That is true to a lesser extent of groups representing the elderly, educators, environmentalists and others. It isn't that the groups don't have legitimate interests, but they distort the process by wrangling over the smallest issues, leaving Congress paralyzed, the public disgusted and the outcome a crapshoot. Democracy is threatened when the candidates we elect and laws we enact hinge on how much money is spent. To claim that campaign spending is a legitimate exercise of free speech is to deny the constitutional principle that each one of us counts. My office was next to the Finance Committee's hearing room.
Money does indeed buy access, and that's when access pays off.
To the Senate's credit, not one has been approved by the required two-thirds vote in the past 24 years . It may seem odd, but I believe this is the Senate's finest achievement. It dramatically demonstrates that there are still many truly fine people in the Senate who are trying desperately to protect the Constitution. I voted against every constitutional amendment that came to a vote in my 24-year tenure. I'll be content for that to be my legacy.