Political Quotes

“I rise in opposition to the Ney substitute, because it is clearly designed to send campaign reform to conference where it will die. I rise in full support of the Shays-Meehan underlying bill. It is time that we get soft money out of Federal elections. It is time that we control the sham issue ads. In fact, Mr. Chairman, it is time for a lot more reform. This is only one good step forward into cleaning up our Federal elections. We should consider other steps that would limit the corrupting influence of private money on public campaigns. We should consider a measure of public financing for congressional elections, as we do for Presidential elections. We should consider ways to raise the discourse and stop the negative ads, and do other things to clean up our system and restore a sense to the democratic process that it belongs to the people, not the big donors, and restore a sense that it matters what we say in campaigns and what people do in campaigns. I oppose the substitute and support Shays-Meehan.”