David Thomas: “I am pleased to say that the House, in an orderly fashion, has discussed a number of issues surrounding campaign reform…”

“I am pleased to say that the House, in an orderly fashion, has discussed a number of issues surrounding campaign reform and that we reach a point tonight in which a major decision will be made by the House, and we reach this point almost entirely with an open rule and mutually agreed upon unanimous consent, which indicates that even on an issue as difficult as this, if reasonable people of goodwill will sit down and resolve the issues that separate them, the House can in fact move forward. This particular substitute, the Shays-Meehan bill, has gone through a number of permutations over the years. At one time, Political Action Committees were seen to be the primary enemy of the Republic, and the current version views the fundamental erosion of the American experiences tied to what is often called soft money. What this bill attempts to do is to quote, unquote ban soft money from Federal elections.”