Political Quotes

“The public believes that escalating cost of elections puts a price tag on our democracy. So why is there this call for campaign finance reform? Let us go over the issues. No. 1, record-breaking spending. As I said, we hear all kinds of estimates, but just the parties spent over $1 billion; in overall spending, $1.6 billion at least. No. 2, Americans feel shut out. Americans, more than ever, believe that the emphasis on money in elections excludes them from meaningful participation. They believe that special interests who contribute large sums of money have more influence on elected officials and that candidates are forced to spend too much time raising funds and too little time listening to voters' concerns. No. 3, campaigns are too expensive. Campaigns have become more expensive with each election. The skyrocketing costs are prohibitive and serve as a deterrent to the average American who wants to participate in the political process. As long as the costs continue to rise, so will the need for more money. Limiting spending is the only way of keeping these costs down.”