“Make no mistake, we need to end an era in Washington where accountability’s been absent, oversight has been overlooked, your tax dollars have been turned over to wealthy CEOs in well-connected corporations. You need leadership you can trust to work for you. Not for the special interests who have had their thumb on the scales. And together we will tell Washington and their lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda are over. They have not funded my campaign. You have. They will not run my White House. You’ll help me run my White House. They will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m president.”

– Barack Obama, October 1, 2008