Brian Bilbray: “I think we are recognizing that this issue of campaign finance reform is not Democrat or Republican. We all carry blame…”

“I think we are recognizing that this issue of campaign finance reform is not Democrat or Republican. We all carry blame for what was or was not done in the past. We all carry blame for the fact that the system is not working as we know it should. And so I would ask my colleagues to take a look at this amendment. It is comprehensive. There are parts in it that Republicans may not like, but there are parts in it where the supporters of Democrats will be infuriated. There are practices that, sadly, have become all too common, that have been used by Democratic supporters and Republican supporters, that the American people know are wrong and inappropriate. One of those activities is groups coming in at the last moment in elections and doing something that is supposedly an educational piece, which we all know are last-minute hit pieces and smear pieces. The American people expect candidates to keep their campaigns above the belt. Sadly, there are groups that are subverting the process by using dirty tactics late in campaigns and claiming that they are educational pieces. The Shays-Meehan bill will help to reduce that type of tactic in our electoral process.”