take our government out of the hands of corporate special interests and put it back into the hands of Ohio families - where it belongs.

Sherrod Brown

#9. The Reagan-Bush years have exalted private gain over public obligation, special interests over the common good, wealth and fame over work and family. The 1980s ushered in a Gilded Age of greed and selfishness, of irresponsibility and excess, and of neglect.

William J. Clinton

#10. Journalism's ultimate purpose is to inform the reader, to bring him each day a letter from home and never to permit the serving of special interests.

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger

#11. Everybody says that they're against the special interests. I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to.

John McCain

#12. I have fought against spending. I have fought against special interests. I have fought for reform.

Barack Obama

#13. We don't need more of the same, typical politicians fighting for themselves and for special interests. We need someone to believe in our small-business owners again and someone to champion those folks who play by the rules.

Tim Walz

#14. I do care about the mercury contamination which this country will be experiencing because of the attempted sellout by this administration to special interests which will result in more mercury in the blood of young children in America.

Jay Inslee

#15. War is party-blind. It doesn't care who is in the Oval Office. The forces that drive us to war don't care whether it's Republican, Democrat, or other. The fact is, these parties are prey to special interests. That is something Eisenhower was afraid of.

Eugene Jarecki

#16. If there was special interests affecting police work, I believe that would be called corruption. So, if it has do with donating money versus a popular vote, I think we have a bigger problem in this country and somebody's gotta wake up to that.

Garry McCarthy

#17. The precise point at which a tax deduction becomes a 'loophole' or a tax incentive becomes a 'subsidy for special interests' is one of the great mysteries of politics.

John Sununu

#18. The pressure of special interests, the demands of special sections of the state, the needs of friends, all must be subordinated to the good of the people as a whole.

Arthur Capper

#19. The Sheldon Adelsons, the Koch brothers, the George Soroses, what we want to try to do is force them into the parties, not so that Kasich or whoever is going to straight to them and trying to kiss up to special interests, but so the parties have the power and they can direct the money.

Mark Shields

#20. Yes, agriculture subsidies are far too generous. They need to be reined in because they cater to special interests while distorting free market competition. Yes, the farm laws are an anachronistic mess.

Juan Williams

#21. The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the special interests. An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy.

Woodrow Wilson

#22. Protectionism, socialism, all varieties of state favoritism and restrictions on competition, and the growth of bureaucracy and jobbery were the means by which special interests sought to exploit the public, the great mass of consumers and taxpayers.

Ralph Raico

#23. Paralysis of leadership is due in part to the unseen grip of the special interests.

John W. Gardner

#24. Policy decisions on climate change are being deliberated every day by those without full knowledge of the science, and often with intentional misinformation spawned by special interests.

James Hansen

#25. There are very powerful and wealthy special interests who want to privatize or dismember virtually every function that government now performs, whether it is Social Security, Medicare, public education or the Postal Service.

Bernie Sanders

#26. America's heart and soul is more embedded in our love of liberty, self-reliance, and tolerance than by our foreign policy, driven by powerful special interests with little regard for the Constitution.

Ron Paul

#27. I do a lot of referendums. They can't talk back. They don't have wives. They don't have friends who tell you how to run the campaign. They are supported by special interests, so there's a lot of money in them.

Roger Stone

#28. We have weakened the parties and strengthened all the special interests.

Mark Shields

#29. Something terrible has happened to the soul of the Republican Party. We've gone from bad economic doctrine. We've even gone beyond selfishness and special interests. At this point we're talking about a state of mind that takes positive glee in inflicting further suffering upon the already miserable.

Paul Krugman

#30. Democrats want to use the slowdown as an excuse to do what their special interests are always begging for: higher taxes, bigger government and less trade with other nations.

Mitt Romney

#31. The reverse is a system in which you basically let people who were leaders in one way or another - people sometimes decried as party bosses, people who are part of special interests make the decision. And I think that's a worse system than the one we have.

Geoffrey Cowan

#32. I ask you: turn a deaf ear to the special interests. Let politics stand down for a while. don't waste anytime thinking about future elections until we've done our jobs here.

Bob Riley

#33. Markets respond not to political pressures channeled through various committees, subcommittees, lobbies, and special interests but to the immediacies and exigencies of the economy - in other words, what's happening now.

Joel Miller

#34. We have to knock down the barriers erected by greed, special interests, powerful forces.

Hillary Clinton

#35. Initiative and referendum make government more responsive to its citizens, neutralize the power of the special interests and stimulate public involvement in state issues.

George W. Bush

#36. I've decided to run for the U.S. Senate because I believe Wisconsin families need a senator who will work hard to deliver results for the middle class - a leader with the courage to do what's right, no matter how tough the odds or how powerful the special interests we have to fight.

Tammy Baldwin

#37. Why is it that we all say we hate our hypocritical politicians being controlled by special interests groups, and every election...we vote them in again.

Colleen Hitchcock

#38. If they don't have the guts to come up here in front of you and say, 'I don't want to represent you, I want to represent those special interests, the unions, the trial lawyers ... if they don't have the guts, I call them girlie men.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

#39. Over the past few years special interests have had a larger and larger say over who gets what in America, and the voices of average citizens are being shut out.

Marty Meehan

#40. People are rapidly losing hope and trust. They believe their government has been captured by special interests and no longer cares about them, and they are right.

Marcy Kaptur

#41. People are looking for a leader independent of powerful, wealthy special interests that always push to the front of the line.

Martin O'Malley

#42. Special interests and opponents have figured out how easy it is to disrupt town halls and get their own message out. The days of the truly free-form town halls may be over.

Mark McKinnon

#43. Our politicians have sacrificed their principles on the altar of special interests; our corporate leaders have sacrificed their integrity on the altar of profits; and our media watchdogs have sacrificed the voice of dissent on the altar of audience competition.

Cornel West

#44. They're still a subject beholden to special interests, but at least they have a national constituency. At least they have to think about national majorities.

Mark Shields

#45. People like Elizabeth Dole have given too much power to the special interests.

Kay Hagan

#46. awareness of a problem does not mean much - particularly when you have special interests and self-serving institutions in play.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

#47. So when you go up against the Far Right you go up against the big financial special interests like the Halliburtons of the world, the big oil companies, the big energy companies who work so hard to rip us off.

Barbara Boxer

#48. Water is the most precious, limited natural resource we have in this country ... But because water belongs to no one - except the people - special interests, including government polluters, use it as their private sewers.

Ralph Nader

#49. I don't think you could find any person in political life today who has been subjected to more attacks and had more money spent against her by special interests, among whom you have named a few, than I.

Hillary Clinton

#50. From the moment I take office, I will stand up to the special interests and stand with hardworking families so that we can give America back its future and its ideals.

John F. Kerry

#51. The media used to investigate and uncover things. Now they simply collect 'he said,' 'she said' statements and stir up trouble. Their main activity is influence peddling, special interests, sensationalism, not fact.

Peter Arthur

#52. Too often in Washington special interests urge us to fight one another just because we belong to different parties. It is time for this to stop and for Washington to focus on what needs to be done.

Ken Salazar

#53. We can't have special interests sitting shotgun. We gotta have middle class families up in front. We don't mind the Republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back.

Barack Obama

#54. The danger is that the compromises and special interests inherent in Kyoto-style targets and cap-and-trade will be accepted because of bureaucratic momentum.

James Hansen

#55. We pay a price when special interests win out over the collective national interest.

Chris Christie

#56. There are many special interests skilful at manipulating circumstances and communications in such a way as to benefit their own ends and not necessarily the public good.

Randal Marlin

#57. Bureaucrats want bigger bureaus. Special interests are interested in whatever's special to them. These two groups bring great pressure to bear upon politicians who have another agenda yet:
to cater to the temporary whims and fads of the public and the press.

P. J. O'Rourke

#58. We conservatives can win the ideological battles on a level playing field. Our ideas are better. Given fair elections based on contributions from regular voters, instead of $100,000 checks from business-as-usual special interests, we will prevail.

John McCain

#59. Those of us in positions of responsibility, we'll need to be less concerned with the judgment of special interests and well-connected donors, and more concerned with the judgment of posterity.

Barack Obama

#60. We don't lump people by groups or special interests. And let me add, in the party of Lincoln there is no room for intolerance and not even a small corner for anti-Semitism or bigotry of any kind. Many people are welcome in our house, but not the bigots.

Ronald Reagan

#61. The money needed to run for office, the money spent on lobbying by special interests, the ever-increasing economic disparity, and the well-funded legislative decisions, all favor corporate interests over the people.

Neil Young

#62. If you're looking for someone to go to Washington, to go along to get along, to get - to agree with the career politicians in both parties who get in bed with the lobbyists and special interests, then I ain't your guy.

Ted Cruz

#63. One of the problems that we have in the human rights community is that special interests often forget the interests of other victims, and there's competition among victims expressions that are unnecessary.

Alfred-Maurice De Zayas

#64. realize that economic agents all represent special interests that typically interpret the situation according to their own interests or political views.

Jacob Lund Fisker

#65. The world's greatest city - New York City - deserves a government that works for all New Yorkers. That starts with a mayor who is independent from party bosses and special interests, who isn't afraid to be honest with the people, and who is focused on the issues New Yorkers care about most.

Sal Albanese

#66. Third issue, and again I think it is important to note, anyone can make a mistake and any administration can make a mistake once in a while, but this is just a long train of abuses, an unbroken chain of following special interests rather than the health of the American people.

Jay Inslee

#67. The biggest problem that we have is that California is being run now by special interests. All of the politicians are not anymore making the moves for the people, but for special interests and we have to stop that.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

#68. The principle of real leadership ignored, the immortal objects of society forgotten, practical conservatism degenerated into mere laudation of private enterprise, economic policy almost wholly surrendered to special interests.

Russell Kirk

#69. I think after Sandy Hook, when Obama went out, and he talked a lot about gun control and met with the parents, there was a sense that something was going to happen. But then, I guess, the power of special interests was greater than public sentiment.

Doris Kearns Goodwin

#70. The plain truth is that labor is the chief representative force that keeps the real special interests from dominating American political life.

Lane Kirkland

#71. In my legal practice, I have seen certain Federal judges controlled or influenced by large corporations ... , by large law firms ... on more than one occasion(, and) ... by special interests ... (some) ought to be thrown right off the bench because they are breaking every code of conduct ...

Orrin Hatch

#72. The objects in our system are instead a help to the child himself, he chooses what he wants for his own use, and works with it according to his own needs, tendencies and special interests. In this way, the objects become a means of growth.

Maria Montessori

#73. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are ... Not this time. Not now.

Barack Obama

#74. Of course, the economy has not been working for most Americans. Yes, of course, we have special interests that are unfortunately doing too much to rig the game.

Hillary Clinton

#75. The smaller the unit of government and the more restricted the functions assigned government, the less likely it is that its actions will reflect special interests rather than the general interest.

Milton Friedman

#76. Any big organization can be subverted by governments or multinational special interests. They have the resources to cast doubt and fear over any group they feel threatened by.

Arlo Guthrie

#77. We fought the Revolutionary War for no taxation without representation, it seems to me that we are much worse off today, because we are heavily taxed, and only the king's corporations control this Country, together with mob rule, of the special interests.

James Montgomery

#78. We need real campaign finance reform to loosen the grip of special interests on politics.

Tom Daschle

#79. As dismayed as Americans are with the influence of the special interests that finance election campaigns, they've been reluctant to embrace the alternative: taxpayer-financed elections.

John Harwood

#80. Do what is best for most people, not just a few. Prevent your elites and growing middle class, those who often benefit most from growth and development, from turning into a special interests group that blocks reforms.

Sri Mulyani Indrawati

#81. The career politicians in Washington had transformed a government "for the people" into a government for themselves and for special interests.

Tom Coburn

#82. The Congress is virtually incapable of passing any reforms unless they first get permission from the powerful special interests who are most affected by the proposal.

Al Gore

#83. I've made it clear that I'm not taking special interest PAC money or accepting donations from lobbyists - ever. I want to represent the interests of the citizens.

Stephen Pagliuca

#84. The goal of immigration policy should be what is in the best interests of the American people as a whole. I would recommend limiting immigration to spouses and minor children of citizens, plus additional immigrants chosen for special skills needed in the U.S.

Jan C. Ting

#85. I have strong interests in supporting sport, primarily football, and also in developing cultural relationships within national communities and their diasporas, with special reference to Ethiopia.

Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi

#86. Career politicians do not have the courage to prioritize spending and say no to demanding special interest groups who do not reflect the best interests of the country.

Tom Coburn

#87. I strongly recommend that students with autism get involved in special interest clubs in some of the areas they naturally excel at. Being with people who share your interests makes socializing easier.

Temple Grandin

#88. The death-knell of the republic had rung as soon as the active power became lodged in the hands of those who sought, not to do justice to all citizens, rich and poor alike, but to stand for one special class and for its interests as opposed to the interests of others.

Edmund Morris

#89. Men are not narrow in their intellectual interests by nature; it takes special and rigorous training to accomplish that end.

Jacob Viner

#90. The paramount duty of maintaining public order and defending the interests of our own people may require the adoption of measures of restriction, but they should not tolerate the oppression of individuals of a special race.

Grover Cleveland

#91. It's the job of a special advisor to be the eyes and ears of a minister and it's the job of a corporate lobbyist to represent the best interests of their organization.

Thomas Watson Jr.

#92. We must recognize that as the dominant power in the world we have a special responsibility. In addition to protecting our national interests, we must take the leadership in protecting the common interests of humanity.

George Soros