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Barack Obama on Corporations

Democratic incumbent President; IL Senator (2004-2008)

 


Private sector is lifeblood of economy but needs limits

A thriving private sector is the lifeblood of our economy. I think there are outdated regulations that need to be changed. There is red tape that needs to be cut. But after years now of record corporate profits, working families won't get more opportunity or bigger paychecks just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at everybody else's expense.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress , Jan 20, 2016

Business should be more community oriented

I believe that in this new economy, workers and start-ups and small businesses need more of a voice, not less. The rules should work for them. And I'm not alone in this. This year I plan to lift up the many businesses who've figured out that doing right by their workers or their customers or their communities ends up being good for their shareholders. And I want to spread those best practices across America.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress , Jan 20, 2016

Close loopholes that let top 1% avoid paying taxes

As Americans, we don't mind paying our fair share of taxes, as long as everybody else does, too. But for far too long, lobbyists have rigged the tax code with loopholes that let some corporations pay nothing while others pay full freight. They've riddled it with giveaways the superrich don't need, denying a break to middle class families who do.

Let's close loopholes so we stop rewarding companies that keep profits abroad, and reward those that invest in America. Let's use those savings to rebuild our infrastructure and make it more attractive for companies to bring jobs home. Let's simplify the system and let a small business owner file based on her actual bank statement, instead of the number of accountants she can afford. And let's close the loopholes that lead to inequality by allowing the top 1% to avoid paying taxes on their accumulated wealth. We need a tax code that truly helps working Americans trying to get a leg up in the new economy, and we can achieve that together.

Source: 2015 State of the Union address , Jan 20, 2015

Lower tax rate to 25% and incentivize investment at home

When it comes to our tax code, Gov. Romney and I both agree that our corporate tax rate is too high, so I want to lower it, particularly for manufacturing, taking it down to 25%. But I also want to close those loopholes that are giving incentives for companies that are shipping jobs overseas.

How do we deal with our tax code? And how do we make sure that we are reducing spending in a responsible way, but also, how do we have enough revenue to make those investments? And this is where there's a difference, because Governor Romney's central economic plan calls for a $5 trillion tax cut--on top of the extension of the Bush tax cuts--that's another trillion dollars--and $2 trillion in additional military spending that the military hasn't asked for. That's $8 trillion. How we pay for that, reduce the deficit, and make the investments that we need to make, without dumping those costs onto middle-class Americans, I think is one of the central questions of this campaign.

Source: First Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate , Oct 3, 2012

End $4B tax break for shipping jobs overseas

OBAMA: When it comes to corporate taxes, Governor Romney has said he wants to, in a revenue neutral way, close loopholes, deductions--he hasn't identified which ones they are--but that thereby bring down the corporate rate. Well, I want to do the same thing, but I've actually identified how we can do that. And part of the way to do it is to not give tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas. Right now, you can actually take a deduction for moving a plant overseas. I think most Americans would say that doesn't make sense.

ROMNEY: Look, I've been in business for 25 years. I have no idea what you're talking about. I maybe need to get a new accountant. The idea that you get a break for shipping jobs overseas is simply not the case. What we do have right now is a setting where I'd like to bring money from overseas back to this country.

Source: First Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate , Oct 3, 2012

You can't build a business on your own; we're in it together

If you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, "well, it must be because I was just so smart." There are a lot of smart people out there.

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads & bridges. If you've got a business--you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.

When we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. That's how we funded the GI Bill. That's how we created the middle class. That's how we invented the Internet. That's how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, and that's the reason I'm running for President--because I still believe in that idea. You're not on your own, we're in this together.

Source: White House Press Release: Speech transcript from Roanoke VA , Jul 13, 2012

End deduction for outsourcing jobs; tax outsourcing instead

Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it. So let's change it.
  1. If you're a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn't get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies that decide to bring jobs home.
  2. No American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax.
  3. If you're an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help.
My message is simple. It's time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America.
Source: 2012 State of the Union speech , Jan 24, 2012

At a certain point, you've made enough money

In 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama made his intentions crystal clear: "I believe that when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." So we knew where this was heading all along, because it's not government's job to spread your money around. You spread it around yourself when you decide how you want to spend it, invest it, or donate it. Obama supports taxes because he believes government should decide more and you should decide less.

The Obamas telegraphed their anti-wealth message. As President Obama confessed, "I do think at a certain point you've made enough money," as if it's his or the government's place to decide how hard you work and how much wealth and opportunity you create."

Source: Time to Get Tough, by Donald Trump, p. 59-60 , Dec 5, 2011

Michelle Obama: Work for community, not corporate America

Based on their words and policies, Michelle and Barack Obama apparently believe that capitalism and entrepreneurship are bad. The way they see it, raising taxes is a way to punish people for having the audacity to work hard and get rich. As First Lady Michelle Obama put it in a speech in Ohio to a woman's group: "Don't go into corporate America. You know, become teachers. Work for the community. Be social workers. Be a nurse. Make that choice, as we did, to move out of the money-making industry into the helping industry." Teachers and nurses are great, but to tell people that being in business is somehow illegitimate and not part of the "helping industry" is a horrible message to send to people. Especially young people interested in business and entrepreneurship.
Source: Time to Get Tough, by Donald Trump, p. 60 , Dec 5, 2011

$4,000 tax credit for companies who hire unemployed workers

The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for the long-term unemployed. It will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers, and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every working American and every small business. It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled, and give companies confidence that if they invest and hire, there will be customers for their products and services. You should pass this jobs plan right away.

Pass this jobs bill, and starting tomorrow, small businesses will get a tax cut if they hire new workers or raise workers' wages. Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job. We have to do more to help the long-term unemployed in their search for work.

Source: Pres. Obama's 2011 Jobs Speech , Sep 8, 2011

OpEd: Poetic tales of small business ignore big monopolies

Obama never talks about the big monopoly businesses that today control and plunder the planet's resources. Obama likes to tell poetic tales about small businesses supposedly to dazzle, captivate and move the audience who are not warned about the reality:

"Robert and Gary Allen are brothers who run a small Michigan roofing company. After September 11, they volunteered their best roofers to help repair the Pentagon. But half of their factory went unused, and the recession hit them hard. Today, with the help of a government loan, that empty space is being used to manufacture solar shingles that are being sold all across the country. In Robert's words, 'We reinvented ourselves'."

Source: Castro on 2011 State of the Union, in "Obama & Empire" p.140 , Jan 27, 2011

Now business can write off the full cost of new investments

We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children. That's the project the American people want us to work on. Together.

We did that in December. Thanks to the tax cuts we passed, Americans' paychecks are a little bigger today. Every business can write off the full cost of new investments that they make this year. And these steps, taken by Democrats and Republicans, will grow the economy and add to the more than one million private sector jobs created last year.

But we have to do more. These steps we've taken over the last two years may have broken the back of this recession, but to win the future, we'll need to take on challenges that have been decades in the making.

Source: 2011 State of the Union speech , Jan 26, 2011

Lower corporate tax rate; pay for it by closing loopholes

A parade of lobbyists has rigged the tax code to benefit particular companies and industries. Those with accountants or lawyers to work the system can end up paying no taxes at all. But all the rest are hit with one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and it has to change.

[Let's] simplify the system. Get rid of the loopholes. Level the playing field. And use the savings to lower the corporate tax rate for the first time in 25 years--without adding to our deficit.

Source: 2011 State of the Union speech , Jan 25, 2011

OpEd: Overturn Court's campaign financing ruling in Congress

Sitting right in front of the president--robed in sober black, hands folded in their laps--were six of the justices, including three who had made it possible (in Obama's words) for American elections to be "bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities."

Even though Obama had ad-libbed "with all due deference to separation of powers" into his prepared text before unloading on the court, this was big-time head-butting between the Executive and Judicial branches of federal government. Some legal authorities worry about this.

In a way, Obama wasn't speaking directly to the court, but to Congress. The president and boosters of campaign finance law want lawmakers to pass something that can limit campaign contributions by corporations while also passing constitutional muster with the high court.

Source: Christian Science Monitor on 2010 State of the Union , Jan 30, 2010

American elections shouldn't be bankrolled by corporations

With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests--including foreign corporations--to spend without limit in our elections. I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems
Source: 2010 State of the Union Address , Jan 27, 2010

FactCheck: Many steps until companies can bankroll elections

The president claimed that "foreign corporations" could begin spending big money to influence US elections. A recent Supreme Court decision, Obama claimed, would allow "special interests--including foreign corporations--to spend without limit in our elections."

But it's unclear whether the court's opinion in the case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, will lead to allowing foreign-based corporations to buy campaign ads and engage in other electioneering activities. There is still a law barring foreign corporations from spending money in connection with US elections (see 2 USC 441e(b)(3)), and that's a matter likely to be litigated further. The court's most recent decision explicitly didn't deal with that question. But strictly speaking, Obama couched his claim as something "I believe," making it a statement of opinion and not of fact. So whether his view turns out to be right remains to be seen.

Source: FactCheck.org on 2010 State of the Union speech , Jan 27, 2010

Citizens United is a victory for Wall Street & Big Business

In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that the government cannot restrict the spending of corporations for political campaigns, maintaining that it's their First Amendment right to support candidates as they choose. This decision upsets two previous precedents on the free-speech rights of corporations. Pres. Obama expressed disapproval of the decision, calling it a "victory" for Wall Street and Big Business.

OnTheIssues explanation: Roberts, Scalia & Alito concurred; Stevens, Ginsburg, Breyer, & Sotomayor partly dissented (on grounds that electioneering spending is not protected free speech); Thomas partly dissented (on grounds that anonymous spending is protected free speech).

Source: InfoPlease.com on 2010 SCOTUS docket #08-205 , Jan 21, 2010

Special interests dominate day-to-day legislative activity

According to candidate Obama, "The reason we're not getting things done is not because we don't have good plans. The reason is because it's not our agenda that's being moved forward in Washington--it's the agenda of the oil companies, the insurance companies, the drug companies, the special interests who dominate on a day-to-day basis in terms of legislative activity.

But this anti-corporate rhetoric is precisely the opposite of the reality. In truth, Pres. Obama's policy prescriptions spell profits for the biggest and most well-connected businesses. Just as Pres. George W. Bush, with his bailouts, spending sprees, and new entitlements, abandoned the free market, Obama's vision of bigger government is also the dream of corporate lobbyists.

Source: Obamanomics, by Timothy P. Carney, p. 1-3 , Nov 30, 2009

OpEd: Wall Street wealth comes from increasing gov't role

Obama's actions in the finance sector are all geared toward increasing government and helping those on Wall Street who are most politically connected. But I wouldn't argue this is cronyism. I don't think he's enriching Goldman because Goldman financed his campaign. Obama's enriching of Goldman is simply a consequence of Obama increasing government's role in Wall Street. Obama believes in Big Government, and Big Government is good for Wall Street's biggest players.

Federal financial regulation is, for the most part, about boosting "investor confidence." And, even before the bailouts, Washington was funneling money to Wall Street with the combination of high tax rates and IRAs or 401(k)s -"give your money to Morgan Stanley or lose 25% of it." Obama has proposed to make investment in 401(k)s automatic.

So, Wall Street wasn't buying off Obama with those millions in contributions. They were investing in Obamanomics--and that investment is paying off.

Source: Obamanomics, by Timothy P. Carney, p.171-172 , Nov 30, 2009

No capital gains tax on earnings under $250K

OBAMA: I want to provide a tax cut for 95 percent of working Americans. If you make less than a quarter million dollars a year, then you will not see your income tax go up, your capital gains tax go up, your payroll tax. Not one dime. In fact, independen studies have looked at our respective plans and have concluded that I provide three times the amount of tax relief to middle-class families than Sen. McCain does.

McCAIN: Sen. Obama was in Ohio and he had an encounter with a plumber, his name is Joe. Joe wants to buy the business, but he looked at your tax plan and saw he was going to pay higher taxes, which was going to cause him not to be able to employ people. Joe, I’ll not only help you buy that business you worked your whole life for, I’ll keep your taxes low. I will not stand for a tax increase on small business. And what you want to do to Joe and millions like him is have their taxes increased and not be able to realize the American dream of owning their own business.

Source: 2008 third presidential debate against John McCain , Oct 15, 2008

High corporate tax rate is offset by numerous loopholes

McCAIN: Right now the US business pays the second highest business taxes in the world, 35%. Ireland pays 11%. If you’re a businessperson and you can locate anyplace in the world, then obviously if you go to the country where it’s 11% tax versus 35%, you’re going to be able to create jobs, increase your business, make more investment, etc. I want to cut that business tax. I want to cut it so that businesses will remain in the US and create jobs.

OBAMA: Here’s what I can tell the American people: 95% of you will get a tax cut. If you make less than $250,000--less than a quarter-million dollars a year--then you will not see one dime’s worth of tax increase. McCain mentioned that business taxes on paper are high in this country, but there are so many loopholes that have been written into the tax code, oftentimes with support of McCain, that we actually see our businesses pay effectively one of the lowest tax rates in the world.

Source: 2008 first presidential debate, Obama vs. McCain , Sep 26, 2008

We still need corporate ethics & vigilant government

When CEOs are making more in ten minutes than the average worker earns in a year, and millions of families lose their homes due to unscrupulous lending, checked neither by a sense of corporate ethics or a vigilant government; when the dream of entering the middle class and staying there is fading for young people in our community, we have more work to do.
Source: McCain-Obama speeches at 99th NAACP Convention , Jul 12, 2008

Enforce against insider trading & market manipulation

We have allowed our markets to become extremely unregulated. Obama, a lawyer, understands that regulation is the cornerstone of economic justice. Not stifling bureaucratic regulation, but enough regulation to ensure everybody is playing the game by the same rules.

In financial markets, Obama believes this means enforcing the laws that prohibit the trading of securities based on insider information.

A just financial system has to enforce laws to prevent insider trading. Similarly, Obama believes there is no place in a just financial system for market manipulation. In a speech in New York, he said, "We must remain vigilant and crack down on trading activity that crosses the line into market manipulation. Reports have circulated in recent days that some traders may have intentionally spread rumors that Bear Stearns was in financial distress while making market bets against the company. The SEC should investigate & punish this kind of market manipulation."

Source: Obamanomics, by John R. Talbott, p. 40-41 , Jul 1, 2008

Regulate institutions for what they do, not what they are

In his Cooper Union speech, Obama discussed regulatory changes he would recommend to better regulate Wall Street:
  1. If you can borrow from the government, you should be subject to government oversight and supervisions.
  2. Capital requirements should be strengthened, particularly for complex financial instruments like some of the mortgage securities that led to our current crisis.
  3. We need to streamline a framework for overlapping & competing regulatory agencies.
  4. We need to regulate institutions for what they do, not what they are. Over the last few years, commercial banks and thrift institutions were subject to guidelines on subprime mortgages that did not apply to mortgage brokers and companies. It makes no sense.
  5. We must remain vigilant and crack down on trading activity that crosses the line to market manipulation.
  6. Finally, the American people must be able to trust that their government is looking out for all of us--not just those who donate to political campaigns.
Source: Obamanomics, by John R. Talbott, p. 87-88 , Jul 1, 2008

Cap the farm subsidies for Fortune 500 companies

We’ve got folks in Manhattan and Fortune 500 companies who are getting farm subsidies, while family farms are getting squeezed out. This is something you hear about all across rural Iowa. I would cap those subsidies. We have to have a structure that are provides protection for farmers if a drought or collapse in market prices, but we have to take that money that is saved, invest in conservation, invest in organic and alternative crops, invest in nutrition programs. Through that process we cannot only save the land, but we can also improve the economic engines in a lot of these rural communities, and that is something that I’m absolutely committed to doing as president, but it’s going to require overcoming the excess influence of agribusiness lobbying There were elements of the [Senate farm bill] to replace traditional subsidies for certain crops and shift the money to conservation and nutrition and biofuels programs that did not make the changes I would have, so I would have voted against it.
Source: 2007 Des Moines Register Democratic Debate , Dec 13, 2007

End tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas

Obama believes that companies should not get billions of dollars in tax deductions for moving overseas. Obama will fight to ensure that public contracts are awarded to companies committed to American workers.

In today’s economy, American workers have to compete against high-skilled workers across the globe. Obama will make long-term investments in education, training, & workforce development so that Americans can leverage our strengths--our ingenuity & entrepreneurialism--to create new high-wage jobs

Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, BarackObama.com “Flyers” , Aug 26, 2007

Hold corporations responsible for pensions & work conditions

Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, BarackObama.com “Flyers” , Aug 26, 2007

Tax incentives for corporate responsibility

    Obama’s “REAL USA” Corporations Plan (Responsible, Accountable, Loyal USA Corporations) will reward companies that create quality jobs in America with tax incentives. Companies will be required to:
  1. locate in the United States 90% of its production and employment for the sales of goods and services that are consumed here;
  2. invest at least 50% of its R&D budget here in the U.S;
  3. make sure their workers have access to affordable health care by providing a standardized and portable health insurance plan and pay at least 70% of the cost;
  4. make sure their workers have retirement security by contributing at least 5% of payroll to a portable, multi-employer pension fund and operating a profit-sharing plan for all full time employees; and
  5. limit management compensation to 50 times the lowest-paid full-time worker.
Source: 2004 Senate campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com , Jun 25, 2004

Close tax loopholes for US companies relocating abroad

Obama will change the tax code by closing loopholes that give companies incentives to move jobs abroad, including denying tax benefits to former American companies that reincorporate offshore to avoid paying taxes.
Source: 2004 Senate campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com , Jun 25, 2004


Barack Obama on Corporate Bailout

2009: added to Bush's $17.4B bailout for auto companies

In December 2008 Pres. Bush initiated a $17.4 billion bailout package for American auto companies. The new Democratic administration planned to continue the unpopular policy, but as Pres. Obama took office in January 2009, it was clear that the funding was not enough to hold off a collapse. The new president faced an immediate choice about whether to put more cash into supporting the auto industry. Most of Obama's economic advisers were opposed. They didn't believe Chrysler could survive even with the additional loans. But Obama decided to proceed anyway, adding funding while helping to broker an alliance between Chrysler and Fiat to keep it in business.

And it worked. The newly formed, post-bankruptcy version of Chrysler was able to crawl, then walk, then run, and eventually the company exceeded expectations for sales and growth. And the auto industry comeback helped lead the overall economic recovery of the country.

Source: Shortest Way Home, by Pete Buttigieg, p. 82-3 , Feb 12, 2019

Food stamps didn't cause financial crisis; Wall Street did

After years of record corporate profits, working families won't get more opportunity just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules. Food Stamp recipients did not cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did.

Immigrants aren't the principal reason wages haven't gone up. Those decisions are made in the boardrooms. It's sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts.

The point is, I believe, that in this new economy, workers and start-ups and small businesses need more of a voice, not less. The rules should work for them. And I'm not alone in this. This year, I plan to lift up the many businesses who've figured out that doing right by their workers or their customers or their communities ends up being good for their shareholders, and I want to spread those best practices across America. That's part of a brighter future. In fact, it turns out many of our best corporate citizens are also our most creative.

Source: 2016 State of the Union address , Jan 12, 2016

Bailout deal: CAFE for trucks as well as cars

When we rescued our automakers, we worked with them to set higher fuel efficiency standards for our cars. In the coming months, I'll build on that success by setting new standards for our trucks, so we can keep driving down oil imports and what we pay at the pump.
Source: 2014 State of the Union address , Jan 28, 2014

If we had let GM go bankrupt, we'd be buying Chinese cars

ROMNEY: China can be our partner. But that doesn't mean they can just roll all over us and steal our jobs on an unfair basis.

OBAMA: Well, Governor Romney's right. You are familiar with jobs being shipped overseas, because you invested in companies that were shipping jobs overseas. And, you know, that's your right. I mean, that's how our free market works. But I've made a different bet on American workers. You know, if we had taken your advice, Governor Romney, about our auto industry, we'd be buying cars from China instead of selling cars to China. If we take your advice with respect to how we change our tax codes so that companies that are in profits overseas don't pay U.S. taxes compared to companies here that are paying taxes, now, that's estimated to create 800,000 jobs. The problem is they won't be here; they'll be in places like China. Now, with respect to what we've done with China already, US exports have doubled, since I came into office, to China.

Source: Third Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate , Oct 22, 2012

Letting Detroit go bankrupt the Romney way wouldn't work

ROMNEY: The president said that I said we should take Detroit bankrupt. And that's right. My plan was to have the company go through bankruptcy like 7-Eleven did and Macy's and Continental Airlines and come out stronger. I know [Obama] keeps saying, "you want to take Detroit bankrupt." Well, the president took Detroit bankrupt. You took General Motors bankrupt. You took Chrysler bankrupt. So when you say that I wanted to take the auto industry bankrupt, you actually did.

OBAMA: What Governor Romney said just isn't true. He wanted to take them into bankruptcy without providing them any way to stay open. And we would have lost a million jobs. Don't take my word for it, take the executives at GM and Chrysler, some of whom are Republicans, may even support Governor Romney. But they'll tell you his prescription wasn't going to work.

Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate , Oct 16, 2012

Toughest reforms on Wall Street since the 1930s

Q: Do you want to repeal Dodd-Frank?

ROMNEY: Well, I would repeal and replace it. We're not going to get rid of all regulation.

OBAMA: The reason we have been in such an enormous economic crisis was prompted by reckless behavior. Does anybody think that there was too much oversight and regulation of Wall Street? Because if you do, then Gov. Romney is your candidate. But that's not what I believe. You had loan officers that were giving loans and mortgages that really shouldn't have been given, because the folks didn't qualify. But you also had banks making money hand over fist, churning out products that the bankers themselves didn't even understand, in order to make big profits, but knowing that it made the entire system vulnerable. So what did we do? We stepped in and had the toughest reforms on Wall Street since the 1930s. In the meantime, by the way, we also made sure that all the help that we provided those banks was paid back every single dime, with interest.

Source: First Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate , Oct 3, 2012

End tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas

After a decade of decline, this country created half a million manufacturing jobs. And now you have a choice: we can give more tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, or we can start rewarding companies that open new plants and train new workers and create new jobs here. We can help big factories and small businesses double their exports, and if we choose this path, we can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. You can make that happen. You can choose that future
Source: 2012 Democratic National Convention speech , Sep 6, 2012

We bailed out auto industry, but today they're back

On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the US than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in US plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.

We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back. What's happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. We can't bring back every job that's left our shores. But right now, it's getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. We have a huge opportunity to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it.

Source: 2012 State of the Union speech , Jan 24, 2012

OpEd: Bailouts of GM & Wall Street are crony capitalism

Since the financial crisis, government is now picking winners and losers. Through the purchase of large chunks of Chrysler and General Motors, the bailing out of Wall Street banks, and putting union cronies ahead of other creditors in bankruptcies, government is taking over more and more of the role that the free market has traditionally played in America. The problem is that when government is calling the shots, it's politics that matters, not good ideas, hard work, or perseverance.

It's called crony capitalism, and it's something I fought against as governor.

Our reforms helped reduce politicians' ability to play favorites and helped clean up corruption. "Big Oil", including executives and lobbyists of BP, Exxon, Conoco-Phillips, and others, didn't pal around with me, but, then, that was a mutual decision.

Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p. 84-85 , Nov 23, 2010

Better to force auto bankruptcy than force out of business

The president asked his advisors if they were all on board with the recommendation of a big Chrysler bailout, followed by a likely bankruptcy. Each said yes.

Rahm impressed the gathering with his detailed knowledge of which congressional districts in Michigan had which auto plants. "You're always explaining that things are bad, but it's not like the Great Depression," he told the president. "Well, in some of the counties..."

"I know what you're going to say," Obama interjected. "In some of these counties it WILL be like the Great Depression." Obama said, "I've decided. I'm prepared to support Chrysler if we can get the Fiat alliance done." He would give Chrysler thirty days and GM sixty days to reorganize with the help of the task force or face a cutoff of TARP money. He could live with the government's forcing a bankruptcy, but not putting Chrysler out of business altogether.

Source: The Promise: Obama Year One, by Jonathan Alter, p.178-179 , May 18, 2010

Bank bonuses while receiving TARP were irresponsible

From the beginning Wall Street compensation was a big headache. The same firms that had driven the country into a ditch were still lavishing billions in bonuses on their employees, with the excuse that this was necessary for retention of valued executives. The American public wasn't buying it, especially from those banks receiving taxpayer money through TARP. Obama wasn't either. Nine days after entering office, he blasted the 2008 bonuses as "the height of irresponsibility."
Source: The Promise: Obama Year One, by Jonathan Alter, p.309-310 , May 18, 2010

OpEd: Establish power to seize companies "too big to fail"

Source: Take Back America, by Dick Morris, p. 9-10 , Apr 13, 2010

Lend $30B in TARP repayments to small businesses

The true engine of job creation in this country will always be America's businesses. But government can create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand & hire more workers.

We should start where most new jobs do--in small businesses, companies that begin when an entrepreneur takes a chance on a dream, or a worker decides it's time she became her own boss. Through sheer grit and determination, these companies have weathered the recession and they're ready to grow. But even though banks on Wall Street are lending again, they're mostly lending to bigger companies. Financing remains difficult for small business-owners, even those that are making a profit.

So tonight, I'm proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat. I'm also proposing a new small business tax credit--one that will go to over one million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages.

Source: 2010 State of the Union Address , Jan 27, 2010

We both cut taxes; but McCain offers $200B to corporations

McCAIN: I will not stand for a tax increase on small business income. Sen. Obama talks about the very, very rich--but 50% of small business income taxes are paid by small businesses. That’s 16 million jobs in America. The whole premise behind Sen. Obama’s plans are class warfare: spread the wealth around.

OBAMA: Let me tell you what I’m actually going to do. Tax policy is a major difference between Sen. McCain & myself. We both want to cut taxes; the difference is who we want to cut taxes for. The centerpiece of Sen. McCain’s economic proposal is to provide $200 billion in additional tax breaks to some of the wealthiest corporations in America. Exxon Mobil, and other oil companies, for example, would get an additional $4 billion in tax breaks. About small businesses: not only do 98% of small businesses make less than $250,000 [and hence below my tax increase cutoff], but I also want to give them additional tax breaks, because they are the drivers of the economy. They produce the most jobs.

Source: 2008 third presidential debate against John McCain , Oct 15, 2008

We need Wall Street responsibility BEFORE financial crises

Q: Are you going to vote for the Senate bailout plan?

McCAIN: Sure. But there’s also the issue of responsibility. I’ve been heavily criticized because I called for the resignation of the chairman of the SEC. We’ve got to start also holding people accountable, and we’ve got to reward people who succeed.

OBAMA: McCain’s absolutely right that we need more responsibility, but we need it not just when there is a crisis. We’ve had years in which the reigning economic ideology has been what’s good for Wall Street but not what’s good for Main Street. There are folks out there who have been struggling before this crisis took place. And that’s why it’s so important we look at some of the underlying issues that have led to wages and incomes for ordinary Americans to go down, a health care system that is broken, energy policies that are not working. Unless we are holding ourselves accountable day-in, day-out, not just when there’s a crisis for folks who have power and influence and can hire lobbyists.

Source: 2008 first presidential debate, Obama vs. McCain , Sep 26, 2008

Irresponsibility on Wall Street led to financial crisis

The housing and credit markets slid from "troubled" toward "imploding." On September 28, 2008, Barack Obama visited downtown Detroit to rally tens of thousands of frightened, angry Michiganders.

Obama targeted his remarks to those who had been laid off, those without hope, those who needed to believe. "We meet here at a time of great uncertainty in Detroit and all across America," he said. "The era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington has led us to a financial crisis as serious as any we have faced since the Great Depression. We don't just need a plan for bankers and investors. We need a plan for autoworkers!" I felt the crowd's mood surge.

Source: A Governor's Story, by Jennifer Granholm, p.154-155 , Oct 1, 2005


Barack Obama on Voting Record

REAL USA Plan: Reward companies that create domestic jobs

Obama’s “REAL USA” Corporations Plan (Responsible, Accountable, Loyal USA Corporations) will reward companies that create quality jobs in America with tax incentives. Companies will be required to:
  1. locate in the United States 90% of its production and employment for the sales of goods and services that are consumed here;
  2. invest at least 50% of its R&D budget here in the U.S;
  3. make sure their workers have access to affordable health care by providing a standardized and portable health insurance plan and pay at least 70% of the cost;
  4. make sure their workers have retirement security by contributing at least 5% of payroll to a portable, multi-employer pension fund and operating a profit-sharing plan for all full time employees; and
  5. limit management compensation to 50 times the lowest-paid full-time worker.
Source: Press Release, “Creating Jobs in America” , Jun 21, 2004

Voted YES on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore.

Amendment to repeal the tax subsidy for certain domestic companies which move manufacturing operations and American jobs offshore.
Reference: Tax Subsidy for Domestic Companies Amendment; Bill S AMDT 210 to S Con Res 18 ; vote number 2005-63 on Mar 17, 2005

Voted NO on reforming bankruptcy to include means-testing & restrictions.

Amends Federal bankruptcy law to revamp guidelines governing dismissal or conversion of a Chapter 7 liquidation (complete relief in bankruptcy) to one under either Chapter 11 (Reorganization) or Chapter 13 (Adjustment of Debts of an Individual with Regular Income). Voting YES would:
Reference: Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005; Bill S 256 ; vote number 2005-44 on Mar 10, 2005

Prevent money laundering by disclosing corporate owners.

Obama co-sponsored preventing money laundering by disclosing corporate owners

A bill to ensure that persons who form corporations in the United States disclose the beneficial owners of those corporations, in order to prevent wrongdoers from exploiting United States corporations for criminal gain, to assist law enforcement in detecting, preventing, and punishing terrorism, money laundering, and other misconduct involving United States corporations, and for other purposes.

Source: S.2956 2008-S2956 on May 1, 2008

Other candidates on Corporations: Barack Obama on other issues:
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