Russ Feingold: “I regret, even though this is the time that has been allocated by unanimous consent for the final debate on the…”

“I regret, even though this is the time that has been allocated by unanimous consent for the final debate on the nominations, particularly the nomination of Brad Smith, I regret there are no other Senators here to debate the nomination. However, I will proceed in any event because it is an important nomination, an important issue. There is an irony about the vote we are about to have in the Senate. The Senate is sure to close up shop at a reasonable hour today. Why? Because tonight the Democratic Party will host the largest fund-raiser in history at the MCI Center here in Washington. The party expects to rake in $24 million in one night, tonight. And this will surpass the previous record for a single fund-raiser of $21.3 million set less than 1 month ago by the Republican Party. That record fundraiser swamped the previous record, also held by the Republican Party, at an event a year earlier, of $14 million. We are in an arms race. The escalation is truly staggering. The insatiable need for bigger and bigger checks is turning our great political parties into little more than fundraiser machines. Forty-seven donors raised or contributed $250,000 or more to go to the fundraiser tonight that my party will hold. Back in April, 45 donors raised or contributed that amount to join the Republican Party leaders at the National Armory. A quarter of a million dollars. Can anyone honestly say the donors who give that money will get no special treatment in return?”