Dale Bumpers: “let me just say McCain-Feingold may be dead as most people around here seem to believe. I have always believed the…”

“let me just say McCain-Feingold may be dead as most people around here seem to believe. I have always believed the American people can have anything they want any time they are unified. The time is fast approaching when the American people are going to demand that we change a system that is rotten to the core. McCain-Feingold goes a long way in that direction. It doesn't go nearly far enough to please me personally, but at least it will be a beginning. The two things you can do to restore people's faith in the American Government and Congress, the two things you can do that will instill more confidence than anything else would be to balance the budget and change the way we finance campaigns. I have heard all the sophistry about the constitutionality of this bill. I just want to tell you, when it comes to free speech, you can hang your hat on free speech if you want to, but the thing that makes this system rotten is that a guy who can afford to belly up for $100,000 gets a lot more free speech than some guy giving $25. The reason he doesn't give $25 is because he knows it gets him nothing--not even good government. So I plead with my colleagues, for God's sake, let's do something that the vast majority of the American people want us to do--that is, to level the playing field for all parties. You don't have a democracy when the people we elect and the laws we pass depend on how much money we raise for it. I yield the floor.”