In August 1998, the initiative won House approval - only to run into a filibuster in the Senate and die. I know many of you doubt that politicians would ever truly reform the system. After all, those in office have successfully used the current system to get elected. Too often, voters feel left out of the process or fear their views won't be heard because they are unable to make sizeable donations. And that's why campaign finance reform is needed.
Money is a necessary part of political campaigns.
Communicating by mail, radio and television all costs money. But campaigns should be about exchanging and debating ideas, about giving the public a clear picture of a candidate's priorities and plans. We cannot allow the electoral process to be dominated by outside interest groups and wealthy candidates. The Shays-Meehan reform effort bans soft money, reins in campaign advertisement masquerading as issue ads and gives the Federal Election Commission the teeth needed to enforce laws already on the books. The initiative also creates a bipartisan commission to recommend further reforms.