Ed Whitfield: “we have had quite a loud and lively debate here today about campaign finance. I for one think that that debate is…”

“we have had quite a loud and lively debate here today about campaign finance. I for one think that that debate is healthy. Anyone watching this debate would see that there are very deep feelings about this issue. I think that all sides are speaking from the sincerity of their beliefs. There are a lot of confusing issues on this issue of campaign finance. I for one do not think simply calling something reform means that that is going to make it better. In fact, some people would say that instead of campaign finance reform, this should be called campaign finance regulation. In the definitions of campaign finance, we talk about hard money, we talk about soft money, we talk about independent expenditures, we talk about issue advocacy, we talk about a lot of magic words that a lot of people really do not focus on, do not understand. I noticed that, during the debate today, that the minority leader referred to independent expenditures as being a real problem as someone else referred to independent expenditures as being a real problem. I do not really think independent expenditures are a real problem, because independent expenditures is express advocacy and already comes under FEC jurisdiction except in a few minute exceptions.”