The Public Record
John Barry Larson is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 1st congressional district since 1999. A member of the Democratic Party, Larson has focused on issues such as healthcare, education, and economic development throughout his tenure. He has been an advocate for policies aimed at improving the lives of his constituents and has played a significant role in various legislative initiatives. Larson has also been involved in discussions around sustainability and the importance of long-term planning in governance.
I rise on this momentous day in support of this historic legislation. Just as our predecessors stood up for the American people to pass Social Security and Medicare, today we affirm our commitment to families across this country by passing…
Our colleagues on the other side say they want to start over, completely over. They would like to privatize Social Security. They would like to make sure that Medicare, a program that has served our seniors so well over all of these years…
America has lost a great patriot. The Congress has lost one of its giants, one of the most knowledgeable Members on national defense ever to serve here, whose service spanned four decades and eight Presidents and Members from both Chambers…
I think the panelists behind us, the architects of the concept in the bill, will be better able to explain...
I think, number one, 73 percent of Americans feel that Members of Congress are unnecessarily influenced by special interests and their campaign contributions.
I want to thank my cosponsors: Chellie Pingree, who is the former head of Common Cause in Maine and knows this issue backwards and forward.
I can't imagine anybody likes doing that. I can't imagine anybody wants to push this.
What I meant by that was the entire approach ends up being corrosive. What is it corroding? It is corroding the democracy.
I think that is an important thing to know for our colleagues who represent very low-income communities.
I hate raising money for campaigns. The only two people I know who enjoyed it both went to prison.
It is to create an opportunity for a person in a district that maybe doesn't have the contacts...
Walter Jones, thought by many to be, as I believe, the conscience of the House of Representatives.
This bipartisan effort is something States have already done, and now it has put the focus on Congress.
Would we be struggling this week to figure out how to put together a health-care bill?
The Fair Elections Now Act is voluntary and would provide qualified House candidates grants, matching funds, and vouchers.
I do not understand why putting restrictions on the other side makes much sense.
But certainly the most important thing about this thinking is the flexibility...
It is completely unacceptable to the public on the outside. It allows for too much influence, whether we choose it or not, of outside money.
It creates a level playing field. It allows for some support for the high cost of broadcast TV.
I would like to see us implement a system very similar to what we are talking about in Maine.
Again, as you look at this both in terms of the amount of money that you would be able to raise in a primary and then as the amount of money that you would be able to raise in a general election, there would be sufficient funds there.
Politicians like John Larson
