Political Quotes

“this evening's legislation is near and dear to my heart. I began my political career in college working on election reform. Two years later, I was the author of Oregon's legislation establishing campaign spending limits. It was my proposal that prohibited the insidious practice of holding legislation hostage until individuals and interest groups in effect paid ``ransom'' to legislative barons. So, in recent years, I have been saddened that narrow and, I think inappropriate, readings of the Oregon and U.S. Constitution have restricted the ability of the political process to police itself. Our current campaign financing system is doubly troubling for me because it symbolizes not only what is wrong with campaigns but also what is wrong with the decision-making process in Congress. It is appalling the lengths to which the political process has been twisted and the huge sums of money that are spent opposing reasonable legislation and moderate candidates. The extreme, hard-edged and too- often hidden opponents of the public interest which are financed by soft money and anonymous contributions create a situation where the sheer volume of expenditure drowns out rational discourse. A campaign finance system where large contributors and special interest groups have the loudest voice threatens the foundation of our democracy. It calls into question the integrity of our elections and of our government.”