Christopher Shays: “I just want to explain to the gentleman that it has been against the law since 1907 for corporate treasury money to be…”

“I just want to explain to the gentleman that it has been against the law since 1907 for corporate treasury money to be used in campaigns and since 1947 for union dues money to be used in campaigns. The way they do it, the way they go after you, either corporations or unions, is through soft money, because it is not called campaign money, and sham issue ads, because it is not called campaign money. We abolish both. That is the basis, the very center of our bill. The gentleman wants to give unions permission in their union dues to do it if they agree; we do not even allow it. It has been against the law since 1947. And so, sir, it would be an impossibility for those advertisements to run against the gentleman if our legislation passed, and that is why I am so dumbfounded why the gentleman would oppose it.”