Tom Harkin: “today I am proud to join Senators Schumer, Specter and Cochran in introducing a constitutional amendment to overturn the…”

“today I am proud to join Senators Schumer, Specter and Cochran in introducing a constitutional amendment to overturn the 1976 Supreme Court decision in the case of Buckley v. Valeo and restore Congress's power to regulate campaign finances. This constitutional amendment is a necessary first step in restoring confidence in our system of government. The Court's decision in Buckley, which equated money with speech, was fundamentally flawed. Unfortunately, since that decision, our democracy has been perverted. Costs of elections have spiraled out of control, office seekers are required to spend more time than ever raising money, and special interests correspondingly have greater access than ever before. As a result, the integrity of our democracy continues to wane. Make no mistake, I am extremely reluctant to amend the Constitution. Amending the Constitution rightly is an extraordinary step that has seldom been done in our history. But, when it has been truly needed, we have done so. Reluctantly, I have reached the conclusion that it is needed now. Without this amendment, our nation is simply too limited in its ability to deal with corruption and to restore confidence in our electoral system. The integrity of our democratic system not only deems it appropriate for us to approve a constitutional amendment, it requires it.”