Dale Bumpers: “I want to lead off with one of Mo Udall's great statements: Everything that needs to be said has been said but everybody…”

“I want to lead off with one of Mo Udall's great statements: Everything that needs to be said has been said but everybody hasn't said it. So I want to get my two cents in before we vote on this measure this afternoon. A moment ago, I said everything about this issue I feel strongly about, except for one thing: While I strongly support this legislation, I also believe that the ultimate solution to this problem is public financing. Unhappily, I will no longer be a member of this distinguished body when this Country and Congress finally comes to its senses and realizes that until we go to public financing, our democracy is simply not going to work. I am reluctant to make an admission today, but I have always prided myself on standing up for things that oftentimes were unpopular but I felt strongly were right. I say to my colleagues, that I believe that one of the things that has sustained me is the reputation of having taken a tough stance from time to time. But since I announced that I would not seek reelection last June, and as I have walked on the Senate floor to vote, I have pondered how much the freedom of not running for reelection has influenced my vote.”