Barack Obama: Power of Vote Not Bucks
on Wednesday, January 29, 2014Barack Obama Money Quotation saying in the 2013 State of the Union Speech that power belongs to the vote, not to large campaign contributors. Barack Obama said:
“It should be the power of our vote, not the size of our bank accounts, that drives our democracy” — Barack Obama
This quote from Barack Obama suggests that in a true democracy, political influence and outcomes should be determined primarily by the collective will and voting power of ordinary citizens, not by the financial clout of wealthy donors and special interests groups.
The best interpretation is that Obama believed the size of one’s bank account or ability to make large campaign contributions should not dictate the stances of elected officials or direction of policymaking.
According to Obama, it is the voting power of average Americans through fair elections, not disproportionate monetary influence, that should guide a democratic system and drive decision making in government.
The implication seems to be that Obama saw reducing the role of money in politics as important for upholding democratic principles of equal representation and one person, one vote.