Patty Murray: “this is the sixth year I have been a Member of the U.S. Senate. And this is the sixth year I can recall debating…”

“this is the sixth year I have been a Member of the U.S. Senate. And this is the sixth year I can recall debating campaign finance reform. I have voted to pass campaign reform legislation in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, and now 1998. We actually passed a good bill in the Senate in 1993. Each time it has been killed off by filibuster. Each time I thought, this is it. This is our chance to make some changes that the people of this country will notice and respect. This is our chance to restore a measure of faith in American democracy. While I've had my share of disappointments, today we are here again with a rare and valuable opportunity to actually get a bill signed into law. Mr. President, it is critically important that we pass campaign reform legislation. The health of our democracy is not good. Yes, the economy is strong, crime is down, and people are generally feeling good about their lives. But there is an undercurrent that I find deeply troubling, and it's been building for the past two decades. People simply do not like government. They do not trust government, and they do not feel like they are part of the process. They are losing faith and I think it would be terrible if we did not do something to re-invigorate peoples' interest in American democracy. If any of my colleagues doubt this, just look at voter turnout rates and voter registration rates. People just are not participating any more, and it gets worse each year.”