Doug Bereuter: “Mr. Chairman, campaign finance reform is far afield from my committee assignments; but I think I, like every Member of…”

“Mr. Chairman, campaign finance reform is far afield from my committee assignments; but I think I, like every Member of the House, must focus on this issue because it is of fundamental importance to the American political system. The way that we conduct our affairs here, what we do and what we do not do, is so often related to campaign finance issues. More importantly, I think, much beyond that is the fact that the citizens' perception of the relationship between campaign finance and the way their elected representatives vote and perform is very negative. They have a view that the current campaign finance system causes us to fail to act in their interest. That is causing a corrosive effect upon our system. We need to deal with it. Both parties know that we need to have campaign finance reform. Neither, however, is willing to give up the particular special advantages that that party has in the current system or process. Our failure to reduce the disproportionate impact of money in elective politics is, my friends, having a corrosive effect upon the American political process.”