T. Gorton said "I find it fascinating that this bill is being debated on this floor, considering the way in which we see politics has been practiced in the last 6 or 8 months in the United States. We have had literally tens of millions of dollars spent in the most thinly veiled attack on incumbents, mostly in the House of Representatives, who supported last year's balanced budget--tens of millions of dollars. I am particularly sensitive to those attacks because so many of the victims are freshmen Members of Congress from my own State. Yet the definitions in this bill do not constitute those labor attacks on these incumbents as either contributions to their opponents or, for that matter, independent action, because they very carefully do not advocate their defeat in so many words or the election of their opponent." @ PoliticalQuotes.com

On the recordJune 24, 1996

I find it fascinating that this bill is being debated on this floor, considering the way in which we see politics has been practiced in the last 6 or 8 months in the United States. We have had literally tens of millions of dollars spent in the most thinly veiled attack on incumbents, mostly in the House of Representatives, who supported last year's balanced budget--tens of millions of dollars. I am particularly sensitive to those attacks because so many of the victims are freshmen Members of Congress from my own State. Yet the definitions in this bill do not constitute those labor attacks on these incumbents as either contributions to their opponents or, for that matter, independent action, because they very carefully do not advocate their defeat in so many words or the election of their opponent.

Said by

T. Gorton

Republican · Washington

Source

govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Discussing campaign finance and political attacks on incumbents during Senate floor debate.

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