Dale Bumpers: “I came over to express my very strong support for campaign finance reform. From the time I ran for Governor in 1970…”

“I came over to express my very strong support for campaign finance reform. From the time I ran for Governor in 1970 until 28 years later--this very moment--I have abhorred the system of financing campaigns in this country. One of the reasons--not the main reason, but certainly one of the reasons I decided not to seek reelection this year was because I detested going out and raising money. Let me also say that it is reaching the point in this country where the cost of campaigning goes up every single year--and there is no end in sight. Right now the Attorney General is conducting a 90-day interim period investigation on whether or not the DNC coordinated a 1996 campaign with the President of the United States. The same thing is going on with the Vice President. And the same thing will go on forever until we change it, and change it dramatically--soft money, hard money, issue ads, attack ads. I close, Mr. President, by saying I consider not only the method of financing campaigns in this country ominous, quite frankly, I consider it rotten to the core.”