Joe Cunningham: “I was not even going to speak on this issue until I heard the Democrat leadership's partisan attacks which has flowed…”

“I was not even going to speak on this issue until I heard the Democrat leadership's partisan attacks which has flowed through these Chambers over the last year. When one takes a look at the Democrat leadership and their interest to recapture the majority and gridlock this House and fight against every single thing that we try and do, campaign finance reform was mentioned. The other night when the Presidential debate went forward and Vice President Gore looked at Governor Bush and said, ``would you sign the McCain-Feingold,'' I wanted to jump in the television and ask Governor Bush to ask Vice-President Gore would he sign the Paycheck Protection Act to control the unions. Gore would say no of course. I went in 18 different congressional districts over the last few weeks. The minimum amount that the union goons had spent against our vulnerable candidates was a million dollars each. But yet my colleagues on the other side, because their campaign coffers are filled by the union bosses, will they do that? Absolutely not. So when my colleagues talk about campaign finance reform and their extreme rhetoric, no, we will not support those kinds of things. The Patients' Bill of Rights was mentioned that the Democrats push. It would be so easy for this House to come together. Instead, in an election year, they choose to try to make it a partisan issue. The Patients' Bill of Rights not only has unlimited lawsuits, but unlimited amounts with the intention of killing HMOs.”