Political Quotes

“the time has come to strike an important blow for our democracy by making some limited, but urgently needed, repairs to our campaign finance laws. Mr. President, the legislation currently pending before this body is dramatically different from the original McCain-Feingold bill, which I cosponsored and supported. It does not seek to radically alter how we finance our campaigns. Indeed, I submit that it does not alter at all the basic framework that Congress established more than two decades ago. Nevertheless, Mr. President, the bill before us today is vitally important. Before us today is a bill designed to close election law loopholes that undermine the protections the American people were promised in the aftermath of Watergate. Unlike the prior version of the bill, it will not make new reforms to our campaign finance system. Rather, it will merely restore prior reforms. Let me be more specific, Mr. President. Gone from S. 25 are the provisions intended to create a different system for financing campaigns. Gone are the voluntary limits on campaign spending. Gone is the free TV time. Gone is the discounted TV time. Gone is the reduction in PAC limits. Most of these reforms continue to be very important, and they are reforms to which I remain personally committed. But in the interest of securing action on the major abuses in the current system, we, the proponents of the McCain-Feingold proposal, have agreed to significant compromises. What, then, is left?…”