About two years ago, I was asked to do an hour on public radio. Every story that's done on who raised money is a story that could have been talking about issues in the campaign and could have been used to inform voters of what candidates really believe. I would let people spend what they want. Whether that comes to more or less, I don't really care. We in America don't spend a lot of money, whether you compare it to other countries or figure it out on a voter basis or figure it as a percentage of our economy or compare it to other types of advertising.
Money breaks up the system.
Big business spends 10 times on lobbying what it spends on campaign contributions. That's where the real source of its influence lies. That's why groups like the Council for Economic Development, which mainly consists of Fortune 100 companies, favor restrictions on giving. They know they have permanent lobbyists in Washington and the smaller businesses don't, and they know that they're going to come out ahead. We see the way a Ross Perot or a Steve Forbes could come in, because of that self-funded candidate loophole, and force new issues onto the stage.