Cord Byrd: “I support the effort by Senators McCain and Feingold to try to rein in some of the rampant spending that takes place in…”

“I support the effort by Senators McCain and Feingold to try to rein in some of the rampant spending that takes place in political campaigns. Today I voted for S. 27, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001. While I voted for final passage of S. 27, I do not feel that it goes far enough. The only way that we will ever get control over the money in politics is if we put limits on campaign spending, and the only way to achieve that goal is to address the Constitutional hurdles raised by the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, by equating free speech with campaign spending, the Supreme Court placed a substantial roadblock in the path to campaign finance reform. We will not have true campaign finance reform until Congress and the States approve a Constitutional Amendment which clearly articulates that Congress can regulate fundraising and expenditures for campaigns. That is why I supported the constitutional amendment offered by Senator Hollings. I understand that the sponsors of this bill worked to craft legislation that would maintain the support of a majority of Senators, and, at the same time, would also stand up to the certain Court challenges it will face. I hope that this bill will make some progress in limiting the power and influence of money in our elections, but I believe that we still have a long way to go.”