Bill Bennett: “I want to turn this debate around, for the sake of looking at it from a different point of view. It may take me some…”

“I want to turn this debate around, for the sake of looking at it from a different point of view. It may take me some time to do this because there has been so much expenditure in one direction, but I think the core of this issue requires us to look in another direction, and that is not access to the politician, but access to the voters. Let me develop this for just a minute. We live in a democracy. Ultimate power in a democracy lies with the voters. Madam President, when you and I wished to become an elected official, in order to get here we have to have access to the voters, and this whole political process is about that challenge--how does the Presiding Officer gain access to the voters of Maine in order to get her message across? How do I get access to the voters of Utah in order to convince them that I am a better person than others who are seeking this opportunity? That is the focus that has never come into this debate. It is always assumed that the politicians are the constant and the voters somehow are the variable. It is, in fact, the other way around. The voters will always be with us in a democracy.”