Political Quotes

“we have heard from several of my colleagues about the need to move forward on campaign finance reform. I wholeheartedly agree--but we must not move forward without reviewing, analyzing, and understanding what those reforms entail. Campaign finance reform is indeed a very important issue and one that has received increasing publicity and discussion among the American people. The Senate Rules Committee has taken a bipartisan lead in bringing the full spectrum of the issues surrounding campaign finance to this discussion, and there are many important and significant issues surrounding the reform efforts. In a series of hearings specifically designed to permit the examination and full discussion of this very important subject, the Rules Committee has heard from Senators McCain, Feingold, Thompson, Wellstone, Feinstein, and Bradley, about legislation they have proposed. We have also received testimony from Members of the House-- Messrs. Shays and Meehan, and Mrs. Smith--on legislation they introduced in the House. We have benefited in our understanding of the scope of these proposals from several distinguished lawyers and scholars who have raised significant--and serious--concerns about the constitutionality of some of the proposed reforms. This should cause every Senator to tread slowly, and ensure we have the benefit of full analysis. It remains my greatest concern that many of the reform proposals carry a high risk of being held unconstitutional.”