Joe Crowley: “nine out of 10 Americans support campaign finance reform; nine out of 10. The simple fact is that the cost of running…”

“nine out of 10 Americans support campaign finance reform; nine out of 10. The simple fact is that the cost of running for federal office today is so great that candidates are forced to devote far too much time and effort to fund-raising, rather than dealing with the issues of importance to their constituents. We can eliminate soft money entirely, rid our society of the pollution caused by sham issue ads, and increase public disclosure of who is paying for what. It is real reform versus show me the money. This is the crux of the argument today as the House will undertake the serious debate of reforming our system of financing political campaigns. The Shays-Meehan bill is real reform, eliminates soft money, increases disclosure and bans phoney issue ads. The Republican leadership support the show-me-the-money approach. They argue for more money in the system and less reforms. Real reform versus show me the money. Support Shays-Meehan and show every American that the House supports real reform and not simply more money.”