Roger Wicker: “I will vote for this rule of course, but against final passage of Shays-Meehan. Let me make one thing clear at the…”

“I will vote for this rule of course, but against final passage of Shays-Meehan. Let me make one thing clear at the outset of this debate. There is no public clamor for this legislation. I have been in almost every corner of my 24-county district during the last month, and not once did a single citizen bring up the issue of our campaign finance laws. No, the hue and cry for this bill is occurring inside the Beltway of Washington D.C. largely by those who would receive a special advantage by this proposed tilting of the playing field. Mr. Speaker, I am proudest of this House when it works in a bipartisan manner, but this is not what we will have today. There may be high-sounding tones in the media about the winds of reform, but for its liberal advocates this bill is really about party politics, and here is why. The big labor bosses use the forced dues of their union members to further their political goals, and that usually means support only for Democrats. This bill would do nothing to stop that practice.”