Charles Rangel: “I have to admit that the chairman is one of the brightest people that we have in the House, if not in the Congress; but…”

“I have to admit that the chairman is one of the brightest people that we have in the House, if not in the Congress; but the gentleman does not have a reputation of supporting campaign finance reform; and the Members who think they understand it, like the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays), and like the editorial writers of all of our major newspapers that fought hard for campaign finance reform, while not nearly as bright as the chairman, believe it is a flaw and believe it is a loophole. So even a little compassion, even if we do not have debate, can go a long way.”