Adam Smith: “I was trying to explain to one of the major news magazines today what was bothering me about this place and why I wanted…”

“I was trying to explain to one of the major news magazines today what was bothering me about this place and why I wanted to change it, and I finally came to a cultural issue. That sounds odd. I said I want to change the culture. The culture becomes centered on Washington, DC, and people do not have to go home after a few years, because they become a chair or they meet enough of the special interest groups, and the money kind of comes in after you are elected. So what this will do, if you take any versions of this, the one they introduced last year, eliminating PAC's, making it all come from people mostly in your State, or all in your State, I prefer all in your State obviously, but it changes the culture, because instead of us fighting the war here we move it back into the streets of America, the war of public opinion, I cannot stay here next year if I want to run for office if my opponents are at home raising money, and I cannot raise it here anymore. It will drive the incumbents back home. You will not have people just staying here. What a wonderful thing for America when America's people reclaim the political system.”