Obama Was Against Super PACs Before He Was For Them 

MSNBC’S Willie Geist: “But now Mike Allen, the White House going after that money. Jim Messina, the campaign manager of the reelection campaign, says ‘we’re not going to fight this fight with one hand tied behind our back.’ What went into this decision?”

Politico’s Mike Allen: “Yeah, he was against it before he was for it. The Obama campaign looked at the huge numbers that were being racked up on the other side, probably $200 million, $300 million take by Karl Rove’s Super PAC, the one that he started, American Crossroads, and they decided that they needed to get into the game. So, this is quite remarkable. They’re saying up front that cabinet officials, campaign officials, White House officials, will appear at events for Priorities USA, which is the Democratic Super PAC started by the former White House aides, Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney. Now they say the President, the First Lady, the Vice President will not appear. But this is a big billboard, telling the President’s biggest donors, hey, you need to be stroking checks to Priorities USA which has had very slow fundraising so far. This is the ultimate jump-start.”

(MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 2/7/12)

OBAMA FLIP FLOPS, NOW EMBRACES SUPER PACS

Obama’s Re-Election Campaign Reversed Its Position On Super PACs, “Encouraging Donors To Send Their Unlimited Contributions” To Pro-Obama Priorities USA PAC.  “President Obama’s re-election campaign made an about-face late Monday in its opposition to super PACs, encouraging donors to send their unlimited contributions to one such group founded by a former administration spokesman. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina emailed supporters to formally endorse contributions to Priorities USA, the Democratic super PAC founded by Bill Burton, a former White House deputy press secretary.” (Michael O’Brien, “Obama Campaign Reverses Stance, Urging Donations To Super PAC, NBC News’ First Read, 2/7/12)

Obama’s Decision Marks A “Stark Reversal” From A President Who Has Been Among The “Most Vocal Critics” Of Super PACs To One Who Is Embracing Them. “The decision represents a stark reversal for Obama, who has been among the most vocal critics of these outside political spending groups since the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling that paved the way for the rise of super PACs.” (Michael O’Brien, “Obama Campaign Reverses Stance, Urging Donations To Super PAC, NBC News’ First Read, 2/7/12)

Politico: “Obama Embraces The Super PAC.” (Glenn Thrush, “Obama Embraces The Super PAC,” Politico, 2/6/12)

• “Obama’s Top Campaign Staff And Even Some Cabinet Members Will Appear At Super PAC Events.” (Glenn Thrush, “Obama Embraces The Super PAC,” Politico, 2/6/12)

TPM: “Obama Campaign To Court Super PAC Cash They Loathe.” (Benjy Sarlin, “Obama Campaign To Court Super PAC Cash They Loathe,” Talking Points Memo, 2/6/12)

National Journal: “In Reversal, Obama Urging Super PAC Donations.” (Alex Roarty, “In Reversal, Obama Urging Super PAC Donations,” National Journal, 2/7/12) 

The Washington Post: “Obama Gives Blessing To A Super PAC.” (Dan Eggen, “Obama Gives Blessing To A Super PAC,” The Washington Post, 2/7/12)

BUT JUST YESTERDAY, OBAMA WAS WORRIED ABOUT SUPER PACS IN CAMPAIGNS

In His Interview That Aired Monday Morning, Obama “Reviled The Negative Tone” Of The Super PACs, But By The Evening,  Obama “Offered His Support For Priorities USA.” “President Barack Obama — in an act of hypocrisy or necessity, depending on the beholder — has reversed course and is now blessing the efforts of a sputtering super PAC, Priorities USA Action, organized to fight GOP dark-money attacks. On Monday morning, Obama reviled the ‘negative’ tone of the super PACs, a dominant fundraising source in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. But by the evening word leaked to POLITICO that Obama had offered his support for Priorities USA, which has thus far raised a fraction of what GOP-backed groups have raked in.” (Glenn Thrush, “Obama Embraces The Super PAC,” Politico, 2/6/12)

• Obama Was Worried That There Were Too Many Super PACs.  “President Barack Obama didn’t disavow his big-money fundraising machine but did voice dismay about the presence of super PACs and negative campaigning in an interview that aired Monday. ‘One of the worries we have obviously in the next campaign is that there are so many of these so-called super PACs, these independent expenditures that are gonna be out there,’ Obama told NBC’s Matt Lauer in an interview taped before the Super Bowl on Sunday. ‘There is gonna be just a lot of money floating around, and I guarantee a bunch of it’s gonna be negative.’” (Jennifer Epstein, “Obama ‘Worries’ Over Super PACs,” Politico, 2/6/12)

AND CALLED SUPER PACS “SHADOWY GROUPS” AND “A THREAT TO OUR DEMOCRACY”

In 2010, Obama Called Super PACs And Outside Spending Groups “A Threat To Our Democracy.” OBAMA: “Now, that’s not just a threat to Democrats — that’s a threat to our democracy.  Every American business and industry deserves a seat at the table, but they don’t get to a chance to buy every chair.  We’ve seen what happens when they do.  They put the entire economy at risk and every American might end up suffering.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At Campaign Event, Philadelphia, PA, 10/10/10)

• In Obama’s 2010 State Of The Union, Obama Said The Citizens United Ruling Would “Open The Floodgates For Special Interests – Including Foreign Corporations – To Spend Without Limit In Our Elections.” OBAMA: “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.” (President Barack Obama, State Of The Union Address, Washington, D.C., 1/27/10)
• In 2010, Obama Called Super PACs “Shadowy Groups.” OBAMA: “As the political season heats up, Americans are already being inundated with the usual phone calls, mailings, and TV ads from campaigns all across the country.  But this summer, they’re also seeing a flood of attack ads run by shadowy groups with harmless-sounding names.  We don’t know who’s behind these ads and we don’t know who’s paying for them.  The reason this is happening is because of a decision by the Supreme Court in the Citizens United case – a decision that now allows big corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence our elections.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks For Weekly Address, 8/21/10)

“The Lines Have Increasingly Blurred” On Obama’s “Evolving Stances” On Campaign Finance. “The decision, which comes nine months before Election Day, escalates the money wars and is a milestone in Mr. Obama’s evolving stances on political fund-raising. The lines have increasingly blurred between presidential campaigns and super PACs, which have flourished since a 2010 Supreme Court ruling and other legal and regulatory decisions made it easier for outside groups to raise unlimited donations to promote candidates. The outside groups are playing an increasingly prominent role in the presidential race by running aggressive advertising campaigns, often attacking opponents.” (Jeff Zeleny and Jim Rutenberg, “Obama Yields in Marshaling of ‘Super PAC,’” The New York Times, 2/6/12) 

• “Obama Was Staunchly Anti-Outside Money During His Pre-White House Political Career.”  “The new posture is a reversal for the president, and one likely to trouble some in the progressive universe (see: Feingold, Russ). Obama was staunchly anti-outside money during his pre-White House political career, and first ran for the White House encouraging deep-pocketed Democrats to send checks only through his campaign. He wanted a consistently coordinated message and his advisers were willing to starve non-campaign organizations of cash in order to achieve it.” (Sam Stein, “President Obama Softens Super PAC Opposition,” The Huffington Post,, 2/7/12) 
• In 2008, Obama Did Not Want Any Financial “Support From Outside Groups And Took A Strong Stance Against The Influence Of Special-Interest Money In Politics.” Mr. Obama said in 2008 that he did not want support from outside groups and took a strong stand against the influence of special-interest money in politics, effectively shutting down independent activity on his behalf.” (Jeff Zeleny and Jim Rutenberg, “Obama Yields in Marshaling of ‘Super PAC,’” The New York Times, 2/6/12) 

In 2011, Obama Campaign Press Secretary Ben LaBolt Insisted Obama And “His Campaign Staff Or Aides” Would Not Fundraise For Super PACs.  “Neither the President nor his campaign staff or aides will fundraise for super PACs.” (Melanie Mason, “Pro-Romney ‘Super PAC’ Reports $12-Million Haul,” Los Angeles Times, 7/5/11)

January 2012: Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina Attacks Super PACs For Being “Funded By Corporations And Anonymous Donors.” “We’ll be facing an onslaught of unprecedented spending from outside groups funded by corporations and anonymous donors.”  (Jim Messina, “This Is Not A Joke,”Barackobama.com, 1/4/12)