Joe Cunningham: “Today we are being asked to vote for a campaign finance reform bill. And, like most in this body, I see that we are…”

“Today we are being asked to vote for a campaign finance reform bill. And, like most in this body, I see that we are currently at a place where special interest money is threatening our democracy. Votes should not and cannot be influenced by money. But in our fervor to achieve reform, let us not blindly support any piece of legislation that dons a reform mask. Rather, we owe it to our constituents to strip away the disguises and pass legislation that will actually accomplish the ends that it claims to achieve. While I applaud the ends of the Shays-Meehan legislation--to get special interest money out of politics--I cannot support the means. What good is closing one loophole only to create 50 more in the process? Today, I implore my colleagues to look at the facts and take a moment to understand what this legislation does. Please, look past the smoke and mirrors and understand the many problems with the Shays-Meehan bill. Good intentions do not equal good legislation and passing bad legislation does not fix a problem--it merely creates more problems. Americans deserve better than the pretense of reform and I would hate to see this bill pass the House today, only to revisit the issue next year after we wake up to realize the monster we have created. The Shays-Meehan legislation does not remove soft money from politics.”