Al Franken: “[c]learly the American public has a right to know who is paying for ads and who is attempting to influence elections.…”

“[c]learly the American public has a right to know who is paying for ads and who is attempting to influence elections. Sunshine is what the political system needs. We can try and regulate ethical behavior by politicians, but the surest way to cleanse the system is to let the Sun shine in. I don't like it when a large source of money is out there funding ads and is unaccountable. I think the system needs more transparency so people can more easily reach their own conclusions. I support campaign finance reform, but to me that means individual contributions, free speech and full disclosure. Public disclosure of campaign contributions and spending should be expedited so voters can judge for themselves what is appropriate. The issue is expenditures, expenditures, expenditures; and the real issue, if we really want to do something about campaign finance reform, is disclosure, disclosure, disclosure. Disclosure helps everyone equally to know how their money is spent. . . . Disclosure is what honesty and fairness in politics is all about. Why would anyone fight against disclosure? Those are all excellent points. The fact is, they were made by seven different Members of this body, all from my friends on the other side of the aisle. They were made either on the floor of this body or to the press. So let there be no doubt, for a long time, disclosure of election spending has been a robustly bipartisan issue. But suddenly each of my friends has changed his or her tune.”