Political Quotes

“if a modern day Rip Van Winkle tuned in today after napping for 25 years, who could fault him for immediately tuning out this debate on campaign finance reform? In 1971 and 1974 Congress passed campaign finance reforms that limited the amount of money in politics and, for the first time, required candidates to disclose the source of their money. The wisdom and application of those reform efforts have been debated by Congress ever since--annually, emotionally, and with futility. So, for the last 25 years, Congressional campaigns have been conducted under a set of rules that have become unenforceable (through systematic defunding of the Federal Elections Commission), weakened (by court decisions), and yet located at the heart of the American distrust with elected officials. The Harris Poll showed us earlier this year that 85 percent of Americans believe special interests have more influence than voters on this institution. Who can fault them when total campaign spending has risen from $115 million in 1975, to $450 million in 1985, and almost certainly to over $1 billion in this election? Is it any wonder that voter turnout is at an all-time low, and that respect for Members of this institution seems to rise only when we are not in session? In my relatively short time in Congress, I have seen how campaigns are financed, and how that distorts the decision making process.”