Russ Feingold: “that editorial identifies clearly the belief of most Americans that the purpose of this amendment is not necessarily to…”

“that editorial identifies clearly the belief of most Americans that the purpose of this amendment is not necessarily to simply resolve this issue, although I am sure Members on the other side of the aisle, many of them, feel strongly about it, but it is to kill the McCain-Feingold bill. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent that an editorial from the USA Today, dated October 6, 1997, entitled ``Squabble over union dues a pretext to stop reform'' be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the editorial was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Squabble Over Union Dues a Pretext to Stop Reform Our View--As in the past, those in power are trying to kill campaign-finance reform without taking the rap. For 20 years, Congress has mounted pieties about cleaning up the swamp of special-interest money in politics, while making quite sure nothing gets done about it. Year after year, stalling, stalemate and deception have been weapons of choice for those who have mastered the system to get elected and have little interest in change. This week, masked in a contrived debate over union dues, it may happen again. After finally agreeing to debate campaign-finance reform, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott has made the first order of business his own amendment requiring that union members give written permission before their dues can be used for political purposes. Sounds noble, but it's a phony.…”