On the recordFebruary 26, 1998
the debate before the Senate is about campaign finance reform but, indeed, it is really about something much more fundamental. It is about the credibility of the U.S. Government. It may even be about the long-term stability of our system of government. The United States will enter the 21st century as the only industrial democracy in the world where only a minority of the people of our country choose our government. In the Presidential elections of last year, only 49 percent of eligible Americans participated in choosing our government. It is a record of shame. That shame does not belong only to those who do not participate. Upon leaving the Continental Congress, the Founding Fathers were asked, what form of government have you chosen? It was replied, ``A democracy--if you can keep it.'' This legislation is about campaign finance reform. But much more fundamentally it is about a democracy--if you can keep it.
Source
govinfo.gov
