Russ Feingold: “the American campaign finance system is manifestly corrupt. So we are back. And here we will return until America's…”

“the American campaign finance system is manifestly corrupt. So we are back. And here we will return until America's citizens regain dominion over their government. It is my great pleasure to join Sen. John McCain to once again introduce a bipartisan campaign finance reform bill in the United States Senate. This is the third Congress in which we have taken up this fight together. I want to thank my friend and colleague Senator McCain for his tireless devotion to this issue and his continued willingness to defy the leadership of his party to press it. It will take great effort to achieve consensus and pass this legislation. But I truly do believe that we can make a breakthrough this year, and the reintroduction of the McCain-Feingold bill is the first step toward making that happen. Mr. President, our democracy is sick. The corrupting influence of big money is taking a daily toll on our work here in the Congress and on the confidence of the American people in our ability to do that work fairly and in their interests. The future of our country is truly at stake in this fight for reform, and that is why, despite the setbacks we have suffered in the last two Congress, despite our inability in the last two Congresses to overcome filibusters by a minority of this body, we are back on the floor today.…”